A Comparative Study of the Publication Output of Librarians and Academics in Universities in the South-South Zone of Nigeria

摘要

This study is aimed at examining the publication output differences betweennlibrarians and academics at Niger Delta University and Delta State Universitynin Nigeria. The study employed a comparative method. The study comprisesnfocus groups made up of thirty librarians and forty academics (teaching staff )nfrom Niger Delta University (NDU), Amassoma, Bayelsa State; and Delta StatenUniversity (Delsu), Abraka, Delta State. Questionnaires and interviews were usednfor data collection. The data obtained from the questionnaires were analysed usingnsimple percentage to answer the research questions and a chi-squared statisticalntool of significance to test the formulated hypotheses. The study revealed the follow-ning: that librarians and academics in the two universities published equally; thatnhigh qualifications influence the publication output of librarians and academics;nand that long daily working hours, heavy workload, a limited number of localnjournals, and high publication charges are some of the major problems militatingnagainst the publication output of librarians and academics in Nigeria. The studynwill stimulate librarians, despite the obstacles militating against their publicationnefforts, to see the need to publish like their lecturing counterparts in order to meetnpromotion requirements. The findings of this study should move universitynauthorities in Nigeria to set aside time (hours or days) for research activities fornall academic staff as directed by the National University Commission (NUC) innNigeria.