Libraries at University of Nebraska-Lincoln
Date of this Version
2019
Document Type
Article
Abstract
The level of managerial input from the leadership of any organisation could directly translate into the library employees’ performance. The paper examined the role of leadership style on the performance of academic library staff in Delta State. Five academic libraries (polytechnic, college and university) were purposively selected using a sample size of 94 which was randomly drawn. A combination of the Oates leadership measurement and MLQ 5X scales were adapted to draw inferences on the leadership tendencies of the librarians. A criterion mean of 2.5 was set for job performance, while the instrument was found to be reliable using Cronbach alpha (α = 0.78). Results indicated that, the co-ordinating heads of these libraries exhibited various leadership traits with some in minute quantum, however; in a decreasing order of influence and magnitude, the most dominant and overwhelming leadership styles were democratic, transformational, autocratic and laissez-faire having a large extent of mean positive influence (± SD) of 2.80 (± 0.13), 2.60 (± 0.28), 2.0 (± 0.17) and 1.80 (± 0.28) respectively. There was also a low positive (r = 0.248) and significant relationship (P < 0.05, 95% C.I.) between leadership style and job performance. The effectiveness of academic libraries could be dependent on the managerial expertise of the head librarians as deduced from this study; thus, it was recommended that, on a regular basis, librarians should have leadership trainings.