Abstract
The study examined the challenges and enhancement strategies on mentorship practices for
efficient career growth of librarians in academic libraries in North-Central, Nigeria. Two
research questions guided the study. A descriptive survey research design was adopted. The
population of the study comprised of 428 librarians in public academic libraries. The instruments
used were self-structured questionnaire and interview method. The study employed the use of a
four-point rating-scale questionnaire for data collection from respondents. The copies of the
questionnaires were administered with the help of research assistants. A total of 346 copies of
questionnaire were returned representing 80.8% of the population. An interview was also
conducted on some selected institutions' management staff using an interview schedule. The data
collected for the study were analyzed using descriptive statistics. The research used mean score
and standard deviation employing the use of SPSS for the data analysis. The Major findings of
the study showed that mentorship plays a significant role in the career growth of librarians in
academic libraries, contributing to their professional development. The study recommended that
the administration of the academic libraries should make sure that maximum attention is paid to
the areas of librarians' professional growth that call for mentoring practices; as technology
develops, librarian should engage in virtual mentorship as it is a useful tool; they should
communicate online with mentors or mentees through virtual mentorship, bypassing
geographical limitations.
Key Terms: Mentorship, Challenges, Strategies, Academic Libraries, Career Growth, Librari
Publication Date: 2025-02-15