Training and Gender Distribution of Personnel: Implications for Public Secondary School Libraries Performance in Cross River State, Nigeria

Abstract

Training and gender distribution of Personnel: Implications for Public Secondary School Libraries Performance in Cross River State, Nigeria, looks at effect of training and retraining on performance of school library personnel. Training is an important factor in personnel and organizational performance. The aim was to examine the impact of training and gender distribution of personnel on public secondary school libraries performance in Cross River State, Nigeria. Ex-post facto exploratory design was utilized in analyzing secondary data and it was discovered that personnel in Cross River State public secondary school libraries were not adequately trained, which accounts for the low performance of libraries in schools. It was discovered that many school libraries were not open due to inadequate personnel. In conclusion, training of personnel plays significant role in their performance and that of the library as a unit of school organization which is not tenable in Cross River State. It was recommended that short training programmes be instituted, state government should employ trained library professionals and paraprofessionals, with the introduction of training programmes in appropriate institutions for the teeming population of lower-level paraprofessionals, in order to ensure improved performance. As more women are employed by public secondary school libraries in Cross River State, their training will help in areas of empowerment and reducing gender inequality affecting women negatively in other male dominated areas in Nigeria.