Personnel management in a university library in a rural setting in Nigeria

Presents the viewpoint of a second‐level library manager who has experienced personnel management in libraries in urban and rural environments. The contrast between the two situations prompted the investigation. In a rural setting it was discovered that staff behave in an extraordinary way. The study reveals that the factors responsible for this include a “Son of the soil” syndrome, the concept of godfatherism, the neglect of rural areas in terms of development, poor economic conditions, and a lack of understanding of personnel management on the part of some heads of department. The resolution of this problem is the single greatest task for the library manager.