THE LIBRARIAN PERSONALITY AND PROFESSIONAL SOCIALIZATION - A LONGITUDINAL-STUDY OF LIBRARY SCHOOL STUDENTS IN NIGERIA

The equivocal results of the impact of assertiveness training on the workplace calls for examinations of the ''goodness of fit'' between assertive behavior patterns and certain professional cultures. This paper reports a series of longitudinal studies that sought to test the hypothesis that the library profession might actively socialize librarians into their characteristic unassertive demeanors. The investigations were undertaken at Ahmadu Bello University in Nigeria from 1983 to 1990, using causal comparative and cross-sectional designs. The findings raise issues as to the appropriateness of unassertive dispositions for contemporary information service and the responsibilities of library schools toward effecting attitudinal and behavioral modifications in their graduates.