Career progression of librarians in law institutions in Nigeria

Librarianship has evolved over the years and career in the field requires progress and development as the practitioners work for the success of the organisation. Careful look at the issues bothering librarians‟ career progression in the area of promotion and qualification was taken into consideration, especially as it affects law institutions in Nigeria. The paper discusses the need for librarians to rise up and take positive position in ensuring that as leaders, their voices must be loud and clear in every issue that pertains to their field. It is discloses the relationship between librarianship and legal education as two sides of a coin. Stressing that legal education cannot succeed without functional law libraries. Librarians‟ professional services such as; selection and acquisition of legal resources, assisting legal research, subscribing and managing legal databases among others were highlighted. Further, alternative suggestions to the requirement of law degree for promoting librarians in the law school was proposed i.e. introduction of “law librarianship programme” a programme for librarians in other climes which has helped in shaping the practice of law librarianship in other climes in some critical areas of law and the possession of PhD to occupy the apex position for librarians in the law school. It concludes that recognition of the values librarians provide in ensuring smooth and successful legal education in Nigeria, their motivation to do more depend on the ability of management to allow unhindered career progression and proper recognition in every academic and non-academic work environment. Recommendation is that position of the Law Librarian in the Nigerian Law School should not be limited to librarians with law degree alone, but also to librarians who have worked through the ranks with proven competence and experience effort should be intensify to introduce law librarianship programme, etc.