NDJLIS Volume 4, Number 1 June 2023 ISSN: 2756-3758 Knowledge Sharing, Mentoring Practices and Motivation Among Librarians in Selected Higher Education Institutions in Kwara State, Nigeria Oluyinka Titilope AFOLAYAN1 (Ph.D) Department of Information Technology University of Ilorin, Nigeria [email protected] Titilayo Oludayo ADEDOKUN2 (Ph.D) Research & Bibliographic Department, University Library, University of Lagos, Nigeria [email protected] Abstract Academic Librarians in Higher Education Institutions (HEIs), in many cases are faced by the challenge of inadequate motivation in the work place; most especially in the area of knowledge sharing and mentoring practices in most libraries. In view of this, this paper investigates knowledge sharing, mentoring practices, and motivation among librarians in the selected HEIs in Kwara State, Nigeria. A structured and validated questionnaire was used to collect data from the selected six HEIs in Kwara State spanning across Federal, State, and Private respectively. The sample size for this study constituted 60 academic librarians who were selected using total enumeration method. This study revealed a slight positive correlation between knowledge sharing, mentoring practices, and motivation in the study locale. It further revealed a joint positive influence of the two variables (knowledge sharing and mentoring practices) on motivation. However, in terms of relative contribution, knowledge sharing and mentoring practices made no significant contribution to employee motivation. This study has shown a significant positive but slight correlation exists between knowledge sharing, mentoring practices and motivation among librarians in the selected HEIs in Kwara state. It also revealed that knowledge sharing and mentoring practices did not contribute relatively and significantly to the motivation of librarians in the study area. It was recommended that reward mechanisms should be tied to knowledge sharing and mentoring practices by management of libraries to motivate librarians. Keywords: Knowledge sharing, mentoring practices, employee motivation, librarians; Higher Education Institutions Introduction Over the past decades, modern libraries have embraced the philosophy of employee motivation due to its importance in sustaining and maintaining the workforce. It enables library workers to be committed to work regardless of the challenges faced in the workplace. For instance, motivated employees are always willing to take up responsibilities that are self-driven and discretionary in nature than less motivated employees (Zhou, Li & Gong, 2019). Motivation can be described as a strong drive that propels an employee towards a particular behaviour, task, or action that is beneficial (Ilesanmi & Famolu, 2016). A well-motivated library workforce would positively impress on the staff in their jobs, enhancing productivity, reducing employee turnover, job satisfaction, and improving general performance (Oyeniran & Irenoa, 2021), and this will in turn lead to improved knowledge-sharing practices and mentoring among others. There are two major dimensions of motivation: intrinsic and extrinsic motivation are often used in Niger Delta Journal of Library and Information Science available at: ndjlis.fuotuoke.edu.ng 66 NDJLIS Volume 4, Number 1 June 2023 ISSN: 2756-3758 varying degrees by management in most organizations (Bergstrom & Martinez, 2016; Legault, 2016). Intrinsic motivation is an inner drive that propels an employee in executing an assigned task or work. Examples include the ability to solve organizational problems with little or no assistance, recognition, and challenging work. On the other hand, extrinsic motivation is in the form of external gratification in the form of salary, a conducive working environment, and fringe benefits, bonuses, promotions attending conferences, seminars, workshops, and impressive retirement packages (Malik, 2010). However, in today's modern libraries, the extrinsic dimension of motivation may no longer sustain employees due to several organizational and economic problems that libraries are grabbling with. As a result of these challenges, libraries may tend to focus more on some organizational factors that may motivate employees such as knowledge-sharing and mentoring practices. In libraries, one of the critical practices that can drive employee motivation is knowledge Sharing (KS). Knowledge sharing is the deliberate exchange of ideas, innovation, and insights between two or more people that are engaged in a beneficial relationship (Ugocha & Igwe, 2018). It is believed that when librarians share knowledge, it brings about a developmental relationship, which helps in achieving their professional goals. However, knowledge sharing may not come naturally, but the enabling environment that would foster KS can be created. For instance, some factors can influence KS of librarians positively such as organizational, personal, social, and environmental factors as identified in the literature (Van den Hooff & Hendrix, 2016). The implication of this is that if librarians are well motivated, their knowledge sharing practices will improve, and there will be a willingness to share their knowledge without any form of enforcement. Another practice that can drive employee motivation in libraries is mentoring. Mentoring can be defined as a developmental relationship majorly set up for the purpose of gaining superior experience, knowledge, and skills and professional insight from mentors (Okurame, 2013). In librarianship, mentoring can be viewed as a process of learning and development where an experienced librarian called a mentor, helps a new librarian called mentee to develop as a professional; and achieve professional goals (Pan & Houde, 2010). Therefore, mentoring helps in strengthening the relationship between the older librarian and the new librarian and may equally facilitate other positive outcomes such as employee commitment, job satisfaction, and motivation among others. Over time, researchers have categorized mentoring into two major components, which are: career support and psycho-social aspects. Career support focuses on career and work progression of the protégé in the organization. Examples of career support include coaching, sponsorship, guidance, and challenging work assignment among others; while the psycho-social functions are benefits derived by the mentee from the mentor in the form of personal advice, timely feedback, as well as improved self-esteem. Mentoring programs are beneficial, especially for new librarians in assisting them to put theoretical knowledge into practice, and improving their familiarity with diverse job situations (Nwabueze & Anike, 2016). Therefore, mentoring can serve as a motivational tool for employees in the libraries. Niger Delta Journal of Library and Information Science available at: ndjlis.fuotuoke.edu.ng 67 NDJLIS Volume 4, Number 1 June 2023 ISSN: 2756-3758 In relation to academic libraries, employee motivation, which comes in several dimensions, drives the sustainability and longevity of librarians in the workplace; it can also lead to improvement in their level of commitment and satisfaction. However, librarians may be faced with the challenge of inadequate motivation, especially in the area of knowledge sharing and mentoring practices, perhaps due to low practices in some academic libraries in the Nigerian environment. In essence, librarians who do not share knowledge regularly as well as those that are not properly mentored may exhibit low levels of motivation; and consequently, low self-esteem as a result of not being properly equipped on the job to meet the urgent demands of the profession. In view of the above, this study aims to investigate the correlation between knowledge sharing, mentoring practices and motivation among librarians in selected Higher Education Institutions (HEIs) in Kwara State, Nigeria. It will further ascertain the relative and joint contribution of knowledge sharing and mentoring practices to motivation. Objectives of the Study The main purpose of this study is to examine the correlation between knowledge sharing, mentoring practices and motivation among librarians in selected HEIs in Kwara State, Nigeria. It will further ascertain the relative and joint contribution of knowledge sharing and mentoring practices to employee motivation. The specific objectives considered in this study is to: 1. Ascertain whether a significant correlation exists between knowledge sharing and motivation among librarians in selected HEIs in Kwara State, Nigeria; 2. Establish whether a significant correlation exists between mentoring practices and motivation among librarians in selected HEIs in Kwara State, Nigeria; 3. Ascertain the joint influence of knowledge sharing and mentoring practices on employee motivation among librarians in selected HEIs in Kwara State, Nigeria; and 4. Ascertain the relative contribution of knowledge sharing and mentoring practices on motivation among librarians in selected HEIs in Kwara State, Nigeria. Hypotheses The following hypotheses were tested as listed below: H01: There is no significant correlation between knowledge sharing and motivation among librarians in selected HEIs in Kwara State, Nigeria. H02: There is no significant correlation between mentoring practices and motivation among librarians in selected HEIs in Kwara State, Nigeria. H03: Knowledge sharing practices and mentoring do not jointly influence employee motivation among librarians in selected HEIs in Kwara State, Nigeria. Niger Delta Journal of Library and Information Science available at: ndjlis.fuotuoke.edu.ng 68 NDJLIS Volume 4, Number 1 June 2023 ISSN: 2756-3758 H04: Knowledge sharing practices and mentoring do not contribute relatively to employee motivation among librarians in selected HEIs in Kwara State, Nigeria. Significance of the Study This study would help Library management learn about KS and mentoring practices and understand its impact on motivation. It would also help in understanding the extent of the relationship between KS, mentoring practices and motivation in academic libraries. Lastly, this study would help library management to know the relative and joint contribution of knowledge sharing and mentoring practices to motivation of librarians in HEIs. Literature Review Several researchers in Nigeria and other countries have examined employee motivation of librarians in academic institutions. Some of these studies have examined the motivation of librarians from the dimensions of intrinsic and extrinsic motivation. Lamptey, Boateng, Antwi, (2013) examined motivation of librarians and their performance in Public Universities in Ghana. Findings revealed a high motivational level for librarians in the selected Public University libraries. Majority of the librarians in the study area revealed they were satisfied on the job which translated to their performance. In the same vein, Bamgbose and Ladipo (2017) examined the impact of motivation on employees’ performance and productivity in some selected academic libraries in Lagos State, Nigeria. Findings revealed that both dimensions of motivation, that is extrinsic and intrinsic were available to the library employees such as wages and salary, relationship with colleagues, job security, staff appraisal, financial incentives, and rewards. In the same vein, Okorie, Ikonne and Haliso (2019) examined extrinsic motivational factors and job performance of library staff in Universities and Institutes of Agriculture in Nigeria. Findings indicated that extrinsic motivational dimensions such as conducive working environment, regular payment of salary, promotion, career progression, job security among others influenced the job performance of library personnel in universities and institutes of agriculture in Nigeria. Asides from motivation, researchers have also investigated extensively on knowledge sharing practices among Librarians in Nigeria and outside from several dimensions. For instance, DjokotoePlockey and Alemna (2009) examined the extent of knowledge sharing among the employees of Balme Library, University of Ghana. Findings revealed that the library staff benefited from knowledge sharing, however, there was no formalized policy for KS in the library. Hosseini and Hashempou (2012) examined the use of web 2.0 tools in knowledge sharing among librarians in Iran. Findings showed that some of the librarians used these tools in knowledge sharing for reasons such as managing personal knowledge, speed and ease of use, and easier communication with users and colleagues. However, more than half of the librarians were not versatile in the use of these tools and lacked familiarity with these services. Akparobore (2013) examined knowledge sharing practices among librarians in University libraries in the South-South geographical zone of Nigeria. The study revealed that KS was practiced in Niger Delta Journal of Library and Information Science available at: ndjlis.fuotuoke.edu.ng 69 NDJLIS Volume 4, Number 1 June 2023 ISSN: 2756-3758 specific subject areas such as Information and Communication Technologies (ICTs) and networking, database management, knowledge management and cataloging. However, knowledge sharing was found to be low among Librarians in the study area. Anasi, Akpan and Adedokun (2014) also studied the use of ICT tools for KS among Librarians in South-West Nigeria. The study revealed that Librarians are familiar with the use of ICTs for KS, however, challenges are hindering the use of ICTs for KS such as limited ICT skills, unawareness of existing ICT-based KS platforms, and lack of appropriate technological environment among others. In the same vein, Olufade (2015) examined KS among Librarians in some selected Federal Universities in Nigeria. Results revealed a low level of KS, although, the Librarians were positively disposed towards KS. The channels through which knowledge was shared were limited to verbal discussions, workshops, and seminars. In a similar vein, Awodoyin, Osinsanwo, Adetoro and Adeyemi (2016) further examined knowledge sharing behavior patterns of Librarians in selected academic libraries in Nigeria. Findings revealed that the librarians in the study area majorly shared knowledge through several channels such as bulletin boards, discussion boards. mobile phones, face-to-face interaction, newsletters, e-mail, memos and web forums. Aside from KS, mentoring practices are being undertaken in libraries in varying proportions to ensure that knowledge and experiences are passed down from more experienced and older librarians to the younger librarians (Nwabueze & Ozioko, 2012). For instance, Ibegbulam (2010) carried out a study on the opinion of Librarians on mentoring programs in Nnamdi Azikwe Library, University of Nigeria, Nsukka. Results revealed a relatively low mentoring practices in the study area. Nwabueze and Anike (2016) examined strategies for effective mentoring and its impact on the professional development of librarians in South-Eastern Federal Universities. Findings revealed that informal mentoring was mainly used by Librarians for professional development, followed by participation in professional associations, sponsorship for conferences and seminars. However, challenges hindering effective mentoring were also identified such as absence of mentoring orientation in Librarianship, broken confidentiality by mentors and mentees, and unconstructive criticism from the mentor to the mentee among others. In addition, Njoku (2017) examined the performance of academic librarians through mentoring practices in southeast and South-South Zones in Nigeria. Results revealed that mentoring influenced the performance of academic librarians positively. The study concludes that mentoring has become a road map that fosters positive work change, thereby contributing to job performance and productivity. Ubogu (2019) also investigated the impact of mentoring on the professional development of academic librarians in some selected University Libraries in Nigeria. A survey design approach was adopted using 250 professional librarians from selected University libraries in Nigeria. Findings revealed that the academic librarians in the study area were mostly mentored through programmes such as seminars, and workshops, sponsorship to conferences among others. However, some challenges were identified which hindered successful mentoring practices such as non-availability of facilities required for mentoring, and coupled with lack of awareness and interest to mentor young librarians. Niger Delta Journal of Library and Information Science available at: ndjlis.fuotuoke.edu.ng 70 NDJLIS Volume 4, Number 1 June 2023 ISSN: 2756-3758 Based on the review of literature, it has shown to a large extent that researchers have examined independently the concept of knowledge sharing, mentoring practices and motivation in academic libraries from several angles and dimensions. However, the relationship among Knowledge sharing, mentoring practices and motivation in academic libraries has not been given adequate attention in the literature due to the dearth of studies in these areas. It is worthy to note that this study intends to fill the apparent gap in the literature by examining the correlation between KS, mentoring and motivation of academic librarians in selected HEIs in Kwara State, Nigeria. It will further ascertain the relative and joint contribution of KS and mentoring to motivation of academic librarians in the study area. Theoretical Framework The most applicable theory to this study is the Hezberg’s two factor motivational theory, which is one of the earliest theories of motivation in the workplace. It was propounded by Fredrick Hezberg in 1959 to determine what actually motivates employees in the work place. Hezberg (1959) defined employee motivation as performing a work-related action at a given time. According to him, he distinguished between two categories of motivational factors: motivators and hygiene factors. Motivators are classified as intrinsic factors that are inwardly driven such as recognition, responsibility and challenging work, among others. On the other hand, Hygiene factors are externally driven Examples of hygiene factors include company policy and administration, supervision, salary, relationship with co-workers, personal life, status and security. Hygiene factors will help to palliate employees’ negative feelings or disposition towards work. However, the presence of these factors does not result in total satisfaction but will simply reduce dissatisfaction. Based on Hezberg’s categorization, hygiene factors in the work environment will lead to satisfaction, while motivators will lead to dissatisfaction. In relations to libraries, Hezberg’s two factor theory is applicable in the sense that hygiene factors and motivators are required in ensuring a satisfied and productive workforce for librarians; that is, each of the motivators and hygiene factors would serve as rewards to the library employees. Without the presence of hygiene factors and motivators, performance of library employees would be at a very low ebb. Therefore, KS and mentoring practices can be seen as varying forms of motivators that are essential in the library environment. Without these forms of motivators, library employees may not be very productive on the job, hence the need to investigate the correlation between KS, mentoring practices and employee motivation among academic librarians in selected HEIs in Kwara State, Nigeria. Methodology A survey research design approach was adopted using a structured questionnaire to elicit responses from the respondents in the study area. Descriptive and inferential statistics were used in analyzing the field data such as frequency count, mean, percentages, standard deviation, correlation and regression analysis. Niger Delta Journal of Library and Information Science available at: ndjlis.fuotuoke.edu.ng 71 NDJLIS Volume 4, Number 1 June 2023 ISSN: 2756-3758 Population of Study The population of the study comprised of 60 librarians selected from Federal, State, and Private HEIs in Kwara state, Nigeria as reflected in Table 1 below. Table 1: Population Sizes of Librarians in Selected HEIs in Kwara State, Nigeria Selected Universities in Kwara State University of Ilorin, Ilorin Kwara State University Alhikmah University Landmark University Crown Hill University Summit University Total Status Federal State Private Private Private Private Number of Academic Librarians 20 10 10 10 5 5 60 Sampling Technique and Sample Size Total enumeration sampling method was used due to the small population size of academic librarians in the selected six HEIs in Kwara State. Total enumeration sampling method is often used when the population size is small, hence no need to zero on a particular sample, rather the whole population is sampled. Therefore, all the academic librarians in the selected six HEIs were used for this study totalling 60 academic librarians. 100% rate of return was achieved. Instrumentation A structured questionnaire titled Influence of Knowledge Sharing, Mentoring Practices and Motivation (IKSMPAM) was designed to elicit data from the respondents in the study area. The questionnaire was divided into five sections: Section A consists of items on the biodata of the respondents, Section B constituted the Work Motivation scale comprising 10 items. The scale was developed and validated by Tremblay, Blanchard, Taylor, Pelletier and Villevneuve (2009). Section C(i) comprised of items on the types of mentoring practices while Section C(ii) is a Mentoring scale, comprising of 12 items, adapted from Lo, Ramayah and Kui (2013). Section D is the Knowledge Sharing Practices (KSP) scale comprising of 12 items adapted from Odunewu & Haliso (2019). The three adapted scales for this study used the Likert scale type on a four-point scale ranging from Strongly Agree (SA) to Strongly Disagree (SD). Validation and Reliability of Research Instrument The face validation of the adapted scales was established by the researcher in this study. It was achieved after several corrections and proofreading by two experts in the field of Library and Information Science. The face validity of the adapted scales was considerably high based on experts' opinions. The content validity of the three scales were also achieved by establishing the Cronbach Alpha Reliability Coefficient score. The Reliability score determines whether a scale measures what it purports to measure, thereby showing the internal consistency of the items that made up the scales. Cronbach's Reliability scores of the three scales ranged from 0.7 to 0.8 which is moderately on the high side. The Cronbach Alpha reliability scores of the adapted scales are reflected in Table 2 below. Niger Delta Journal of Library and Information Science available at: ndjlis.fuotuoke.edu.ng 72 NDJLIS Volume 4, Number 1 June 2023 ISSN: 2756-3758 Table 2: Showing Cronbach Alpha Reliability Scores of the Adapted Scales S/N Scale Source 1. Work Extrinsic and Intrinsic Motivation scale Mentoring scale, Knowledge Sharing Scale Tremblay, Blanchard, Taylor, Pelletier & Villeneuve (2009) 2. 3. Lo, Ramayah and Kui (2013). Odunewu & Haliso (2019) Number of Items 10 Cronbach Score 0.70 12 12 0.81 0.80 Alpha Data Collection The services of Research Assistants who were working in the selected libraries were employed in a bid to collecting valid data from the academic librarians in the selected HEIs in Kwara State. Face to face approach was used in the collection of data from the respondents. Copies of the questionnaire were distributed across the six universities by hand and returned after filling. Presentation of Results The collected field data was analyzed with the aid of Statistical Package for Social Sciences (SPSS) version 24.0. The results of the analyzed data are presented in the Tables below. Table 3: Demographic Attributes of Respondents (N=60) Variables Age Gender Level of Education Working Experience Classification 25-30 years 31- 35 years 36- 40 years 41- 45 years 46-50 years 51-55 years Male Female PhD MLIS MA/MSc. BSc. Others 1-5 years 6-10 years 11-15years 21-25years 26 years and above Frequency 36 12 4 1 5 2 29 31 5 6 7 41 1 34 15 9 1 1 60 Percentage 60.0 20.0 6.7 1.7 8.3 3.3 48.3 51.7 8.3 10.0 11.7 68.3 1.7 56.7 25 15 1.7 1.7 100.0 Table 3 revealed the demographic attributes of respondents in the study area. The majority of the respondents (80.0%) are in the age range of 25-35 years, while only 3.3% are between 51-55 years. This shows that majority of academic librarians in Kwara state are young. In terms of gender, Males constitute 48.3% while female respondents are 51.7% respectively. The educational level of respondents showed that those with B.SC./BLS were more (68.3%), 10% had MLIS while 8.3% possessed a Ph.D. degree. Respondents with work experience between 1 to 5 years were more, constituting 56.7%, while those with 6-10 years working experience constituted 25%, those with 11-15 years made up 15% while those in the Niger Delta Journal of Library and Information Science available at: ndjlis.fuotuoke.edu.ng 73 NDJLIS Volume 4, Number 1 June 2023 ISSN: 2756-3758 category between 21-25 years and 26 years and above working experience constituted 1.7% each. These results depict that majority of the respondents (81.7%) fall in the category of 1-10 years. Testing of Hypotheses H01: There is no significant relationship between knowledge sharing and motivation among librarians in selected HEIs in Kwara State, Nigeria. Table 4: Correlation Table Showing Significant Correlation between Knowledge sharing and Motivation among academic librarians in selected HEIs in Kwara State, Nigeria. Variables Knowledge sharing practices Mean 42.15 Cases 60 Pearson correlation .373 Sig .003 Motivation 32.80 60 Correlation is significant at 0.01 (2-tailed) Table 5 depicts a significant positive correlation of (.373) between knowledge sharing and motivation among academic librarians in selected HEIs in Kwara State, Nigeria. This result depicts that there is a slight relationship between knowledge sharing and motivation of librarians in the study area. This shows that whenever librarians share knowledge, they are slightly motivated. H02: There is no correlation between mentoring practices and motivation among Academic Librarians in Selected HEIs in Kwara State, Nigeria. Table 6: Correlation Table Showing Significant Correlation between Mentoring Practices and Motivation among Academic Librarians in Selected HEIs in Kwara State, Nigeria. Variables Mentoring practices Mean 38.47 Cases 60 Pearson correlation .356 Sig .005 Motivation 32.80 60 Correlation is significant at 0.01 (2-tailed) Table 6 indicates a significant positive correlation of (r=.356; p<.05) between mentoring practices and motivation among librarians in selected HEIs in Kwara State, Nigeria. This result depicts a slight relationship between mentoring practices and motivation of academic librarians in the study area. This depicts that whenever academic librarians are mentored, they are slightly motivated. H03: Knowledge sharing practices and mentoring do not jointly influence employee motivation in selected HEIs in Kwara State, Nigeria. Table 7: Multiple Regression Analysis of Knowledge Sharing Practices and Mentoring on Employee Motivation Model Regression Residual Total Sum of Squares 84.100 393.500 477.600 Df 2 57 59 Mean Square 42.050 6.904 Niger Delta Journal of Library and Information Science R .420 R2 .176 Adjusted R2 .147 F P 6.091 .004 available at: ndjlis.fuotuoke.edu.ng 74 NDJLIS Volume 4, Number 1 June 2023 ISSN: 2756-3758 Multiple regression analysis was carried out to determine the joint influence of knowledge-sharing practices and mentoring on the motivation of the respondents. Table 7 has revealed a positive and significant relationship among the two independent variables (knowledge sharing practices and mentoring) and employee motivation (R=0.420, p<0.05). The Adjusted R-square value of 0.147 implies that 14.7% of the total variance of employee motivation was accounted for by these two predicting variables when taken together. The remaining 85.3% is due to other external factors Therefore, the null hypothesis was rejected. H04: Knowledge sharing practices and mentoring do not contribute relatively to employee motivation among Librarians in selected HEIs in Kwara State, Nigeria. Table 8: Relative Contribution of Knowledge Sharing Practices and Mentoring to Employee Motivation Model (Constant) Knowledge Sharing practices Mentoring B 18.598 .198 Beta AdiustedR2 0.147 t 4.511 1.847 Sig .000 .070 .258 .152 .224 0.147 1.599 .115 Tables 8 revealed the relative contributions of each of the two independent variables (KS and Mentoring practices) to Motivation expressed as beta weights: KSP (β = .258, t=1.847, P>.05) and Mentoring (β = .224, t=1.599, p>.05). This result implies that knowledge sharing practices and mentoring made no significant contribution to employee motivation. On the whole, this result has shown that knowledge sharing practices and mentoring on their own do not motivate academic librarians in the study area. Perhaps, other salient factors might have contributed to employee motivation in the study area, rather than KS or mentoring practices alone Therefore, the null hypothesis was accepted. Discussion of Findings The study investigated the correlation between knowledge sharing, mentoring practices, and motivation among academic librarians in selected Institutions in Kwara State; considering its joint and relative contribution to motivation. The findings of this study are discussed in line with the objectives that were earlier stated in this paper. The first objective tested whether a significant positive correlation existed between knowledge sharing and motivation among academic librarians in selected HEIs in Kwara State. Results revealed a positive but slight correlation between knowledge sharing and motivation among academic librarians in the study area. Therefore, the null hypothesis was rejected. This shows that whenever academic librarians share knowledge, they are slightly motivated. Again, the second objective tested whether a significant positive correlation existed between mentoring and motivation among academic librarians in selected HEIs in Kwara State. Results revealed a significant positive relationship, but a slight correlation between mentoring practices and motivation Niger Delta Journal of Library and Information Science available at: ndjlis.fuotuoke.edu.ng 75 NDJLIS Volume 4, Number 1 June 2023 ISSN: 2756-3758 among academic librarians in the study area. This shows that whenever academic librarians are mentored, they are slightly motivated. The third objective tested whether a joint relationship existed among the two independent variables (knowledge sharing and mentoring practices) and employee motivation. Findings revealed a joint and significant relationship between the two variables. However, knowledge sharing and mentoring only contributed a small quantum (14.7%) to employee motivation among academic librarians in the study area. Perhaps the remaining 85.3% may be due to other organizational and social factors that drive motivation. Lastly, the fourth objective tested the relative contribution of each of the variables (KS and mentoring) to motivation. Findings revealed that KS and mentoring practices did not contribute significantly and independently to employee motivation among academic librarians in the study area. Therefore, the result of this study confirms the findings of Okorie, Ikonne and Haliso (2019) who attributed the motivation of librarians to mostly extrinsic factors such as a conducive working environment, regular payment of salary, promotion, career progression, job security. Perhaps, this explains why knowledge sharing and mentoring did not contribute significantly to employee motivation. However, if academic librarians are rewarded for sharing their knowledge as well as mentoring younger librarians, it might improve their level of motivation. Conclusion and Recommendation This study has demonstrated that knowledge sharing, mentoring practices, and employee motivation are being undertaken in varying proportions by librarians in the selected HEIs in Kwara State. However, this study has shown that a significant positive but slight correlation exists between knowledge sharing, mentoring practices and motivation among librarians in the selected HEIs in Kwara state, Nigeria. Asides, this study has also revealed that knowledge sharing and mentoring practices did not contribute significantly to the motivation of academic librarians in the study area, therefore there is the need for management of libraries to devise strategies to ensure that knowledge sharing and mentoring practices serve as motivational tools for academic librarians. In achieving this, the following recommendations are hereby made: 1. Administrators of libraries should sustain and improve the level of knowledge sharing, mentoring practices, and motivation of academic librarians in the study area. 2. Management of libraries should put in place reward mechanisms that would be tied to knowledge sharing and mentoring practices. By this, academic librarians would be motivated to carry out these functions. 3. Future studies should determine the influence of other extrinsic rewards such as training and development, employee empowerment, pay, promotion on the extent of knowledge sharing, mentoring practices and motivation of academic librarians. Niger Delta Journal of Library and Information Science available at: ndjlis.fuotuoke.edu.ng 76 NDJLIS Volume 4, Number 1 June 2023 ISSN: 2756-3758 References Akparobore, D. (2013). Knowledge sharing among librarians in University libraries in Nigeria. Information and Knowledge Management, 5(2), 31 – 35. Anasi, S. N. I., Akpan, I. J. & Adedokun, T. (2014). Information and communication technologies and knowledge sharing among academic librarians in South-west Nigeria: Implications for professional development. Library Review, 63 (4 & 5), 352-369. Awodoyin, A., Osisanwo, T., Adetoro, N. & Adeyemo, I. (2016). Knowledge sharing behaviour pattern analysis of academic librarians in Nigeria. Journal of Balkan Libraries Union, 4 (1), 12-19. Bamgbose, A. 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