Continental J.

Information Technology 8 (1): 24 - 28, 2014

Wilolud Journals, 2014
Printed in Nigeria

ISSN: 2141 - 4033

http://www.wiloludjournal.com
doi:10.5707/cjit.2014.8.1.24.28

INFORMATION AND ENTREPRENEURSHIP: THE ROLE OF ASSOCIATION OF WOMEN

LIBRARIANS IN NIGERIA (AWLIN)
Juliet C. Alex-Nmecha and Bernadette C. N. Ukaegbu
Donald Ekong Library, University of Port Harcourt. Port Harcourt
ABSTRACT
This paper highlights the role of Association of Women librarians of Nigeria in the use of
information to boost the spirit of entrepreneurship in librarianship, other professions and
national development. It attempts to examine the concept of entrepreneurship, librarianship
and information with emphasis on women. It also highlights how association of women
librarians (AWLIN) can promote the entrepreneurial spirit amongst the different sectors,
women librarians and librarians in general through current information. This paper
recommends that AWLIN make a consolidated and encouraging effort with the government,
well-meaning individuals and very senior colleagues in the profession to use the skills acquired
as information professionals to make entrepreneurship work in librarianship, other sectors
seeking to be entrepreneurs and the country at large.
KEYWORDS: Women, Librarians, Entrepreneurship, Society, National Development
Received for Publication: 23/08/14
Corresponding author: jcalexnmecha@yahoo.com

Accepted for Publication: 16/10/14

INTRODUCTION
The society we live in today is changing from what it used to be. A society with so many different backgrounds,
perspectives and approaches to life, (Azunwena and Ekwerre, 2010). People, outside their jobs search for other skills
to engage themselves in, which at times pay higher than what they originally, do. That is why entrepreneurial spirit
in every sphere of life is necessary; considering the country we are, where a particular job hardly fends for all one
needs. All over the world today, people have been diverting from one means of livelihood to another. Nigeria as a
nation is not an exemption to this phenomenon. Nigeria as a country has for some years now been talking about
entrepreneurship and so as some educational institutions like the University of Port Harcourt which strive so much
on building the institution to a greater height in entrepreneurship education; all in quest of producing self-reliant
graduates. But yet all their efforts have not yet yielded the desired results. The women librarians in inculcating this
spirit of entrepreneurship means putting all hands on deck for this important phenomenon to work out in the
profession where women have considerable number and the association in general. It is against this backdrop that
this paper discusses how AWLIN can promote this spirit through information since other bodies have not made the
much expected impact in the various sectors of the society and librarianship in particular.
CONCEPT OF ENTREPRENEURSHIP
The term entrepreneur is synonymous with independent business activity. The title of an entrepreneur is transient
and applies to a state of behavior rather than the ownership of a particular business. The traditional image of an
entrepreneur setting up a small local business has been replaced by a plethora of images; entrepreneurial activity is
no longer confined to the private sector economy, (Brockhaus and Burnett as cited in Akpomi and Amadi, 2010).
Social entrepreneurs set up organizations with strong ethical or community approach with necessarily generating
huge profits. Intrapreneurship is associated with entrepreneurship, the former being applied to individuals often
employed in large organization, who act in an enterprising, innovative, risk-taking manner (Drucker, 1985).

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Juliet Alex-Nmecha and Bernadette Ukaegbu: Continental J. Information Technology 8 (1): 24 - 28, 2014

According to Shailer (1994), the entrepreneur, now a widely used term has considerable diverse meaning associated
with the intended interest of the users. Ownership of business does not necessarily fit any of the current popular
definitions of entrepreneur.
One of the popular and simple definitions given by Falkang and Alberti (2000) is that entrepreneurs are people with
entrepreneurial spirit. In other words, people with entrepreneurial spirit are likely to have knowledge and skills
requirements that are unique from other kinds of entrepreneurial sympathizers, (Akpomi and Amadi, 2010: 117).
Entrepreneurs Learn through adaptive learning in the real world. They are action oriented and much of their
learning is experimentally based (Rae and Carswel, 2000). Effective entrepreneurs are exceptional learners. They
learn from everything. They learn from information, they learn from customers, suppliers, and especially
competitors. They learn from experience. They learn by doing. They learn from what works, and more importantly,
from what doesnt work.
One thing is certain; the field of entrepreneurship is immensely diversified.
Entrepreneurship as a process includes:
Pursuit of opportunity
Rapid commitment and change
Multistage decision making
Using other peoples resources
Managing through networks and relationship
Compensating for value created
Entrepreneurship has to do with the characteristics individuals display in working to achieve goals (
http://www.slideshare.net/preetinik22/who-is-entreprenuer ).
TYPES OF ENTREPRENEURS AND WHAT THEY DO
1. Nascent Entrepreneurs- those who think about business
2. Serial entrepreneurs-those who establish several businesses in sequence.
3. Habitual entrepreneurs-several business in parallel
4. Entrepreneurial managers-have characteristics of Entrepreneurs but is an employee.
5. Entrepreneurs-those who display entrepreneurial characteristics whilst working in an organization.
These various types of entrepreneurs need information to excel in their everyday endeavor.
ATTRIBUTES OF ENTREPRENEURS
Some attributes have been put together by authors of entrepreneurship. Such authors as Schumpeter, McClelland,
McClelland and Winter, McGrath, Macmillan and Scheinberg, in Akpomi and Amadi (2010:118). These attributes
are to guide whomever that wants to move into entrepreneurship scheme. To have a successful drive, these attributes
includes.
(i) Risk-taking propensity
(ii) Need for achievement (nAch)
(iii) Locus of control
(iv) Over-Optimism
(v) Desire for autonomy.
Entrepreneurship is not just skill acquisition for acquisition sake; it is an acquisition of skills, ideas, to mention a
few, for the sake of creating employment for self and others. Entrepreneurship programmes should be developed and
introduced in all sectors, units and professions to train people to develop and acquire skills. That is the issue that
AWLIN should take up for women librarians and equally be given opportunities to gain experiences as they are
linked with mentors, get access to information and be given opportunity for growth. In other words, they should be
provided with information, knowledge, skills, attitudes that would enable them to be well informed in business.

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Juliet Alex-Nmecha and Bernadette Ukaegbu: Continental J. Information Technology 8 (1): 24 - 28, 2014

These competences will in turn help them deploy their zeal for entrepreneurship and nation building in an efficient
manner ( http://myschool.com.ng/cu/connect2me/46432/blog/1735.html )
INFORMATION, LIBRARIANSHIP AND AWLIN
Information involves what puts a man through on either what he knows or what he does not know. According to
Robinson and Davidson (2007), information involves knowledge gained or given; it includes facts, and news.
Information makes a man a total man. Because what facts, news or knowledge a man has keeps him going and
sound. It is through information that the skills which somebody acquires come to him, and items to knowledge
which expands him in attitude, business life, self-reliant and his day to day activity. Without information, there
wont be entrepreneurship and entrepreneurs because what skills and creativity applied in their work came from
somewhere (information). And so AWLIN as a professional body encompassing women information professionals
are faced with new trends of information which would be instilled into entrepreneurship for it to grow.
Entrepreneurship is not only for the business organization but cuts across the disciplines without librarianship as an
exemption. A librarian as an entrepreneur can set up a small library, full with creative work, books and collect little
token for people or users to go in, and make use of the library. Information the librarian provides from the internet,
books, journals, newspapers, etcetera, make the entrepreneur achieve his desire and as such boost his zeal to work.
Information therefore is like a twin brother to librarianship and needs who to propel them.
Librarianship on the other hand is as old as man. The essence of preservation of both books and non-book materials
were carried out by man without knowing they were indirectly practicing librarianship. And the ability of man to
record his thoughts and experiences and make them available to others distant in time and space is one of mans
most distinguishing achievements, (Ogbonna, 2009). In other words information brings about these ideas of old,
translated in the current. AWLIN as information professionals will take the lead in the journey of finding
information resources that will enable entrepreneurs improve their knowledge and find their feet in their areas of
endeavor. Librarians/AWLIN is information managers regarded as information specialist, people who work with
information science, libraries, museums, or archives. Information professionals (AWLIN) have the responsibility of
educating and bringing information at the door post of researchers, students, readers, as well as entrepreneurs who
are in search of information that will aid them in their pursuit. Women in librarianship are information professionals
whose duties are to teach the entrepreneurs how materials, tools in this digital age aid search and are retrieved. The
information professionals are crucial in the sense that they are the key factors in enabling entrepreneurs gain access
to the relevant information needed for enlightenment in their various fields of interest (
http://www.webpages.uidaho.edu/~mbolin/eke-igwesi-orji.html ).
THE ROLE OF AWLIN IN INFORMATION AND ENTREPRENEURSHIP
Association of women librarian (AWLIN) is an association of female information professionals. The need for
AWLIN is seen that women play vital and crucial role in nation building. Information professionals by their training
and disposition are especially equipped to make positive contributions in information retrieval, dissemination and
societal development in general.
It is pertinent to say that AWLIN who are also mothers having children and are wives in various families should not
only limit their role in the association but extend their roles to other spheres of life like the school, church, market,
etc moreover where women are involved so as to acquaint them with current issues concerning the areas that they
occupy.
Entrepreneurial growth is not only a task of the entrepreneur who may or may not know how to get about certain
skills that are current, moreover, when it has to do with information. It is the duty of the information professionals
(AWLIN) to guide the entrepreneur on new skills, creative and significant attitude from the internet and other
information materials in order to boost whatever target he or she had set.

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Juliet Alex-Nmecha and Bernadette Ukaegbu: Continental J. Information Technology 8 (1): 24 - 28, 2014

Many librarians see librarianship as only preservation of books and non-book materials and assistance to the
patrons/users of the library but librarianship today gears beyond this level. Due to the explosion of information
people look up to the librarians for information that could guide them achieve greater heights.
CONCLUSION
From the above discussion, it can be noted that the survival of a full rated entrepreneur comes from how much
information is available, and how much information an entrepreneur has. And for entrepreneurship to grow there is
need for information professionals who will feed them with the relevant information concerning the type of business
they want to embark on, or even when they have been involved what information they require. The information
could come from other countries, entrepreneurs, etc but the issue is its availability. AWLIN, as a professional body,
who are mainly mothers can educate people who want to venture into their own businesses on how they can
acquaint themselves with enough information. For entrepreneurs to make profits, which are one of their targets,
there shall be diversification i.e. not taking a one way drive but ideas coming from different angles through
information which would be propelled by the association of women librarians of Nigeria (AWLIN) for overall goal.
RECOMMENDATION
AWLIN as an association should make a consolidated effort, an encouraging one with the governments, wellmeaning individuals and very senior colleagues (both men and women) in the profession to make use of their learnt
skills to make entrepreneurship work in librarianship. And also to other professions their expertise will aid the
growth of entrepreneurial spirit, and that expanse knowledge of information will equally affect the country at large.
AWLIN, from time to time, should organize seminars and workshops on current information on entrepreneurship
and, how one can succeed as an entrepreneur. This type of workshop will challenge the association to be equipped
and become information merchants on the issue of entrepreneurship.
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