Abstract

The study explores entrepreneurship education and Library and Information Science (LIS) students for employability in Nigerian universities. It adopted descriptive survey research design with four (4) specific objectives. A population of three hundred and thirty-seven (337) final year students in the 2020/2021 academic session was drawn from seven (7) library schools in the South-East zone of Nigeria. A sample of one hundred and seventy (170) representing 50% of the study population was selected for the study using proportionate sampling technique. Data for the study was generated using structured questionnaire with closed-ended questions. The data generation process yielded 86% responses rate from 146 respondents. The descriptive statistical tools of frequency counts and mean scores were used to analyse the data while the results were ranked in descending order to show the range of responses. A 2.50 criterion mean was used to indicate agreement or disagreement with the item statements. The study revealed that LIS students acquire entrepreneurship education for employability through: setting of real small business ventures; seminars, workshops and conferences; study visits; lectures through regular classroom activities; etc. It showed that the entrepreneurshiprelated courses through which LIS students acquire entrepreneurship skills for employability are: indexing and abstracting of information resources; cataloguing and classification of information resources; entrepreneurial studies; publishing and marketing of information resources; information entrepreneurship, among others. The study further revealed that the entrepreneurship skills possessed by LIS students for employability in Nigerian universities ore: information literacy skills; information technology skills; personal entrepreneurship skills to create, innovate, reinvent, take risks and solve problems; etc. It revealed that the challenges of entrepreneurship education of LIS students for employability in Nigerian universities include: lack of entrepreneurship workshops and laboratories; poor infrastructural facilities; unavailability of lecturers that are entrepreneurially conscious with the zeal to pass it on; inadequate funding of LIS schools, etc. Based on these findings, it was recommended among others, that library schools should adopt modem training methods including practical laboratories and workshops for JCT skills acquisition as well as the use of site visits to entrepreneurship firms, mentorship, and coaching in the training of LIS students to boost their employability skills and competencies. The study also recommended that governments should adequately fund library schools to enable them acquire necessary facilities to support practical-based teaching of entrepreneurship courses to reflect contemporary trends for employability in the labour market.