Creativity and Innovation in Management Imperatives for Academic Librarians

This paper examines creativity and innovation in management as a concern to academic librarians. It provides conceptual background on creativity and innovation. The paper explains the functions of academic libraries and suggests steps in establishing a climate for creativity and innovation. The rationale for creativity and innovation in academic libraries and characteristics of creative and innovative librarians are addressed to a large extent. The paper also identifies some challenges to creativity and innovations in information system as poor research ability, poor thinking habit, inadequate funding, poor staff attitude, low technological literacy, lack of reward system and bureaucracy. The paper concludes that where creativity and innovations are lacking, the library fails to provide quality information resources and services to users. This is evidenced in low users’ patronage, poor students’ performance, poor research output, etc. The paper recommends among others that library managers should create a climate for creativity and innovations by way of accepting changes in library activities, rewarding creative and innovative skills, encouraging library staff training and re-training, and managing failure in the library system despite all odds.