Conflict resolution among law librarians: an imperative for effective service delivery in law libraries in Nigeria

Abstract

Conflict is a situation in which two or more people’s desire goals which are perceived as being obtainable by one or the other, but not both. This means that there must be at least two parties; one party in mobilizing energy to obtain a goal, a desire, an objective, or situation, and the other perceives the other as a barrier or threat to that goal. Conflicts are generally believed to be an inevitable phenomenon in the lives of men. It is part of the inter-relationships that exist among individuals and societies. It is therefore a natural occurrence among human beings, especially when people come together in the family or other social and political settings. This paper identifies various types of conflicts in library environment. It itemizes and explains some causes of conflicts. Methods of managing conflicts in libraries and the challenges heads of libraries face in implementing these methods are also highlighted. The paper concludes that although conflicts are natural and unavoidable, proper measures should be put in place to deal with them in libraries if effective services delivery must be achieved. Recommendations are also proffered for the way forward.