Entrepreneurial capabilities of librarians in university libraries: A cross-contextual study on the impact of information literacy

Abstract

A wide range of factors would affect entrepreneurial thinking and acting in academic environments. The current study examined whether the information literacy competencies of the librarians in two sets of universities would influence their entrepreneurial capabilities. Two reliable questionnaires related to the two main variables were administered among 177 librarians working in central libraries of three top medical and three top non-medical universities in Iran. Data gathered were then analyzed by the statistical software LISREL 8.7 and SPSS 20.0. Following the confirming correlation between the two variables, the reliability test showed that all indexes have acceptable values of t-statistic and factor loadings. Confirmatory Factor Analysis using Structural Equation Modeling resulted in fit indices in acceptable ranges indicating a good fit for the research model. Path analysis showed that information literacy had a significant positive impact on entrepreneurial capabilities of autonomy, locus of control, need for achievement, creativity and risk-taking respectively. Although the level of information literacy did not differ between men and women and between the two sets of universities, there existed some slight differences in entrepreneurial capabilities regarding gender and context. The understanding of the impact of information literacy on entrepreneurial capabilities has significant implications for librarians and library administrators.