AJAG Article

Abstract

The purpose of this study was to examine the impact of servant leadership in institution’s service delivery in
library, based on three Colleges of Education: Tamale College of Education, Bagabaga College of Education,
and Accra College of Education in Ghana. Applying a qualitative research method, the study utilized semi-
structured interviews with librarians to investigate the role of servant leadership in providing motivation to
staff as well as user satisfaction and development of leadership as a service in academic library settings. Based
on thematic analysis, 5 themes stood up: imagining servant leadership in education, servant leadership and
employee motivation, servant leadership and user satisfaction, implementing servant leadership methods and
then also how challenging or promising it may be to adopt this leadership model. The results showed that
servant leadership is mostly acknowledged and appreciated in librarians, which is considered them as being
characterized by empathy, honesty, and support to others. It's a team's job to help others, as servant leadership
creates stronger staff motivation, improves user experiences, as well as drives innovation and teamwork in
library services, participants said. Other challenges identified regarding its comprehensive deployment
included bureaucratic barriers, lack of formal training in leadership and institutional opposition. However,
librarians showed a certain optimism in the work of servant leadership towards changing library environments
by providing the necessary training and shaping policy-based and cultural development. The study suggests76
that servant leadership is a suitable and contextual way to enhance academic library service delivery in
Ghanaian Colleges of Education. It makes several recommendations on strategic interventions to
institutionalize servant leadership, including leadership training, inclusive policies, and professional
development and participativeness in governance processes in library systems.

The Role of Servant Leadership in Enhancing Library Services: Insights from Colleges of Education Librarians in Ghana*, 2025, Vol. 3, No. 1, pp. 75-86. PDF