Student Focus: Kingsley Ihejirika
Photo credit: Victoria University of Wellington Image Services
Kingsley started his academic career as an assistant lecturer in the Department of Library and Information Science, the University of Nigeria after graduating with a Summa Cum Laude majoring in Library Science/ Political Science. He obtained a masters degree from the same university and his thesis focused on online cataloguing and application of modern cataloguing standards. He has recently completed his PhD study and is eager and willing to share the knowledge and experience he has gained all these years. |
Kia ora Kingsley and thanks for talking with us.
You have a BA and an MA in Library and Information Science from the University of Nigeria. What got you started in libraries? Can you describe your library journey up to this point? I learned how to read quite late (aged nine), but I felt like reading all the books in the whole wide world when I did. I grew up in a small university town in the eastern region of Nigeria. Back then at the university, we had a children centre library that the University Women Association pioneered. As a child transiting into the teenage phase, the books in the centre transported me to a world where I felt secure and reassured. As time went on, I decided to either become a lawyer or a librarian; the latter won! When I started my undergraduate degree, I made up my mind to be the best that I could be, which has been my driver and motivation. Incidentally, my university (University of Nigeria) retained my services after my undergraduate study and that marked the beginning of my career as an academic librarian. How long have you been studying and what qualification are you currently studying towards? Can you tell us about your thesis topic? I have just recently completed my PhD and I’m awaiting graduation in May 2021. It took me approximately three years and nine months to achieve this, thanks to my incredible supervisors’ role Prof Anne Goulding and Dr Philip Calvert. My thesis focused on social media marketing in academic libraries. In the course of my study, evidence from the literature suggested that sustainable engagement is management-driven. To this end, my thesis, building on extant frameworks and study data, proposed a framework tailored for library social media marketing management. Can you tell our readers about your experience in this programme and its benefits to librarianship? One of the greatest benefits of doing a PhD is that you are positioned at a vantage point for a more effective life-long learning. When people ask me, I usually respond that my PhD has taught me how to learn, unlearn and relearn. I think this is a great attitude to have in this day and age. My PhD has also taught me to be more patient and resilient, always aiming to better myself and what I do. |
What made you decide to study towards your PhD?
There are two reasons. First was my desire to interact with the best minds in the profession. Second is that it is a requirement for my academic progression as a university lecturer.
You taught at the University of Nigeria for three years before commencing study on your PhD, can you tell us about that experience?
I have a delightful memory of my experience at the University of Nigeria. When I commenced there, I was the youngest faculty member in the school. I decided that my primary goals would be to serve, learn and grow. Armed with these goals, I started my roles as a lecturer/course coordinator in the undergraduate degree. I also served as an academic adviser for two sessions. I remember one occasion when I was ready to leave the university for a PhD degree, another staff accosted me and enquired what I did to make my students cry because I was leaving. The knowledge that my students actually cried because I was leaving renewed my resolve to serve wherever I find myself.
What are your plans for after you complete your study?
I plan to continue researching, learning and improving the skills I have developed during my PhD and waiting for a good opportunity to come. I feel like I have been hiding all this time. Now, I want to get more involved in LIANZA and collaborate more with great minds in the association.
Fantastic! We can’t wait.
There are two reasons. First was my desire to interact with the best minds in the profession. Second is that it is a requirement for my academic progression as a university lecturer.
You taught at the University of Nigeria for three years before commencing study on your PhD, can you tell us about that experience?
I have a delightful memory of my experience at the University of Nigeria. When I commenced there, I was the youngest faculty member in the school. I decided that my primary goals would be to serve, learn and grow. Armed with these goals, I started my roles as a lecturer/course coordinator in the undergraduate degree. I also served as an academic adviser for two sessions. I remember one occasion when I was ready to leave the university for a PhD degree, another staff accosted me and enquired what I did to make my students cry because I was leaving. The knowledge that my students actually cried because I was leaving renewed my resolve to serve wherever I find myself.
What are your plans for after you complete your study?
I plan to continue researching, learning and improving the skills I have developed during my PhD and waiting for a good opportunity to come. I feel like I have been hiding all this time. Now, I want to get more involved in LIANZA and collaborate more with great minds in the association.
Fantastic! We can’t wait.
Did you know recent graduates automatically qualify to apply for RLIANZA?
Victoria University of Wellington Master of Library and Information Studies and Open Polytechnic qualifications are recognised by the LIANZA Professional Registration Board as meeting the LIANZA Professional Registration Bodies of Knowledge (BoKs). Graduates who are LIANZA members just need to pay the initial application fee of $57.50 and submit an application form with a copy of their qualification to become professionally registered. You then start collecting professional evidence over the next three years in order to revalidate. RLIANZA shows your peers and employers that you have demonstrated a commitment to professional standards, and to developing and enhancing competence.
READ MORE >
Victoria University of Wellington Master of Library and Information Studies and Open Polytechnic qualifications are recognised by the LIANZA Professional Registration Board as meeting the LIANZA Professional Registration Bodies of Knowledge (BoKs). Graduates who are LIANZA members just need to pay the initial application fee of $57.50 and submit an application form with a copy of their qualification to become professionally registered. You then start collecting professional evidence over the next three years in order to revalidate. RLIANZA shows your peers and employers that you have demonstrated a commitment to professional standards, and to developing and enhancing competence.
READ MORE >