Impacts of Personality Traits on Career Choice of Information Scientists in Federal University of Technology, Minna Niger State, Nigeria

Abstract

During the last decades, we have seen a growing demand on the capacity to handle information. It is encouraged to become an information literate life-long learner in order to meet the requirements of the fast-paced society. At a certain extent, this is something which can be learnt. It is however, plausible that certain persons match these requirements and adapt to the changing demands with less effort than others. There is certainly not one single personality type which would form the “ideal” information literate citizen. Quite the contrary, different traits may prove useful in different situations. A comprehension of how different traits come into place if information seeking would increase the understanding of users’ information services. The aim of this article is to reflect over individual differences in information behaviours with a particular focus on how and why personality traits influence information strategies and to determine the impact of personality trait can have on an individual’s career choice. Its objectives is to determine the personality traits of information scientists. The research questions raised to guide this study were; what are some typical personal character traits and what kind of personality traits does an information scientist possess? The information scientist personality trait questionnaire was developed to effectively implement the study. A sample population of 300 students was randomly selected from a total population in the Department of Library and Information Technology in Federal University of Technology, Minna. A total number of 282 questionnaires were retrieved with valid data. The conclusion of this study was that according to the Holland’s personality trait theory on career choice, Information Scientists are likely to be the enterprising type.