Organizational support as a predictor of venture creation in university libraries in South-West, Nigeria

Venture creation in university libraries has emerged as a strategic mechanism for repositioning libraries as innovative, revenue-generating, and value-adding units within higher education institutions. This study examined organizational support as a predictor of venture creation in university libraries in South-West Nigeria. Adopting a survey research design, the study covered a total population of 314 librarians from 18 federal, state, and private universities across the region, using a total enumeration approach. Data were collected through a structured questionnaire, with 279 valid responses returned, representing an 88.85% response rate. Descriptive statistics were used to address the research questions, while simple linear regression analysis tested the formulated hypothesis. Findings revealed a generally high level of organizational support for venture creation, with organizational justice and supportive policies emerging as the strongest dimensions, while financial support remained the weakest. Archiving and digitization services were identified as the most prominent library ventures, and venture creation was found to be most robust at the fully developed phase. Regression results indicated a strong and statistically significant positive influence of organizational support on venture creation. The study concludes that sustained institutional support is critical for enhancing entrepreneurial initiatives in university libraries and recommends strengthened funding mechanisms and diversification of library ventures to promote sustainability and institutional development.