<b>Mapping the intellectual landscape of school librarianship research in Nigeria: A bibliometric and science mapping analysis (2016–2026)</b><b></b>

School libraries play a strategic role in literacy development, information literacy, curriculum support and lifelong learning; however, the intellectual development and visibility of school librarianship research in Nigeria remain insufficiently understood. This study maps the research landscape, citation patterns and thematic evolution of Nigerian school librarianship scholarship through a bibliometric and science mapping analysis. Using a reproducible corpus of included studies of 31 verifiable scholarly records published between 2016 and 2026, the study applied a PRISMA informed process for identification, screening, data cleaning and inclusion. Performance analysis and science mapping techniques were used to examine publication growth, citation influence, source productivity, authorship patterns, collaboration networks and thematic structures. Findings reveal that Nigerian school librarianship has developed into a recognisable but fragmented research domain. Scholarly production increased after 2020, although citation visibility remains concentrated among a limited number of influential studies focusing on school library resources, educational outcomes, information literacy and policy implementation. Library Philosophy and Practice emerged as the dominant publication outlet, while information literacy, resources and utilisation, policy and professional development, reading culture, digital literacy, preservation, and academic achievement constituted the major thematic areas. Collaboration patterns remained largely localised, with limited evidence of sustained institutional and international research networks. The study concludes that Nigerian school librarianship requires stronger research coordination, improved scholarly visibility, national evidence systems and collaborative research programmes to advance from fragmented descriptive studies toward a more mature, globally connected knowledge domain.