International Journal of Knowledge Content Development & Technology
[ Article ]
International Journal of Knowledge Content Development & Technology - Vol. 11, No. 3, pp.7-27
ISSN: 2234-0068 (Print) 2287-187X (Online)
Print publication date 30 Sep 2021
Received 20 Feb 2021 Revised 02 Apr 2021 Accepted 19 Apr 2021
DOI: https://doi.org/10.5865/IJKCT.2021.11.3.007

Usage of Social Media Tools by Library and Information Professionals (LIPs) in selected Academic Libraries in South-West, Nigeria

Stella C. Nduka* ; Elizabeth A. Adekanye** ; Titilayo O. Adedokun***
*Assistant Librarian, University Library, University of Lagos, Lagos, Nigeria stellacnduka@gmail.com
**Reader Librarian, University Library, University of Lagos, Lagos, Nigeria tounadekanye@gmail.com
***Librarian II, University Library, University of Lagos, Lagos, Nigeria adedokuntitilayo@gmail.com

Abstract

This study was carried out to examine the awareness and use of social media tools by library and information professionals (LIPs) in selected academic libraries in South-west, Nigeria and the challenges they face in the use of social media technologies. Descriptive survey was adopted for this study. The population of the study comprised 217 library and information professionals from 10 selected academic libraries in south-west, Nigeria. A total enumeration technique was used to cover all the library and information professionals, 136 respondents filled and returned the questionnaire, given a response rate of 62.7%. The questionnaire was used as instrument for data collection. Descriptive statistics was used to analyze the data collected. The findings show that majority of LIPs possessed a high level of awareness in the use of social media tools. The study also revealed that social network tools were highly used by LIPs in the academic libraries studied and the types of social media used by LIPs was also revealed. The major challenges faced in the use of social media include inadequate power supply, lack of Internet access and time constraints. The paper recommended that to enhance the use of social media by LIPs, there is need for constant awareness of the importance of social media tools to LIPs and libraries in effective service delivery, LIPs should be ready to learn, unlearn and be learned in the use of social media and university libraries should provide enabling environment such as internet connectivity, power supply and policy to guide LIPs in social media usage.

Keywords:

Social Media Awareness, Social Media Use, Academic Libraries, Library and Information Professionals, South-West, Nigeria

1. Introduction

The use of social media has grown among many disciplines and library and information professionals are not exempted. The use of social media by LIPs is growing in academic libraries in Nigeria and it has unlocked a whole new world of social interaction among library and information professionals in Nigerian universities. In addition, social media has changed the way and manner with which LIPs communicate and interact globally. Ezeani and Igwesi (2012) noted that social media or connections have improved the library profession greatly in Nigeria and it has become very certain that LIPs should learn the use of social media tools in order to satisfy the ever growing and techno-savvy users.

The proliferation of Information and Communication Technologies (ICTs) has brought about a historic change in the realm of information communication and it forms an increasing significant component in the exchange of ideas, experience and new knowledge among colleagues in the global world. Chiou and Lee (2013) observed that in the present information era, the use of communication networks around the internet has brought about changes in human communication. Howard et al. (2017) posited that social media is a key component of how people communicate with one another; and that libraries are places of connection, where people connect with information, technologies, ideas and each other. Gupta and Brooks (2013) defined social media as the devices and platforms that allow users worldwide to practically create and share information with each other. It is also referred to as platforms that provide the virtual spaces which allow users to come together, create and share information.

Islam and Habiba (2015) averred that social media tools such as Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn, Blog and Instagram are used to establish relationships, connections and knowledge sharing among user groups in order to provide information services. However, the use of social media tools by LIPs is a function of the extent to which they are aware of the relevance of these tools to their professional activities and growth. Similarly, Bullas (2014) noted that librarians are aware of social media usage and that its ease of access makes it possible for librarians to communicate directly for the purpose of exchanging and improving ideas. The popularity of social media has motivated many scholars to investigate why people use social media (Kim et al., 2011). Marketing library services in the 21st century has revolutionized through ICT platforms such as social networking technologies.

In the information profession, social media is the platform mostly used especially by information professionals to interact, disseminate and share information among themselves (Sahu, 2013) while Quadri and Idowu(2016) noted that social media allow library and information professionals to adopt a new role by placing them in a social realm with their users. Furthermore, library professionals in Nigerian universities as well as all academic libraries have realized the importance of social media such as Facebook, Twitter, YouTube, LinkedIn, Skype, and Google+ (Quadri & Idowu, 2016).

Previous studies carried out on social media usage focused mainly on federal universities in South-West, Nigeria. This study is unique in the sense that it covers selected universities, polytechnics and colleges of education libraries in South-West, Nigeria. It is against this background that this study was carried out to investigate the usage of social media by library and informational professionals in selected academic libraries in South-West, Nigeria.


2. Literature Review

2.1 The concept of social media technologies

Social media (SM) is defined as tools used for social interaction, using highly accessible and scalable communication techniques as defined by Wikipedia. Duffy (2015) stated that social media includes blogs, discussion forums, chat rooms, Wikis, WhatsApp, YouTube channels, LinkedIn, Faceboo k and Twitter. However, unlike traditional media such as newspapers and magazines, social media manages the content of the conversation or interaction in the online environment which allows for spontaneous two-way and multiple dialogue. Social media consist of various user-driven channels (e.g., Facebook, Twitter, blogs, YouTube) and offer one-to-one, one-to-many and many-to-many communication. Social media can be defined digital technologies used by people to interact socially and together to create and exchange content. (Chui, Manyika, & Bughin, 2012) The authors define social media technologies as the products and services that enable social interactions in the digital realm and thereby allow people to connect and interact virtually. These include technologies such as social media, Web 2.0, and Collaborative tools.

Turban, Liang, and Wu (2011) opined that social media is a wide concept that covers a wide range of Internet applications that support social communication between persons. This kind of communication can either be direct or indirect, synchronous or asynchronous, and it emphasises interaction between users, their content and also on building online relationships and communities. Khoo (2014) identified six types of social media which are: Social networking sites (e.g., Facebook), Collaborative projects (e.g., Wikipedia), Blogs and micro blogs (e.g., blogspot.com and Twitter which supports online journalism; Content communities (e.g., YouTube and Flickr which support file and content sharing; Virtual game worlds (e.g.,World of Warcraft); Virtual social worlds (e.g., Second Life). Khoo (2014) further explained that the following can also be considered as types of social media sites: Online discussion forums; Consumer review and rating sites; Social question-answering sites (e.g., Yahoo Answers); Collaborative or social bookmarking; Text communication services (e.g., email and instant messaging service); Voice and video communication services (e.g., Skype).

2.2 Previous studies on use of social media technologies

In a survey carried out by Taylor and Francis (2014) on use of social media by library: current practices and future opportunities, various reasons were highlighted for using social media by librarians who affirm that using social media has enabled them to achieve the following: seek opinion on the library and its services for self-evaluation purposes; provide feedback to users’ queries; advertise events, services, news and presence; reach library users in their homes or virtual spaces: encourage collaboration and building repositories of collaborative content to specific user’s group; increase usage of library collections by publicizing new and existing collections; librarians were able to connect with other librarians and have update information of the profession and so on.

In Nigeria, Okuonghae (2018) found that librarians in university libraries in South-south Nigeria were highly aware of social media use while Akporhonor (2015) found lack of awareness of use of social media among librarians in South-South Nigeria. However, Okuonghae (2018) found low usage of social media tools among librarians in South-South Nigeria university libraries.

Quadri and Idowu (2016) examined social media use for information dissemination by librarians in federal university libraries in Southwest, Nigeria. The study found that there was a high level of awareness of social media tools like Facebook, Google+, Twitter, LinkedIn, and Academia.edu by the librarians. The study also reported that the librarians made use of these social media tools for information dissemination. Similarly, Amuda and Tella (2017) conducted a study to investigate the application of social media used for innovative library services by university library staff in South-Western Nigeria. The study found that social media application to library services is now well-known among university library staff in South-Western Nigeria. The researchers submitted that the libraries selected for the study are using social media mostly to communicate with their users, provide reference services, and provide news on library services and to disseminate information. Also, Adewojo and Mayowa-Adebara (2016) examined the awareness and use of social media by library staff of Yaba College of technology, Lagos, Nigeria. The study submitted that the major challenges to social media usage as identified by the study include poor internet access, irregular power supply and lack of social media tools.

Islam and Habiba (2015) carried out a study on use of social media in marketing of library and information services in Bangladesh and found out that Facebook was the most popularly used social media tools among Library and information professionals. While Shihab (2015) revealed that 61% of LIS professionals in Indian used Facebook daily while blog was least used. Ian (2015) further highlighted the advantages and benefits for librarians and libraries when using social media as: low cost of using social media, little training is required when using social media, it facilitates interaction and engagement with library users, it advertises library services and deliver news quickly and information get to library users directly; social media enable feedback from users which will enhance user services, promote library collections and increase usage of the collections; social media use enhances communication within the library and with other departments or faculties; it helps to build connection, reputation and also for outreach activities through information sharing. In a study by Chen, Chu, and Xu (2012) to investigate the interaction between libraries and users on libraries Facebook, Twitter and Weibo, suggested that in order to enhance the efficiency of interacting with users on social networking sites, it is mandatory for libraries to coordinate various types of social networking sites as well as taking the assets of their communities in consideration.

Zohoorian-Fooladi and Abrizah (2013) studied academic librarians and their social media presence among twenty-two librarians from three research-intensive universities in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia and the study indicated that librarians are aware that there is the need for them to use social media technologies in their daily work. Golwal, Kalbande, and Sonwane (2012) examined the purposes of Facebook use among LIS professionals of Maharashtra librarians online study circle (MLOSC) group and the findings show that majority of the librarians use Facebook for their academic and research activities and also that Facebook acts as a medium to interact with LIS professionals across the globe. Atulomah and Onuoha (2011) reported that Facebook is one of the most useful networks for developing library profession. Similarly, Weerasinghe and Hindagolla (2018) conducted a study to investigate the use of social network sites by library academics in Sri Lanka and results indicates that majority of university library academics used social network sites for both professional and personal purposes in their workplace.

Collins and Quan-Haase (2013) conducted a study to examine the social media adoption rates and practices in academic libraries in the province of Ontario, Canada over a period of 14 months. The findings show that libraries in the whole province are using social media tools with various stages of interactions and activities, and the rate of adoption of social media tools has increased since April 2010. The study further reported that some inhibitors to libraries in Eastern and Northern Ontario from having a social media presence includes, limited access to wireless services, technological infrastructure and other technologies, difficulties in providing equal services in English and French in heavily bilingual communities, difficulties securing funding and training opportunities, and lack of interest or skills among the staff.

In a similar study conducted by Chu and Du (2013) on the use of social networking tools in academic libraries among 38 libraries from Asia, North America and Europe, findings indicated that 71% of the libraries are using social networking tools, 13.1% libraries are planning to use the tools while 15.8% percent are not planning to use the social networking tools. The study also found that Facebook and Twitter are the most adopted social networking tools by the libraries. The study recommended that issues related to time pressure and competencies of staff members have to be taken into cognisance so as to encourage libraries to take the potential benefits of using social media technologies. Also, Kaushik (2016) carried out a survey on the use of social networking sites tools and services by LIS professionals for libraries in University of Kota, Rajasthan. A total of 100 questionnaires were distributed to LIS professionals working in different libraries, findings show that majority of the respondents who participated in the survey are aware of social networking tools and services. Booker and Bandyopadhyah (2017) found out that Facebook was the most frequently used social networking sites by library patrons.

Social media application according to Gupta and Dhami (2015) have emerged as a very interesting and powerful tool for libraries and the scope of its application in libraries include communicating with user community, interacting with library users and clients, marketing of library services, user education, creating awareness of library resources, connecting with other librarians and library staff, getting feedback on library and its services and so on. Also, Bik and Goldstein (2013) noted that researchers including librarians, who are aware of social media, use the sites for informal scientific communication.

Maisiri, Mupaikwa, and Ngwenya (2015) in their study on strategy planning for social media in libraries in Zimbabwe reported that fifty percent of the librarians from academic libraries indicated that social media tools were accessible through the library or university websites while the remaining percentage indicated that social media tools were accessible through the Internet. Information professiona ls have a lot to achieve if they join Facebook, Twitter or LinkedIn because these sites give room for creation of network of colleagues that they can consult, exchange ideas and collaborate. Booker and Bandyopadhyah (2017) found out that Facebook was the most frequently used social networking sites by library patrons. O’Connell (2011) opined that librarians should have interest that transcends business approach because librarians are curators of knowledge and culture.

Some of the social media sites used in this study by library and information professionals to meet the information needs of their users in South-West, Nigeria include:

Social Network Sites (SNS) are web-based applications that enable library and information profession als to shared or partially shared accounts, browse and connect with other user accounts, as well as to make their interactions or connections open (Boyd & Ellison, 2008). Some examples of social network sites popularly used by library and information professionals to meet the information needs of their users in Nigeria are Facebook, LinkedIn, Whatsapp, Twitter, Instagram, Library Thing and Flickr.

Instant Messaging (IM) is a platform that allows two or more individuals to communicate with each other using online chat which may be one-to-one or many-to-many. In addition to chatting, most modern instant messaging software can also allow file sharing, audio and video conferencing. Library and information professionals can make use of Instant Messaging to provide information services to their users. Examples of IM tools are Google Chat, Slack and Skype.

Media Sharing is a website that allow library and information professionals to upload photos, videos and audio to a website which can be accessed from anywhere in the world.

The media can then be shared with the world or just a select group of friends. A media sharing site can also be used to back up files. Library and information professionals can upload photos, audio or videos relating the library services or collections which can be shared to users, some examples of media sharing sites include One drive, Google drive and YouTube.

Blogs is another popular social media platform that enables library and information professionals to post messages, share information on a particular issue and allow users to contribute to content (Ezeani and Igwesi, 2012). LIPs can write articles news on topical issues and expect an instant reaction from their users. They can also use blogs to market and promote their library activities and services to the users.

Library Thing is a social cataloging web application for storing and sharing book catalogs and various types of book metadata. According to Ezeani and Igwesi (2012) Library Thing is a tool that enriches the library OPAC. That is, once an account is created, lists of books with the ISBNs are sent to Library Thing which sends back a piece of code which is pasted into the footer of the Library OPAC. Library and information professionals can use Library Thing to send a list of recent acquisitions to the users.

Wikis is a website or database developed collaboratively by a community of users that allows any user to easily add, remove, or edit all content, very quickly and easily. A wiki is also a collaborative tool that allows users to contribute and modify one or more pages of course related materials. LIPs and the users can use wiki to contribute and manage contents in related materials. Example of a wiki is Wikipedia, a free encyclopedia in many languages that both LIPs and users can edit.

A virtual world is a computer-simulated representation of a world with specific spatial and physical characteristics, and users of virtual worlds interact with each other through representations of themselves called “avatars”. This social media platform can be used by LIPs and the users to interact with one another to provide information service effectively. Second life is one of the most popular examples of virtual world social media platform.

Podcast is a totally contextual and downloadable audio file that users can listen to at any time either using a podcast app, website or smart-speaker. A podcast is a series of episodes just like a television show, and then are broken down into episodes. Library and information professionals can develop audio contents on library collections, products and services which the users can listen to on a computer, iPod or other device.

RSS feeds (Really Simple Syndication) feed is an online file that contains details about every piece of content a site has published. It is a straightforward, standardized content distribution method that can help one stay up-to-date with ones favorite newscasts, blogs, websites, and social media channels (Teske, 2020). RSS feeds would enable LIPs and users stay up to date with news, come up with new ideas for content and gather sources to support their research.

Social bookmarking is a social media tool that enables LIPs to save a specific web page to a social bookmarking platform so they can revisit it later. LIPs can use this platform to render specialized services such as reference services.


3. Problem Statement

3.1 Objectives of the Study

The main objective of this study is to examine the awareness and use of social media tools by library and information professionals (LIPs).

The specific objectives are to:

  • (a) Find out library and information professionals’ awareness of social media technologies.
  • (b) Identify social media technologies that are used by library and information professionals.
  • (c) Determine the extent of use of social media technologies among library and information professionals.
  • (d) Ascertain the frequency of use of social media technologies by library and information professionals.
  • (e) Examine the reasons for social media use by library and information professionals.
  • (f) Identify the challenges of social media technologies use by library and information professionals.

3.2 Research Questions

The research questions that guided the study were:

  • RQ1. Are library and information professionals aware of social media technologies?
  • RQ2. Which social media technologies are being used by library and information professionals?
  • RQ3. To what extent do library and information professionals in South-west Nigeria use social media technologies?
  • RQ4. What is the frequency of use of social media technologies by library and information professionals in South-west Nigeria?
  • RQ5. Why do library and information professionals use social media technologies?
  • RQ6. What are the challenges faced by library and information professionals in the use of social media technologies?

4. Methodology

The target population for this study consists of two hundred and seventeen (217) library and information professionals in ten (10) academic libraries. The study adopted a descriptive survey design. A structured questionnaire titled “Usage of social media by library and information professionals" (USMLIP) was used to collect data. To ascertain the reliability of the instrument, a test re-test reliability method was adopted to determine the construct validity of each of the variables identified in the study. The Cronbach Alpha method reliability co-efficient of the instrument yielded r = 0.84. Sample was drawn by applying total enumeration where all the respondents in the study population constituted the sample size. A total of one hundred and thirty six copies of the completed questionnaire were returned were found usable. The return rate of questionnaire was 62.7%. Female respondents (81) were found to be more than the male (51); majority of the respondents were in age range of 30-49 years. Data collected was analysed using descriptive statistics of frequency counts, percentages and graphical illustration with the help of SPSS version 21.

Table 1 shows the response rate of the questionnaire distributed to library and information professionals in selected academic libraries in South-West Nigeria. A response rate of 62.7% was achieved. This was as a result of some staff in some of the institutions being on leave at the time of data collection while some institutions were on industrial strike action. Furthermore, result of frequency distribution of the respondents depicts that University of Ibadan has the highest return rate of 27 respondents followed by federal polytechnic, Ede with 22 response rate while University of Lagos and Federal University, Oye-Ekiti has the lowest response rate of 5 respondents respectively.

Questionnaire administration and response rate


5. Results

5.1. Demographic analysis of Respondents

Under this sub-section, the demographic analysis on respondents’ libraries, gender, age, marital status, highest educational qualification and work experience were analysed using frequency and percentage.

5.1.1 Distribution of Respondents by Gender

Fig. 1 showed the frequency analysis of the participants by gender. Result indicates that 51 of the respondents were male and 81 were female. This implies that majority of the respondents were female.

Fig. 1.

Distribution of Respondents by Gender

5.1.2 Distribution of Respondents by Age

Fig. 2 showed the frequency analysis of the respondents by age. The result of analysis revealed that 25 of the respondents were between 20-29 years of age, 41 were between 30-39 years of age, 45 were between 40-49 years of age, 31 were between 50-59 years of age and only one respondent was above 59 years of age. Thus, this implies that majority of the LIPs in academic libraries in South–West, Nigeria were between the ages of 30-49 years.

Fig. 2.

Distribution of respondents by Age

5.1.3 Marital status of respondents

Fig. 3 reveals that majority of the 109 respondents were married, 20 were single; one was a widow while three were divorced. This implies that majority of the respondents were married.

Fig. 3.

Distribution of respondents by marital status

5.1.4 Level of education of the respondents

Fig. 4 reveals that majority of the respondents in the academic libraries in South-West, Nigeria shows that (62) were Masters’ degree holders, 29 possessed first degree certificate, 14 also possessed HND certificate, 14 were NCE/ OND certificate holders, 9 possessed doctorate degree certificate while four of the respondents possesses other certificate such as diploma certificate in Library studies and higher degree diploma certificate.

Fig. 4.

Distribution of respondents by level of education

Key: NCE=National Certificate of Education, OND=Ordinary National DiplomaHND=Higher National Diploma, PhD= Doctor of Philosophy

5.1.5 Work experience of respondents

Fig. 5 shows result of analysis of the respondents’ working experience. Result indicates that that 29 respondents had below 5 years work experience; 41 had work experience between 6-10 years; 33 had 11-15 years’ work experience; 13 had 16-20 years’ work experience while 19 had over 20 years of work experience. This implies that majority of the respondent have within 1-10 years working experience.

Fig. 5.

Distribution of respondents by work experience

5.2 Are library and information professionals aware of social media technologies? (RQ1)

Table 2 shows the findings on awareness of social media tools by library and information professionals in selected academic libraries in south west, Nigeria. Result indicates that 74 (54.5%) of the respondents were fully aware of social media tools, 58 (42.6 %) were aware of social media tools while four (2.9%) of the respondents were not aware of social media tools. This implies that majority of the respondents, 132 (97.1%) are aware of social media tools in academic libraries in South-West, Nigeria. There is high awareness of use of social media tools by LIPs in academic libraries in South-West Nigeria.

Awareness of social media tools

5.3 Which social media tools are being used by library and information professionals? (RQ2)

Table 3 presents the frequency analysis on the types of social media tools used by respondents. In the table, the N column indicates the number of respondents who nominated each of the ten types of social media tools utilized. From the 136 respondents who participated in the study, 127 of the respondents use social network sites (93.4%), 111 (81%) use instant messaging, 95(69%) use media sharing, 85 (63%) used blogs, 70 (51.4%) use library thing, 69 (50%) used wikis, 62 (45.6%) made use of virtual worlds, 44(32.4%) used podcasts/webcasts/vodcast, 37 (27.2%) used RSS feeds while 36 (26 4%) used social bookmarking. The study also indicates that social network sites 127 (93.4%) ranked highest among the types of social media tools used by the respondents while social book marking ranked lowest 36(26 4%). The graphical representation of the frequency count of Table 3 was further summarized and presented in Fig. 6.

Types of social media tools used by the respondents

Fig. 6.

Distribution of respondents by types of social media tools used

Fig. 6 shows the graphical representation of the types of social media tools used by the library and information professionals (LIPs) in the selected academic libraries in south-west, Nigeria. The study indicates that social network sites were ranked first, followed by instant messaging and then media sharing. Social bookmarking and RSS feeds were the least used.

5.4 To what extent do library and information professionals in South-West Nigeria use social media? (RQ3)

Fig. 7 presented the result of findings on the extent of use of social media by LIPs. Result shows that social networking sites (x=3.67), instant messaging (x=3.41) and Library Thing (x=3.07) were used to a large extent, while RSS feeds, Podcasts/Webcasts/Vodcasts and social bookmarking were of low use, going by their mean: 2.13, 2.14 and 2.21 respectively.

Fig. 7.

Bar chart representation of mean values of extent of use of social media tools

5.5 What is the frequency of use of social media tools by library and information professionals in South-West Nigeria? (RQ4)

Table 4 presented descriptive statistics on the frequency of use of social media tools. The result indicates that majority of the 136 library and information professionals sampled showed some levels of use of social media tools. This could be seen from the fact that majority (in terms of the cut-off mean of 2.5) of the respondents agreed that they use the listed social media tools. Therefore, all these suggest that the extent of use of social media tools among library and information professionals is to a high extent. Further, the frequency of use of social network sites (mean = 4.21) was ranked highest among the participants while the frequency of use of social bookmarking ranked lowest with a mean score (mean = 2.23). Findings also revealed that social network sites were highly used while Instant messaging, Library thing, Media sharing and Blogs were moderately used. Furthermore, finding revealed that social bookmarking and RSS feeds were lowly used by the LIPs. The frequency of use of social media tools followed the same pattern as the extent of use.

Frequency of use of social media Tools

5.6 Why do library and information professionals use social media technologies? (RQ5)

Fig. 8 revealed that among the respondents, 14 (11.5%) used Social networking sites for official purpose; 98 (80.3%) for personal purpose while 10 (8.2%) indicated using social networking sites for research purpose. The results showed that 15 (14.0%) of the respondents used Instant messaging for official, 85 (79.4%) for personal and 6 (5.6%) for research purposes. On media sharing, result shows that 13 (14.3%) of the respondents used social media for official purpose, 60 (65.9%) for personal and 18 (19.8%) for research. Furthermore, findings showed that 17 (19.5%) of the respondents used Blogs for official purpose, 50 (57.5%) for personal and 20 (23.0%) for research purpose. The findings agree with Bullas (2014) who submitted that librarians are aware of social media usage and that its ease of access makes it possible for them to communicate directly for the purpose of exchanging and improving ideas. This implies that social media tools were mostly used by the LIPs for personal, official and research purposes. It can also be seen that social media tools were majorly used by LIPs for personal use; they only used Library thing and Virtual world for official purposes. It can also be seen that social media tools were majorly used by LIPs for personal use; they only used Library thing and Virtual world for official purposes.

Fig. 8.

Frequency distribution of purpose of use of social media

5.7 What are the challenges faced by the library and information professionals in the use of social media technologies use? (RQ6)

In order to analyze the challenges of using social media tools, data collected were analysed using Multiple-dichotomy frequency analysis and percentage. The five top most challenges associated with the use of social media by the respondents were:

  • ∙ Inadequate power supply – 113 (83.1 per cent)
  • ∙ Lack of Internet access – 96 (70.6 per cent)
  • ∙ Time constraint – 85 (62.5 per cent)
  • ∙ Internet low bandwidth – 80 (58.8 per cent)
  • ∙ ICT unfriendly environment – 61 (44.9 per cent)

The graphical representation of the result is shown in Fig. 9. Fig. 9 indicates that inadequate power supply and lack of internet access posed major challenges to the use of social media among the LIPs as all the platforms used for social media require power to function.

Fig. 9.

Frequency distribution of challenges of use of social media tools


6. Discussion of findings

Findings of the study shows that majority of LIPs in South west academic libraries possessed a high level of awareness of use of social media tools. This is expected as they deal with information service delivery and management. This also implies that social media has become a major means of communication and it would be very difficult to find people without high awareness of social media tools and not using one or more social media tools. The findings agree with Bullas (2014) who submitted that librarians are aware of social media usage while Bik and Goldstein (2013) posited that librarians who are aware of the use of social media tend to engage more in informal scientific communication.

The results revealed the types of social media tools used by LIPs, social network sites were ranked first, followed by instant messaging and then media sharing. Social bookmarking and RSS feeds were the least used. This is in accordance with Bullas (2014) that librarians are aware of social media usage and its ease of access which make it possible for them to communicate directly with the purpose of exchanging ideas and improving data, thereby advancing library and information science. Findings also revealed that social network sites, Instant messaging, Library thing were highly used, Media sharing and Blogs were moderately used while Social bookmarking, RSS feeds were not used by LIPs. The frequency of use of social media tools followed the same pattern as the extent of use. This agrees with the studies by (Quadri & Idowu, 2016; Adewojo & Mayowa-Adebar a, 2016). Booker and Bandyopadhyah (2017) found out that Facebook was the most frequently used social networking sites used by library patrons.

Result on purpose of social media use also indicates that LIPs used social media tools mostly used for official purposes followed by personal and research purposes. The finding is consistent with that of Weerasinghe and Hindagolla (2018) who submitted that university library academics uses social media for both professional and personal purposes. The challenges confronting the use of social media tools by LIPs include inadequate power supply which was ranked highest followed by lack of Internet access and time constraints. This finding supported Ezeani and Igwesi (2012) who identified band-width problem, unreliable power supply, lack of awareness as challenges of using social networking in library service delivery in Nigeria. In addition, Adewojo and Mayowa-Adebar a (2016) submitted that the major limitation to social media usage by librarians and library staff include poor internet access, irregular power supply and lack of social media tools.


7. Recommendation

Considering the findings from this study, the following recommendations are made:

  • (a) There is the need for constant awareness of the importance of social media to LIPs and libraries in effective service delivery.
  • (b) There is also the need for more awareness programs such as conferences, workshops, seminars and training sessions for LIPs, in order to stimulate new ideas and sensitize them of the immense potential of social media tools.
  • (c) LIPs should be ready to learn, unlearn and be learned in the use of social media due to the fact that ICT is evolving in order to keep abreast of the changes in the use of social media, that is, this calls for adequate training to meet up with the emerging technology.
  • (d) University libraries should provide enabling environment such as Internet connectivity, power supply and policy to guide LIPs in social media usage.
  • (e) There should be improvement in accessing social media tools with high Internet speed as this will enable LIPs to have access to large amount of information from various social media platforms.

8. Conclusion

The importance of social media use by Librarians and information professionals (LIPs) cannot be over emphasized in delivering quality library services to users. Social media use in library is inevitable due to the fact that it gives opportunity to reach vast majority of users and offers effective services promptly. The study revealed that there were more females among the library and information professionals in the selected academic libraries in the South-West, Nigeria and also the many of the library and information professionals possessed master degree certificate in library and information science programe. The study has established that awareness of social media use among Librarians and information professionals was high and the study confirms that LIPs use social media mainly for personal use, research and also for collaboration. The study also established that social networking sites and instant messaging were the most frequently used social media tools among LIPs. Furthermore, the results of the study revealed that inadequate power supply is one of the constraints to the use of social media by the LIPs. As a result of this, adequate power supply should be provided frequently by the university management so as to improve the use of social media in information service delivery.

References

  • Adewojo, A. A., & Mayowa-Adebara, O. (2016). Social Media Usage by Library Staff in Academic Libraries: The Case of Yaba College of Technology, Lagos State, Nigeria. Information and Knowledge Management, 6(1), 43-49. https://core.ac.uk/download/pdf/234672243.pdf
  • Akporhonor, B. A., & Olise, F. N. (2015). Librarians use of social Media for Promoting Library and Information Resources and Services in University Libraries in South-South Nigeria. Information and Knowledge Management, 5(6), 1-9. http://finzi.psych.upenn.edu/journal/13/13114/jdm13114.pdf
  • Amuda, H. O., & Adeyinka, T. (2017). Application of social Media for innovative Library Services in South-Western Nigerian University Libraries. Journal of Balkan Libraries Union, 5(2), 10-16. http://eprints.rclis.org/39353/1/Makale%202.pdf
  • Atulomah, B. C., & Onuoha, U. D. (2011). Harnessing Collective Intelligence through Online Social Networks: A Study of Librarians in Private Universities in Ogun State, Nigeria. http://www.ozelacademy.com/ojss_v4n2.pdf.
  • Bik, H. M., & Goldstein, M. C. (2013). An Introduction to Social Media for Scientists. PLOS Biology, 11(4), 1-8. [https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pbio.1001535]
  • Booker, L., & Bandyopadhyah, S. (2017). How Academic Libraries can Leverage Social Networking to popularize their Services: An empirical Study. Journal of the Indiana Academy of the social Sciences, 16(2), 128-146. https://digitalcommons.butler.edu/cgi/viewcontent.cgi?article=1071&context=jiass
  • Boyd, D., & Ellison, N. (2008). Social Network Sites: Definition, History, and Scholarship. Journal of Computer-Mediated Communication, 13, 210-230. [https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1083-6101.2007.00393.x]
  • Bullas, J. (2014). An exploratory Study of Indian University Students’ Use of Social Networking Websites: Implications for the Workplace. Business Common Quarterly, 72(1), 105-110. http://www.scimagojr.com/journalsearch.php?q=19900192540&tip=sid&clean=0 [https://doi.org/10.1177/1080569908330379]
  • Chen, D. Y. T., Chu, S. K. W., & Xu, S. Q. (2012). How do Libraries Use Social Networking Sites to interact with Users? Proceedings of the American Society for Information Science and Technology, 49(1), 1-10. https://asistdl.onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/full/10.1002/meet.14504901085 [https://doi.org/10.1002/meet.14504901085]
  • Chiou, W. B., & Lee, C. C. (2013). Enactment of one-to-many Communication may induce self-focused Attention that leads to diminished Perspective Taking: The Case of Facebook. Judgment & Decision Making, 8(3), 372-380. http://finzi.psych.upenn.edu/journal/13/13114/jdm13114.pdf
  • Chu, S. K. W., & Du, H. S. (2013). Social Networking Tools for Academic Libraries. Journal of Librarianship and Information Science, 45(1), 64-75. [https://doi.org/10.1177/0961000611434361]
  • Chui, M, Manyika, J., & Bughin, J. (2012). The Social Economy: Unlocking Value and Productivity through Social Technologies. Mckinsey Global Institute Report. https://www.mckinsey.com/~/media/McKinsey/Industries/Technology%20Media%20and%20Telecommunications/High%20Tech/Our%20Insights/The%20social%20economy/MGI_The_social_economy_Full_report.pdf
  • Collins, G., & Quan-Haase, A. (2013). Social Media Use by Ontario University Libraries: Challenges and ethical Considerations. In Proceedings of the Annual Conference of CAIS/Actes du congrčsannuel de l'ACSI. https://core.ac.uk/download/pdf/129542822.pdf [https://doi.org/10.29173/cais631]
  • Dufty, N. (2015). The Use of Social Media in Countrywide Disaster Risk Reduction Public Awareness Strategies. Australian Journal of Emergency Management, 30(1), 12. https://search.informit.org/doi/epdf/10.3316/ielapa.891038501707328
  • Ezeani, C. N., & Igwesi, U. (2012). Using Social Media for dynamic Library Service Delivery: The Nigeria Experience. Library Philosophy and Practice. http://digitalcommons.unl.edu/libphilprac/814?utm_source=digitalcommons.unl.edu%2Flibphilprac%2F814&utm_medium=PDF&utm_campaign=PDFCoverPages
  • Golwal, M. D., Kalbande, D. T., & Sonwane, S. S. (2012). LIS Professionals and Role of Facebook: Social Networking Site in Awareness. Brazilian Journal of Information Science, 6(1), 79-92. https://revistas.marilia.unesp.br/index.php/bjis/article/view/1857/2317 [https://doi.org/10.36311/1981-1640.2012.v6n1.07.p85]
  • Gupta, R. & Brooks, H. (2013). Using Social Media for Global Security. New Jersey: John Wiley & Sons.
  • Gupta, A., & Dhami, A. (2015). Measuring the Impact of Security, Trust and Privacy in Information Sharing: A Study on Social Networking Sites. Journal of Direct, Data and Digital Marketing Practice, 17(1), 43-53. https://link.springer.com/article/10.1057/dddmp.2015.32 [https://doi.org/10.1057/dddmp.2015.32]
  • Howard, H., Huber, S., Carter, L., & Moore, E. (2018). Academic Libraries on Social Media: Finding the Students and the Information they want. Information Technology and Libraries, 37(1), 8-18. https://docs.lib.purdue.edu/lib_fsdocs/194/ [https://doi.org/10.6017/ital.v37i1.10160]
  • Ian M. (2015). Use of Social Media by the Library: Current Practices and Future Opportunities. A White Paper from Taylor and Francis. The Australian Library Journal, 64(2), 161-162. https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/pdf/10.1080/00049670.2015.1040364?needAccess=true [https://doi.org/10.1080/00049670.2015.1040364]
  • Islam, M., & Habiba, U. (2015). Use of Social Media in Marketing of Library and Information Services in Bangladesh. DESIDOC Journal of Library & Information Technology, 35(4), 299-303. https://publications.drdo.gov.in/ojs/index.php/djlit/article/view/8455/4982 [https://doi.org/10.14429/djlit.35.4.8455]
  • Kaushik, A. (2016). Use of Social Networking Sites Tools and Services by Library and Information Science Professionals for Libraries: A Survey. DESIDOC Journal of Library and Information Technology, 36(5), 284-290. [https://doi.org/10.14429/djlit.36.5.10283]
  • Khoo, C. S. (2014). Issues in Information Behaviour on Social Media. LIBRES: Library & Information Science Research Electronic Journal, 24(2), 75-96. https://cpb-us-e1.wpmucdn.com/blogs.ntu.edu.sg/dist/8/644/files/2015/03/LIBRESv24i2p75-96.Khoo_.2014.pdf
  • Kim, K. S., YooLee, E., & Joanna Sin, S. C. (2011). Social Media as Information Source: Undergraduates' Use and Evaluation Behavior. Proceedings of the American Society for Information Science and Technology, 48(1), 1-3. https://asistdl.onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/epdf/10.1002/meet.2011.14504801283 [https://doi.org/10.1002/meet.2011.14504801283]
  • Maisiri, E., Mupaikwa, E. & Ngwenya, S. (2015). Strategic Planning for Social Media in Libraries: The Case of Zimbabwe. In Social Media Strategies for dynamic Library Service Development. IGI Global, 250-262. https://www.igi-global.com/chapter/strategic-planning-for-social-media-in-libraries/127826 [https://doi.org/10.4018/978-1-4666-7415-8.ch013]
  • O’Connel, J. (2011). Social Content Curation-A Shift from the Traditional. http://judyoconnell.com/2011/08/08/social-content-curation-a-shift-from-the-traditional/
  • Okuonghae, O. (2018). Librarians’ Awareness of Social Media Usage for informal scientific Communication in University Libraries in South-South Nigeria. Library Philosophy and Practice, 1(1), 1-35. https://moam.info/librarians-use-of-social-media-for-informal-scientific-communication-_5b7989be097c4786788b4595.html
  • Quadri, G. O., & Idowu, O. A. (2016). Social Media Use by Library for Information Dissemination in three federal University Libraries in Southwest Nigeria. Journal of Library and Information Services in Distance Learning, 1-11. [https://doi.org/10.1080/1533290X.2016.1156597]
  • Sahu, M. K. (2013). Information Dissemination through Using Social Networking Site among Library Professional in the Engineering Colleges of Odisha: A Survey. International Journal of Digital of Library Services, 3(1), 45–54. https://www.researchgate.net/profile/Shabir-Ganaie-2/publication/271647820_A_glimpse_of_information_technology_enabled_library_services/links/54cf1b890cf298d65662d02a/A-glimpse-of-information-technology-enabled-library-services.pdf
  • Shihab, I. (2015). Social Media Awareness and Use among LIS Professionals in India: A Study. International Journal of Information Dissemination and Technology, 5(2), 68-74.
  • Taylor & Francis (2014). White Papers: Use of Social Media by the Library: Current Practices and Future Opportunities. Figshare. Dataset. [https://doi.org/10.6084/m9.figshare.1221673.v1]
  • Teske, C. (2020). What Is an RSS Feed? (And Where to Get It). (14 April, 2021) https://www.lifewire.com/what-is-an-rss-feed-4684568
  • Turban, E., Liang, T.P., & Wu, S.P. (2011). A Framework for Adopting Collaboration 2.0 Tools for virtual Group Decision Making. Group Decision and Negotiation, 20(2), 137-154. [https://doi.org/10.1007/s10726-010-9215-5]
  • Weerasinghe, S., & Hindagolla, B. M. M. C. B. (2018). Use of Social Network Sites (SNS) by Library Academics in the Workplace: Perspectives of University Librarians in Sri Lanka. Journal of the University Librarians Association of Sri Lanka, 21(2), 21-43. [https://doi.org/10.4038/jula.v21i2.7916]
  • Zohoorian-Fooladi, N., & Abrizah, A. (2013). Academic Librarians and their Social Media Presence : A Story of Motivations and Determents. Information Development, 30(2), 159-171. [https://doi.org/10.1177/0266666913481689]
[About the authors]

Nduka, Stella Chinnaya (CLN) is an Assistant Librarian at the University of Lagos Library, University of Lagos, Lagos State, Nigeria. She can be contacted at snduka@unilag.edu.ng; stellacnduka@gmail.com

Adekanye, Elizabeth Adetoun (CLN) is a Reader Librarian and currently the Head of technical Service Department at the University of Lagos Library, University of Lagos, Lagos state, Nigeria. She can be contacted at eadekanye@unilag.edu.ng; tounadekanye@gmail.com

Adedokun, Titilayo Oludayo (CLN) is a Librarian II and Head, Africana, Newspaper and Special collections, Research and Bibliographic Department, University of Lagos Library, University of Lagos, Lagos state, Nigeria. She can be contacted at tadedokun@unilag.edu.ng; adedokuntitilayo@gmail.com

Fig. 1.

Fig. 1.
Distribution of Respondents by Gender

Fig. 2.

Fig. 2.
Distribution of respondents by Age

Fig. 3.

Fig. 3.
Distribution of respondents by marital status

Fig. 4.

Fig. 4.
Distribution of respondents by level of education

Fig. 5.

Fig. 5.
Distribution of respondents by work experience

Fig. 6.

Fig. 6.
Distribution of respondents by types of social media tools used

Fig. 7.

Fig. 7.
Bar chart representation of mean values of extent of use of social media tools

Fig. 8.

Fig. 8.
Frequency distribution of purpose of use of social media

Fig. 9.

Fig. 9.
Frequency distribution of challenges of use of social media tools

Table 1.

Questionnaire administration and response rate

S/N Institution No. of Questionnaire Administered No. Returned (%)
1 Federal University, Oye Ekiti 9 5 55.5
2 Obafemi Awolowo University, Ile-Ife 25 12 48.0
3 University of Ibadan 37 27 73.0
4 University of Lagos 29 16 55.1
5 FCE (Technical), Akoka-Yaba, Lagos 12 5 41.7
6 Federal Polytechnic, Ede 22 22 100.0
7 Federal Polytechnic, Ile-Oluji 10 10 100.0
8 Federal University of Technology, Akure 25 13 52.0
9 Federal University of Agriculture, Abeokuta 32 18 56.3
10 Yaba College of Technology, Lagos 16 50.0
Total 217 136 62.7

Table 2.

Awareness of social media tools

Awareness Frequency Percentage(%)
Fuiiy aware 74 54.5
Aware 58 42.6
Not aware 4 2.9
Total 136 100.0

Table 3.

Types of social media tools used by the respondents

Awareness Frequency Percentage % of Cases
Social network sites 127 17.3 93.4
Instant messaging 111 15.1 81.6
Media sharing 95 12.9 69.9
Blogs 85 11.5 63.0
Library thing 70 9.5 51.4
Wikis 69 9.4 50.7
Virtual worlds 62 8.4 45.6
Podcasts/webcasts 44 6.0 32.4
RSS feeds 37 5.0 27.2
Social bookmarking 36 4.9 26.4
Total 736 100.0 545.2

Table 4.

Frequency of use of social media Tools

Social media tools Daily Weekly Once in a month Never Mean(χ) Decision
Socoal networking sites 89(70.6%) 28(22.2%) 07(5.6%) 12(9.5%) 4.21 Daily
Instant messaging 91(74.0%) 21(17.1%) 08(6.5%) 03(2.4%) 3.63 Daily
Library thing 48(43.6%) 33(30.0%) 24(21.8%) 05(4.5%) 3.13 Weekly
Media sharing 33(32.7%) 31(30.7%) 27(26.7%) 10(9.9%) 2.86 Weekly
Blogs 34(33.0%) 29(28.2%) 23(22.3%) 17(16.5%) 2.78 Weekly
RSS feeds 11(15.3%) 11(15.3%) 21(29.2%) 28(38.9%) 2.65 Weekly
Podcasts/webcasts 07(8.6%) 18(22.2%) 30(37.0%) 25(30.9%) 2.60 Weekly
Virtual worlds 19(22.1%) 31(36.0%) 16(18.6%) 20(23.3%) 2.57 Weekly
Wikis 24(26.4%) 24(26.4%) 16(16.7%) 27(29.7%) 2.50 Weekly
Social bookmarking 12(15.2%) 20(25.3%) 21(26.6%) 26(32.9%) 2.23 Monthly