ABSTRACT

This work sought to provide answers on issues bothering on Librarians’ use of social media in the provision of library and information services in university libraries in South-East, Nigeria. Six specific objectives and six corresponding research questions guided the study which include to: identify the types of social media used by librarians in the provision of library and information services in these university libraries, investigate the extent to which librarians integrate them to provide library and information services in these libraries, among others. Six null hypotheses were formulated and tested at 0.05 significance level. The study reviewed related literature and was centred on three theoretical frameworks namely: The Diffusion of Innovation Theory, McLuhan Media Theory and Uses and Gratification Theory. Relevant empirical studies were reviewed and inferences drawn. Descriptive survey research design was adopted for the study. It covered the South-Eastern states of Nigeria. The study has a population of 177. The entire population was used for the study adopting enumerative sampling technique. Social media university librarians’ use questionnaire (SMULUQ) was used as the data collection instrument, which was validated and tested for reliability. The data collected was scored using a 4-point rating. Data were analyzed using the mean (x) statistics to answer research questions and standard deviation to determine degree of responses. The hypotheses were tested using t—Test statistical tool at 0.05 level of significance. The study ascertained that Facebook, Whatsapp and Online professional group are the social media used by librarians to provide library and information services in university libraries in South-East Nigeria. Eight types of library and information services that librarians apply social media to provide library and information services include resource sharing and inter-library loan services, among others. Librarians in these university libraries, to a high extent, integrate three social media in the provision of library services. Uploading videos on Facebook, applying ethics in sharing information content, creating and managing Whatsapp groups for users, are the ICT skills they possess to effectively integrate social media to library and information services. Low bandwidth / slow internet connectivity, insufficient knowledge about social media platforms, non-existence of social media policy, were among the fourteen challenges librarians contend with in integrating social media to their services. Twelve strategies for effective integration of social media in the provision of library and information services were suggested to include increasing awareness on use of social media tools for library and information services, improving ICT skills of librarians, organizing of workshops on application of social media to library and information services, etc. Besides, there was no significant difference between the mean responses of librarians in federal and state-owned universities in South-East Nigeria on the various variables tested in provision of library and information services. The study recommends, among other things that University librarians and library managers should integrate the use of social media in providing library and information services in order to adequately meet the demands of library users in the 21^st century.