AWARENESS AND USE OF SOCIAL MEDIA AMONG LIBRARIANS IN PUBLIC

UNIVERSITIES IN OGUN STATE, NIGERIA.

by

AJAYI, Khadijat Dayo

Seliat Adebutu Library
Crescent University, Abeokuta
+234-8038154655, +234-8078344357
princessdayo@[Link]
Librarian/Lecturer

ADENEKAN, Fauziyah Nihinlolawa

Nimbe Adedipe Library
Federal University of Agriculture, Abeokuta
+234-60638669
adenekanfn@[Link]
Librarian/Lecturer

BELLO, Mujidat Adeola

University Library, Fountain University, Osogbo, Nigeria
+234-9034541880
bellomujidatadeola@[Link]

Abstract

The advent and application of information technology (ICT) to academic libraries

functions and services have brought about a revolution in library patrons’ attitudes and
needs, revolutions in library services and changes in librarian job functions. One of the
tools of ICT that have influenced academic libraries is social media tools. This study
investigated the awareness and use of social media among academic librarians of the
Federal University of Agriculture, Abeokuta (FUNAAB) and Olabisi Onabanjo
University (OOU). A descriptive survey method was employed for the study. The sample
size for this study comprised of 40 academic librarians and questionnaire was used for
data collection. Descriptive statistics were used to analyze the data collected. The
findings of the study revealed that most of the social media are commonly used by
librarians in promoting library and information resources and services. However, major
constraints to social media usage include poor internet access, epileptic power supply and
lack of enough bandwidth. Hence, recommendations were made; these include the
provision of internet facilities in all offices in the library and an uninterrupted power
supply for library staff amongst others.

Keywords: Social media, Academic librarians, University libraries, Academic libraries,

library patrons.

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Introduction

Science and technology have brought about marvelous development and change in almost all
walks of life. Information Communication and Technology (ICT) has saturated our work and
lives. The emergence of information technology which includes social media has brought a
change in librarian services rendering and users' attitude towards the way library resources is
being used. The effectiveness and efficiency of the library today cannot be underestimated; this
is because of the advent of information communication and technology. Information
communication and technology is a fruit or source that brings out a seed that has a lot of
seedlings. Social media is one of its seeds that has different seedlings like social networks as one
of its tools. Social media is understood to mean web-based technologies for social interaction
using highly accessible techniques to transform and broadcast media monologues into social
dialogues. According to Merriam-Webster, Social Media is a form of electronic communication
(as Web sites for social networking) through which users create online communities to share
information, ideas, personal messages, and other content (as videos). Social media is also the
creation and maintenance of personal and business relationships especially online (Facebook,
Twitter, YouTube and so on). Adewonjo (2016) identify the five motives of using social media
as meeting new people, entertainment, maintaining relationships, social events and media
creation. In summary, all web-based applications that allow interaction between the users and
exchange of user-generated content are referred to as social media.

Academic libraries are generally located on the campus of colleges and universities. Their major
function is to serve the students, academic staff and research fellows. These are post–secondary
educational libraries that provide resources and research support for students and faculty
members of the institution. The librarians provide different services to library users. Services
such as lending, provision of seating and study facilities, reference, users’ education, selective
dissemination of information and so on. Library services can be more efficient and effective with
the advent of information communication and technology (ICT). Islam and Islam (2006) stated
that Information and Communication Technology (ICT) is a heterogeneous collection of industry
and service activities including information technology (IT), equipment & services, media,

1
information service provision, libraries, commercial information providers, network-based
services and related professional specialised services.

The progress of information technology has brought about a change in public university libraries
operations especially in the area of social media tools. Thus, librarians are challenged with the
awareness and responsibility of acquiring new skills and knowledge on application and use of
information technology tools especially social networks such as Facebook, Blog, Twitter,
Whatsapp, LinkedIn and YouTube to enable them to support library services among the users. It
is on this ground that the study seeks to examine the awareness and use of social media among
librarians in the Federal University of Agriculture, Abeokuta (FUNAAB) and Olabisi Onabanjo
University, Ago - Iwoye (OOU). Two public universities are owned by Federal and State
governments in Nigeria.

Statement of the Problem

Social media is the means of communicating with library users on the internet using various
information communication tools. The introduction of social media to academic libraries has
brought about revolutions in library services and changes in librarians’ job functions. It is
expected that the use of social media will enhance the effectiveness and efficiency of librarians’
towards the services rendered to the patrons. However, observations have shown that social
media has not been helpful to librarians’ in terms of their service delivery. This may be due to
lack of awareness, lack of proper training or some other challenges that are affecting the use of
social media. Hence, this study investigates awareness and use of social media among librarians
in Nimbe Adedipe Library, Federal University of Agriculture, Abeokuta and Olabisi Onabanjo
University, Ago-Iwoye Library.

Objectives of the study

The objectives of the study are to:

1. examine the level of awareness of social media among librarians in public universities in
Ogun State;
2. assess the extent of use of social media among librarians in public universities in Ogun
State;

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 3. determine the motivating factors of the usage of social media by librarians and;
4. find out the constraints to the use of social media librarians in public universities in Ogun
State.

Research Questions

1. What is the level of awareness of social media among librarians in public

universities in Ogun State?
2. What is the extent of the use of social media by librarians in public universities in
Ogun State?
3. What are the motivating factors to the use of social media by librarians in public
universities in Ogun State?
4. What are the constraints to the use of social media by librarians in public
universities in Ogun State?

Literature Review

Amobi (2014) defined Social media as web-based platforms that individuals create to exchange
information and ideas, keep in touch with friends, conduct research and so on. In this regard,
Boyd and Ellison (2007) defined social media sites as “web-based services that allow individuals
to construct a public or semi-public profile within a bounded system, articulate a compilation of
additional users with whom they share a connection, view and traverse their list of connections
and those made by others within the system”. Social media is not about creation and maintenance
only but also provides a platform for research and interaction for users. Dickson and Holley
(2010) opined that the common social media used in academic libraries are typical websites like
blogs, wikis, Facebook and social bookmarking websites. This implies that social media
incorporates the provision of information and also enable users to interact with each other.

Social media provides a chance to enjoy user-to-user communication and distinguishes from
traditional media which is characterized by top-down news dissemination arrangement (Clark
and Aufderheide, 2009). In the same light, Ogbe (2014) described social media as “an online
media that takes communication beyond the restraint of the traditional media”. They are
interactive web-based platforms that offer librarians the opportunity and place to connect, share

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opinions, experiences, views, contacts, knowledge and expertise (Okoro and Nwafor, 2013). In
addition, Kaplan and Haenlein (2010) also explained Social media as “a group of Internet-based
applications that build on the ideological and technological foundations of Web 2.0, and that
allow the creation and exchange of user-generated content, the social network consists of various
user-driven marketing channels, e.g. Facebook, Twitter, Blogs, WhatsApp and it has several
benefits to librarian and users.

Facebook is a popular free social media website that gives chance to registered users to create
their profiles. It is a tool that can be used by librarians to disseminate information. Potter (2011)
affirmed Facebook to be used for marketing libraries and information centres in several ways.
Through the Facebook account, librarians can draw users’ attention to valuable concealed
resources of the library that library patrons are not aware of, such as grey literature, current
awareness resources and reserve resources. If time is restricted, Facebook can be occupied via
other platforms such as Twitter feedback, the library calendar, and library Blog. Also, OPAC
search can be rooted on the Facebook page for ease of library users (Adewonjo, 2016). Gallardo
(2013) also advocates that the ideal practices for librarian Facebook page are to stay to the point,
pin important posts to the top of your page, be casual and conversational, use images, post
consistently, post the same types of content on the same day of the week, give fans access to elite
information, find your best time to post and take advantage of awareness.

Twitter is another display place for frequently updating collections, new arrival, current content
services of the library and advertising library services. Waddell and Barnes (2012) note that the
simplicity of posting and sharing information on Twitter makes it a vital tool for libraries to
reach their users. Librarians’ can use this display place to give patrons firsthand information on
the ongoing events. This indicates that users send in queries and get feedback from librarians.
Twitter can be used to keep librarians and patrons updated on the library’s daily activities; for
example, regularly updated library collections. Users can exploit this display place to type in
short messages or status updates. Ezeani and Igwesi (2012) affirm that Twitter can create library
service alerts.

The blog is an important social media that enables librarians to market and promote their library
activities and services. Ekoja (2011) expressed that blogs are very helpful in promoting library

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services like new acquisitions, opening hours, library events and programmes, online discussions
and so on. Dicksonand Holley (2010) add that librarians can display news about the library as
well as events happening in the library. This implies that there is a need for regular updating of
the blogs in order to keep the librarian as well as patrons inform of available library services and
resources. Blogs permit librarian to occasionally post messages, share information on a particular
subject matter and let users comment or contribute to the subject matter that is being discussed
and expect instant feedback (Ezeani and Igwesi, 2012).

WhatsApp is yet another social media stage that allows contact between librarians and their
colleagues and also promotes library services to patrons. WhatsApp Messenger is a ‘cross-
platform messaging application which allows users to exchange messages without having to pay
for SMS’([Link], 2012). The application is compatible with iPhone, BlackBerry,
Android, Nokia, and other Windows smartphones. WhatsApp features include one-on-one chat,
group chat, push notifications, sending and receiving both video and audio files (Shambare,
2014). By September 2015, it was estimated that WhatsApp had more than 900 million monthly
active users up from over 700million in January 2015. The service is one of the most populous
mobile apps globally
. (Statista, 2015).

There are numerous studies on awareness of social media in academic libraries, among others
are; Kwanya, Stillwell and Underwood (2012) reported that Kenyan library staff mentioned that
social media enhance interactivity between users and librarians in the process of simplifying
flawless communication and feedback. Xu, Ouyang and Chu (2009) also found out that social
media can enable collaboration, they offer improved section management through allowing
instant communication, and also improve accessibility and integration of cataloguing resources
for cataloguing departments. On the other hand, Priolkar and Kumbhar (2015) study on the use
of social media sites by library professionals found out that library professionals majorly use
Facebook in disseminating information to users of the library.

The study on the use of social networking tools in academic libraries in Hong Kong
(Chu and Du, 2013). The study adopted a survey questionnaire for data collection which was
sent to 140 libraries. According to the study, it was clear that through the use of social media,

5
librarians have been able to launch a level of commitment with their colleagues. This has ensured
that they are updated with the latest news and new trends within their profession. Mitchell and
Watstein (2007) submitted that the present reference and information literacy library staff have a
unique opportunity to step up to the complex challenge of visibility in online vicinity (such as
Facebook) based on the fact that these online environments are and scholars where students
andscholars exist. Irrespective of the benefits of social media as stated above, there are some
challenges to the use of social media by librarians in public and State universities in Ogun State,
Nigeria. Ezeani and Igwesi, (2012) acknowledged that Social media provide important
opportunities to libraries as it aids marketing library and information services. The study
identified the challenges faced by universities libraries in the use of Social media tools as lack of
awareness of Social media, lack of trained staff, lack of government intervention, bandwidth
problem, and unreliable power supply. The consistent power failure increases the cost of running
the library making it difficult for librarians’ to use social media for marketing library and
information services in Nigerian university libraries (Ossai- Ugbah, 2012). In the same light,
Shehu, Urhefe, and Aworo (2015) in their study of accessibility and utilisation of internet service
in Nigerian libraries highlighted several challenges faced by the staff while accessing the internet
in Nigerian libraries. The mass of their respondents revealed that epileptic power supply and
inaccessibility of the internet were some of the challenges facing staff while accessing the
internet in Nigerian libraries. This study, therefore, set to investigate awareness and use of social
media among Librarians in Ogun State Public Universities.

Research Methodology

The study adopted a survey research design. A structured questionnaire titled awareness and use
of academic social media among Librarians in public universities in Ogun State was used. Two
public universities which include Federal University of Agriculture, Abeokuta (56) and Olabisi
Onabanjo, University, Ago-Iwoye (42) were used for this study. The population sample of the
study consists of 98 librarians. 40% of the total population estimated was used as a sample size
for the study using sample size determinant by Kretcie and Morgan table. A total of 40 copies of
the questionnaire were randomly distributed, 28 copies were returned which amounted to a 70%
response [Link] percentage of questionnaire response rate is acceptable as it is over 65%. The
data collected were analyzed using descriptive statistics.

6
Data Analyses, Results and Findings

Demographic characteristics of the Respondents

Table 1: Distribution of Respondents according to Institutions

Name of the Universities Numbers administered Numbers Percentage
Retrieved
Federal University of Agriculture, 22 18 81.8
Abeokuta (FUNAAB)
Olabisi Onabanjo University, Ago 18 10 55.6
– Iwoye (OOU)
Total 40 28 70

Table 1 indicates that 18 (81.8%) librarians responded from the Federal University of
Agriculture, Abeokuta and 10 (55.6%) responded from Olabisi Onabanjo University, Ago-
Iwoye.

Table 2: Educational level of the Respondents

Educational Level Frequency Percent
Bachelor Degree 10 35.7
Master Degree 9 32.1
PhD 3 10.8
Others 6 22.4
Total 28 100.0
Source: fieldwork (2018)

From Table 2, majority of the respondents have bachelor degrees 10 (35.7%), followed by
Masters with 9 (32.1%), then PhD 3(10.8%) and others 6 (22.4%). This indicates that majority of
the librarian are professionals as they have their degrees in librarianship.

7
Table 3: Distribution of Respondents by Gender
Gender Frequency Percent
Male 17 60.7
Female 11 39.3
Total 28 100.0
Source: fieldwork (2018)

Table 3, shows that majority of the respondents are males 17 (60.7%) while females are 11
(39.3%). This indicates that male respondents are more than females.

Research questions raised for the study were answered using the data obtained from the field.

Research Question 1: What is the level of awareness of social media among librarians in public
universities in Ogun State?

Figure1: Awareness of social network

Figure 1 indicates that 16(57.1%) of the librarians are aware of other social media; 6 (21.4%) of
them are aware of Facebook; 3respondents (10.7%) are aware of [Link] was nominal
awareness of Blog 1(3.6%), WhatsApp 1(3.6%) and LinkedIn 1(3.6%) among the librarian. This
discovery was not in cooperation with the discovery of Draper and Turnage (2008) who found
out that Blogs were mostly used by librarian inpromoting library services.

8
Research Question 2: What is the extent of use of social media among librarians in public
universities in Ogun State?

Table 4: Which of the social media do you use often?

Social Extent of
Network use Percent
Facebook 7 25.0
Blog 4 14.3
Linkedln 1 3.6
All of the
16 57.1
above
Total 28 100.0

Table 4 shows that librarian often make use of the entire social media in disseminating
information. In this regard, Mitchell and Watstein (2007) who asserted that today's reference and
information literacy library staff have a unique opportunity to step up to the multifaceted
challenge of visibility' in online environs(such as Facebook) based on the fact that these online
environments are the places where students and scholars exist.

Research Question 3:What are the motivating factors to the use of social media?

Table 5: Motivating factors to the use of social media

Activities Frequency Percent
Keeping track with current
10 35.7
trends in library
Promoting library service 3 10.7
Selective Dissemination of
7 25.0
Information
All of the above 8 28.6
Total 28 100.0

Table 5 shows that librarian in Ogun state public universities are motivated to use social media in
order to keep the track with current trends in library 10 (35.7%). They also use it for other

9
services 8 (28.6%) and Selective dissemination of information 7 (25%).This result is in alliance
with that of Chu and Du (2013) who reported that through the use of social media, librarian have
been able to launch a degree of commitment with their colleagues. This has ensured that they are
updated with the latest trends within their career.

Research Question 4: What are the constraints in the usage of social media?

Table 6: Constraints in the usage of social media by librarians in public universities in

Ogun State
Strongly Strongly Neutral Disagree Agree Total
Disagree Agree %

There are lack of skills 4(14.3%) 3 (10.7%) 2 (7.1%) 9 (32.1%) 10 (35.7%) 100
and personnel
knowledge
There are lack of 2 (7.1%) 7 (25.0%) 4 15(53.6%) - 100
awareness of social (14.3%)
networks
Epileptic power supply - 28(100%) - - - 100
has been the problem
Low bandwidth is a - 27(96.4%) 1(3.6%) - - 100
contributing factor to
internet problem
Poor internet service - 13(46.4%) - - 15(53.6%) 100
has been the major
factor

Table 6 indicates that some of the major constraints to social media usage include epileptic
power supply. The entire 28respondents (100%) affirmed this. Others include assignment of low
bandwidth with 27 (96.4%) and poor internet service 13 (46.6%). This finding is in line with
Ezeani and Igwesi, (2012) whose study identified the challenges faced by Nigerian libraries in
the use and awareness of Social Media as lack of trained staff, lack of government intervention,
bandwidth problem, technophobia, and unreliable power supply. The result also corroborate with
the findings ofShehu, Urhefe, and Aworo (2015). Their study on accessibility and utilisation of
internet service in Nigeria libraries highlighted several challenges faced by the personnel while
accessing the internet in Nigeria libraries. Majority of their respondents indicated power outage

10
and unavailability/inaccessibility of internet were some of the challenges facing personnel while
accessing the internet in Nigeria libraries.

Discussion of Results

The findings of the study revealed that among the social media tools, members of staff in the
library were aware of Facebook, WhatsApp, and Twitter. This finding disagrees with that of
Draper and Turnage (2008) who found out that Blogs were mostly used by library staff in
promoting library services.

In assessing the extent of social network usage by librarians in Ogun state public universities, it
was revealed that they mostly use WhatsApp and Facebook daily in rendering services to users
and this finding supported with that of Priolkar and Kumbhar (2015) who reported that library
professionals mostly use Facebook in disseminating information. In this regard, Mitchell and
Watstein (2007) asserted that today's reference and information literacy librarian have a
distinctive prospect to stride up to the complex challenge of visibility' in online environments
(such as Facebook) based on the detail that these online environments are the places where
students and scholars exist. In addition, librarians’ uses social media for reference services,
Selective Dissemination of Information and keeping track with current trends in the library. This
finding is in agreement with that of Chu and Du (2013) who reported that through the use of
social media, librarians have been able to establish a degree of engagement with their colleagues.

Conclusively, findings from the study also revealed that some major constraints to social
network awareness and usage include poor internet access, irregular power supply and lack of
enough bandwidth.

Conclusion

Social media usage is essential in public university libraries as it will help librarians keep
themselves abreast of new ideas in their career and further aids to provide services that will meet
the varying needs of their patrons. Based on the results of the study it could be seen that librarian
in Ogun state public universities libraries make use of most of all the social media tools in
communicating and providing library and information services to users. Even, with this,
librarians need to fully utilize other social network tools and as such there is a need for proactive

11
awareness and training to educate librarian. However, challenges such as poor internet access,
epileptic power supply, lack of enough bandwidth and lack of management support were issues
that must be addressed critically in order to obtain utmost benefit from the use of social media.

Recommendations

In order to enhance the effective use of social media among librarians in public universities in
Ogun State for promoting library and information resources and services; the following
recommendations were made:

1. The Ogun state public universities library managements should ensure availability
of the internet facilities for all librarians.
2. The libraries should solicit for and make good use of funds from their parent
bodies, Federal or State government for internet subscription in their libraries.
3. The libraries should ensure regular and uninterrupted power supply for librarian
to enable consistent use of social network in disseminating information to library
users.
4. Lastly, university library management should support their staff by motivating
them to attend workshops, conferences and seminars in order for them to update
their skills on all the various social network and keep informed with current
technological trends.

12
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