Building and enhancing library services: Patrons’ awareness of, and engagement with social media in academic libraries in Ghana

Abstract

This study sought to examine academic libraries’ patrons’ level of awareness of, and engagement with social media in the use of academic libraries services in Ghana. The study employed the cross-sectional survey whereby quantitative data were collected from a total of 417 respondents, who consisted of students and library staff from public, private and technical universities in Ghana. Findings indicated that the academic libraries have adopted and used a number of social media applications, with Facebook and instant messaging as the most popular and frequently used platforms, for the provision and access to library services and resources as well as for contacting the academic libraries. However, the level of awareness, extent of use, as well as the level of engagement with the platforms was low as social media tools adopted by the libraries were not prevalent among the library patrons. Recommendations and conclusions based on the research findings are offered in the paper. This study uses a cross-sectional survey, with the data being collected at a specific point in time. However, due to rapid technological change and trends, future research studies could consider longitudinal studies to investigate the adoption and use of social media in academic libraries across time and environment. The analysis of social media use for academic library services from both the library staff and library patrons’ perspectives will inform decisions on how to improve the use of such platforms for effective and efficient library services delivery and access.

The Dynamic Capabilities of Social Media : Contribute to Librarian Efficiency

“…Saxena [88] mentioned that librarians can use social media in enhancing library capability. The study by Mensah and Onyancha [89] indicates that academic libraries in Ghana used varieties of social media platforms in disseminating library services to create engagement with their users.…”

“…According to [101], university libraries in the state Edo and Delta States should provide enough internet access as well as social media and emerging technology training for their librarians. According to a survey, library staff members prefer to utilize Facebook (81.9%) and LinkedIn (69.1%) to maintain a social media presence [89]. When Paul Miller explained what Web 2.0 and social media were and how they could be used in a library setting, the first phase of the project got underway in 2005.…”

“…Catalano et al [117] addressed the issue of librarians who are particularly focused on staying current and utilizing new technology to meet users' demands. "Social media is a very powerful medium to reach people, even to target customers, such as our alumni or someone out there who wants to read seriously and wishes to use the university library," according to one of the respondent research projects examined [89]. "This is why we [Facebook library page] have more library fans than most libraries".…”

Social Media Capabilities In Academic Libraries: Influence on librarians’ agility and relationship quality (librarian-user)

“…Sharyna & Basri (2018) identified that the uniqueness of social media with "high tech", "interactive", and "blend" with the "human touch" gave a valuable means for libraries to provide information resources and services beyond the walls. In Ghana, the academic libraries adopted social media applications such as Facebook for provision and access to library services and resources as well as for contacting the academic libraries (Mensah & Onyancha, 2021). In Malaysia, according to a study done by A'dillah et al ( 2016) that Malaysian research universities libraries, Facebook provided the greatest impact as a promotional tool, dissemination of information, answering users' inquiries and providing feedback on the promotional initiatives.…”

Academic Libraries in Ghana and Their Strategies for Coping with the First Wave of the COVID-19 Pandemic

“…Indeed, the use of technology such as social media has been identified as a tool for facilitating library services provision to meet a wide range of users in real time, no matter their location (Mensah & Onyancha, 2021). This is not surprising because the use of technology facilitates the work of the university libraries to meet a wide range of users' needs, no matter their location.…”