Social media usage and applications for service delivery among medical library staff in Nigeria
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Background: Emerging technologies have transformed the globe and brought significant changes in information delivery in this century. One key change is the adoption of social media, an innovation redefining information provision. Many medical libraries in advanced countries are incorporating social media for service delivery. Literature has not given much attention to the use of social media in medical libraries in Nigeria. Thus, this paper explored the use and applications of social media among medical library staff in Nigeria.
Methods: The study adopted a survey research design. The population comprised medical library staff in Nigeria. A questionnaire was used as the instrument for data collection. The total enumeration technique was used to cover all the medical library staff in Nigeria. A total of 54 medical library staff responded to the survey.
Results: The results showed that WhatsApp was the most popular social media tool used, followed by Google, Facebook, and Instant messaging. The results also revealed that reference services, user orientation, and current awareness were some of the services delivered using social media. Poor internet access, lack of management support, and erratic power supply were some of the constraints.
Conclusion: The paper concluded that many medical library staff have embraced social media. However, it seems they have not adequately maximised these media in the delivery of library and information services. More awareness should be created about the use of social media, such as wikis and blogs, for information services delivery. The challenges in using social media should be addressed.
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