7-UTILISATION OF SOCIAL MEDIA IN THE DELIVERY OF LIBRARY SERVICES DURING PANDEMIC: A CASE OF SELECTED ACADEMIC LIBRARIES IN TANZANIA
UTILISATION OF SOCIAL MEDIA IN THE DELIVERY OF LIBRARY SERVICES DURING PANDEMIC: A CASE OF SELECTED ACADEMIC LIBRARIES IN TANZANIA
Joyce Charles Shikali* and Antidius Fidelis**
*Bandari College
**Information Studies Unit
University of Dar es Salaam, Tanzania
Abstract
The impact of the pandemic particularly COVID-19 has affected several services in almost all sectors including the delivery of library services in higher learning institutions. As such, the integration of social media was considered one of the measures that could enable academic libraries to deliver library services to meet the information needs of library users. Specifically, this study examined the types of social media employed, library services offered through social media, knowledge of librarians in delivering library services through social media, and the barriers that inhibited the deployment of social media in the delivery of library services. The study adopted a descriptive research design and collected quantitative and qualitative data using surveys (questionnaires and interviews).
A total of 153 library staff were selected using census sampling technique while 7 staff members selected by purposive sampling technique from three academic libraries (Sokoine University of Agriculture, University of Dar es Salaam and Muhimbili University of Health and Allied Science). The findings indicate that whereas WhatsApp was the main social media, notification of new library rrivals, document delivery services (DDS) and current awareness services (CAS) as well as e-resources access information and details were the major library services delivered via social media platforms. The study also discloses that library staff had limited knowledge of the utilisation of social media in the delivery of library services. It was further identified that lack of social media literacy skills, resistance to change, poor funding and poor ICT infrastructure were the major challenges facing librarians in delivering library services on social media during COVID-19. The study recommends that training on the usage of social media in the provision of library services is pivotal in ensuring the effective delivery of library services during crises and emergencies. Also, library management should allocate an adequate budget for social media-mediated library services such as ICT devices and Internet connectivity, and develop enabling library policy for the effective utilisation
of social media in library services.
Keywords: Social media, Library services, COVID-19 pandemic, academic library, library users, Tanzania
Proceedings of the 5th COTUL Scientific Conference Held on 6th – 10th November 2023
