Social media Tools for Library service delivery in Higher learning Institutions: Case of University of Zambia and National Institute of Public Administration Libraries

摘要

This research paper investigated how social media tools (SMTs) can be leveraged to market library services by libraries in higher learning institutions. Questionnaires and interview guides were used in the data collection process from two academic libraries in Zambia, namely; the University of Zambia (UNZA) and National Institute of Public Administration (NIPA) Libraries. Data analysis was done using Statistical Package for Social Science (SPSS) and content analysis. Findings indicate that both librarians and students only used social media for social networking purpose. The study further noted that there were a number of potential challenges such as limited Internet access points, poor Internet connectivity and Lack of awareness of some exiting SMTs by most librarians and users. These need to be resolved for the use of SMTs to be successful. However, nearly all the participants acknowledge the value in using SMTs in library service delivery and hence supported its adoption.