Social Networking Sites: Changing Roles, Skills and Use by Librarians in Tertiary Institutions in Nigeria

The purpose of the study is to investigate the extent to which librarians use social networking sites (SNSs) and the level of skills possessed by librarians to effectively use these tools. A questionnaire was used to collect data on the skills and use of social networking sites by librarians in tertiary institutions in Nigeria. The questionnaire was developed using SurveyMonkey and administered using an online method. The study revealed that Facebook, WhatsApp, LinkedIn, Twitter, Skype and YouTube are the most popular SNSs used by the Librarians. Other social networking sites such as 'Nigerian Library Association (NLA) online forum' and 'Research gate' were also mentioned by the librarians. The study also revealed that marketing library services, sharing information about the library resources, and news about the library were indicated as the top reasons for using the SNSs by librarians in Nigeria. Librarians in Nigeria rated their skills such as interacting with friends and relatives, searching and navigating different SNSs, applying information ethically, and ability to evaluate information on SNSs to be higher than others. The librarians mentioned power failure, bad network/low bandwidth, lack of time and lack of interest by some librarians as the major challenges in using SNSs in Nigeria. This study offers insights for academic libraries to make informed decisions in applying social networking tools.