The Role of Social Media and Social Networking in Information Service Provision

Abstract

Social networking is a Web-based service that allows individuals to construct a public or semi-public profile within a bounded system, articulate a list of other users with whom they share a connection, and view and navigate their list of connections and those made by others within the system. No doubt, social media has great potential in taking library operations to the next level. It is in the light of this that this chapter examines the role of social media and social networking in information service provision in libraries. To achieve this objective, the chapter looks at social media as a tool in libraries, advantages of social media in libraries, social media and social networks, and practical examples on the use of social media and social network tools together with how libraries can forge ahead due to the use and application of social media and social networks to their daily operations. Conclusion and recommendations based on these highlights are provided.