A STUDY ON THE USE OF ACADEMIC SOCIAL NETWORKING SITES (ASNSs) BY PROFESSIONAL LIBRARIANS IN PUBLIC UNIVERSITIES IN AKWA IBOM STATE, NIGERIA

This study takes a holistic look at the usefulness of academic social networking sites as the basis of which significant links could be established globally. The use of social media and networking sites is increasingly facilitating communication among people in all walks of life. Professional librarians normally use the sites to connect with each other faster and easier for research purposes, professional development, personal development, as well as entertainment or any other purpose. The popular academic networking sites include LinkedIn, ResearchGate, Quora, Google Scholar, ResearchID, Mendeley, and so on. This study examines the use of academic social networking sites by professional librarians in public universities in Akwa Ibom State. Specifically, the study investigates the librarians’ level of awareness of ASNSs, their registration status with the ASNSs, frequency of visits to the ASNSs, purpose of use of the ASNSs, level of satisfaction with the ASNSs, and devices used to access the ASNSs. A two-part questionnaire and a five-item interview schedule were used to elicit responses from 82 professional librarians in the two (2) available public universities in Akwa Ibom State which are University of Uyo and Akwa Ibom State University. Data collected were analyzed using both quantitative and qualitative methods. The findings indicate, among others, that apart from Google Scholar (2.90), ResearchGate (2.88), Academia.com (2.82), and LinkedIn (2.68), other academic social network sites are not known by majority of professional librarians studied and many of them have not registered with the sites. The research also shows that the frequency of visits to the ASNSs by professional librarians is low. The study recommends that academic librarians should be upskilled and provided with opportunities for effective use of ASNSs, etc