Libraries at University of Nebraska-Lincoln
Date of this Version
2021
Abstract
The penetrating influence of the internet and information communication technology tools has brought about a boost in communication and interaction of people. Collaborative research is now seen as a key factor in achieving a set goal in any field including the field of library and information science. This study is focused on exploring the use of social media as a tool for collaborative research among librarians in Nigeria. A descriptive survey design was adopted for this study and an electronic questionnaire was used to elicit responses from one hundred and one (101) library and information science (LIS) professionals based on purposive sampling technique. From these responses, the first seven most used Social media platforms for research collaborations were WhatsApp (83%), Email services (74%), Google docs (59%), Google drive (47%), Facebook (46%), Telegram (45%), and Zoom app. (42%). Also, all the respondents agreed that social media platform and tools enable researchers to communicate, network and share documents with many people regardless of locations, at little or no expense (100%), the major challenges identified were differences in basic knowledge on use of available social media applications and low level of ICT skills among LIS professionals. It was recommended that self-development opportunities should be exploited and that LIS professionals should be exposed to online and webinar seminars on application and relevance of social media to collaborative research.