Evaluation of Reference Service in the Era of Social Media: A case of National Open University Library, Nigeria
No Thumbnail Available
Date
2018
Journal Title
Journal ISSN
Volume Title
Publisher
JOURNAL OF INFORMATION 2AND COMMUNICATION TECHNOLOGY (CT))
Abstract
Due to emergence of Internet and the ever-changing information world, access and dissemination of information
is no longer restricted to limited arena. Reference service has become a trendy method of promoting access and
wide dissemination of information to library patrons. The traditional face-to-face and armchair system where the
library only physically consults or is consulted within its own walls or even the confines of the institution, has no
place in modern reference service. This study, therefore, evaluated reference services in the era of social media in
academic library of National Open University, Nigeria (NOUN). It examined awareness and level of usage of
online reference services available to students. The study used questionnaire to collect data from students, while
face-to-face interview was used to collect data from a librarian
the selected centres. The study applies random
sampling to select participants while purposive sampling was used to select a librarian. The study analyzed the
data using IBM-SPSS version 20.0. Findings revealed that students are aware that their university libraries are on
social media networks but are still not familiar with most of reference services. Ask-a-Librarian, Facebook and
Twitter were ranked as the most preferred methods for conveying online reference services. That online reference
service was indicated as more supreme than traditional desk reference service because communication has no
ceographical barrier with a reference librarian and is easily accessible. The implications of the present research,
although literature on evaluation of reference service in tertiary education does exist, studies on assessment of
reference service in digital era by students are scarce and divergent. This research sheds light on this essential
subject by intensely aiding the understanding of various social media for educational purposes. The study
concluded that the intervention of modern and accessible social media tools in reference service make significant differences in access and dissemination of information to library patrons.
Description
Keywords
ReFerence, Service, Evaluation, Awareness, Usage