Librarianship in the Era of Social Media: Understanding the Nexus

Abstract

The chapter presents the symbiotic relationship between library services and social media and its possible implications for the 21st century librarian. The 21st century librarian has witnessed huge changes in the field of library and information science. These changes in the library and information science domain have altered the forms of information and the nature of services but the basic role of the libraries – to cater for the information needs and demands of the users remains. As the popularity of social media is growing exponentially, librarians cannot stand aloof but ensure they exploit the benefits attached to using social media in libraries. With social media, libraries can attract their users and provide improved services while keeping them abreast on latest developments in the libraries. The chapter discussed how social media can be exploited for the benefit of the library clients. The chapter concluded by providing suggestions that will benefit the librarians and libraries to ensure improved symbiotic relationship between library services and social media.