This study investigated the extent to which demographic variables predicted utilization of social media platforms for information service delivery in universities in Southern Nigeria. Correlation research design was adopted. The population of the study comprise the 174 professional librarians in Federal universities in South-South, Nigeria. That is, University of Benin, Federal university of Petroleum Resources, University of Calabar, University of Uyo, University of Port Harcourt, and Federal University, Otuoke. Total enumeration technique was used to study the entire population. The reliability test of the questionnaire which was carried out with Cronbach Alpha Coefficient rated 0.92. The four (4) null hypotheses were tested with the use of ANOVA at 0.05 level of significance. Key findings of the study were that the librarians’ age significantly predicted their use of social media (0.02 < 0.05), while gender (0.903 > 0.05), education (0.247 > 0.05), and experience (0.116 > 0.05) of the librarians did not significantly predict use of social media by the librarians. The implication of the findings is that, only the librarians’ age is significant among the demographic variables tested as predictors of social media use. Based on the findings, it was recommended as follows:that library managers should focus on employing young librarians with knowledge of ICTs, that library administrators should plan specialized programmes on the use of social media for the older librarians; that the library administrators should assign more social media related tasks to the younger librarians; that library administrators should assign social media related tasks to librarians irrespective of their gender since gender does not significantly predict social media use by librarians; and that the library administrators should be encouraged to employ librarians with the required professional qualifications.
AharonyN (2014) Factors affecting the adoption of Facebook by information professionals. In:Paper Presented at Association for Information Science and Technology Conference, Montreal, Quebec, Canada, November 1–6, 2014. Available at: https://www.asis.org/asist2013/
2.
AkporhonorBAOliseFN (2015) Librarians' use of social media for promoting library and information resources and services in university libraries in South-South Nigeria. Information and Knowledge Management5(6): 2015, Available at: https://www.iiste.org/
3.
AlkindiSSAl-SuqriMN (2013) Social networking sites as marketing and outreach tools of library and information services. Global Journal of Human-Social Science: Arts, Humanities & Psychology13(2): 1640.
4.
AltafAIqbalAIRamzanM, et al. (2021) Use of social media in libraries: a perspective of a developing country. Library Philosophy and Practice, Available at: https://digitalcommons.unl.edu/libphilprac/5573
5.
AnasiSN (2018) Influence of gender on attitude towards the use of social media for continuing professional development among academic librarians in Nigeria. Information and Learning Science119: 226–240.
6.
AndreassenCSTorsheimTPallesenS (2014) Predictors of use of social network sites at work: a specific type of cyberloafing. Journal of Computer-Mediated Communication19: 906–921.
7.
AramideKALadipoSOAdebayoI (2015) Demographic variables and ICT access as predictors of information communication technologies’ usage among science teachers in Federal Unity Schools in Nigeria. Library Philosophy and Practice, Available at: https://digitalcommons.unl.edu/libphilprac/1217
8.
AwaHOEmechetaBCUkohaO (2014) Location factors as moderators between some critical demographic characteristics and ICT utilization: a study of SMEs. In: Proceedings of Informing Science & IT Education Conference (InSITE) 2014, Wollongong, NSW, Australia, 2014, 39–52. Available at: https://proceedings.informingscience.org/InSITE2014/InSITE14p039-052Awa0542.pdf
9.
BiljanaPDespinaSSnezanaJM (2017) Working experience of teachers as a predictor for effective use of ICT in physical education teaching process. Available at: https://www.eprints.ugd.mk/
CorreaTHinsleyAWZúñigaHG (2010) Who interacts on the Web? The intersection of users’ personality and social media use. Computers in Human Behavior26: 247–253.
12.
EastLStokesRWalkerM (2013) Universities, the public good and professional education in the UK. Studies in Higher Education39(9): 1617–1633.
13.
EgbokhareFOItiolaOAOdejideAI, et al. (2006) Definition, spectrum and types of research. In: OlayinkaAITaiwoVORaji-OyeladeA, et al. (eds) Methodology of Basic and Applied Research. 2nd edition. Ibadan: The Postgraduate School, University of Ibadan, 1–17.
14.
ElkasehAMWongKWFungCC (2016) Perceived ease of use and perceived usefulness of social media for e-learning in Libyan higher education: a structural equation modeling analysis. International Journal of Information and Education Technology6(3): 192–199.
15.
EmezieNANwaohiriNM (2013) 21st century librarians and effective information service delivery. Information Impact. Journal of Information and Knowledge Management4(1): 30–43, Available at: https://www.ajol.info/index.php/iijikm/article/view/144609
16.
FinlayAHNiesMA (2017) Understanding social networking use for social connectedness among rural older adults. Healthy Aging Research6(12): 6.
17.
FradyD (2011) Millennials’ Personal Connection with Brands via Social Media Tools. Florida State University. Available at: https://fsu.digital.flvc.org/
GrandeS (2015) Factors that influence use of social media among older adults. Doctoral Dissertation. Available at: https://www.proquest.open.org/
20.
GuptaRKGautamJNKhareVP (2014) Awareness and use of social media by library staff of power sector organizations. Annals of Library and Information Studies61: 320–331.
21.
InanFALowtherDL (2009) Factors affecting technology integration in K–12 classrooms: a path model. Educational Technology Research & Development58(2): 137–154.
22.
KaplanAMHaenleinM (2010) Users of the world, unite! The challenges and opportunities of social media. Business Horizons53: 59–68.
23.
Keloğlu-İşlerEIBayramOG (2014) Commodification of knowledge communication mediums: from library to social media. Procedia - Social and Behavioral Sciences147: 550–553. Available at: https://www.sciencedirect.com/
24.
KimYAbbasJ (2010) Adoption of library 2.0 functionalities by academic libraries and users: a knowledge management perspective. The Journal of Academic Librarianship36(3): 211–218.
25.
KotcherlakotaSKupzykKARejdaP (2017) Years of experience as a predictor of nurse faculty technology use. Journal of Nursing Education56(2): 115–119.
NdukaSCAdekanyeEAAdedokunTO (2021) Usage of social media tools by library and information professionals (LIPs) in selected academic libraries in South-West, Nigeria. International Journal of Knowledge Content Development & Technology11(3): 7–27.
PhilipsAL (2015) Facebooking it: Promoting Library Services to Young Adults through Social Media. Tallahassee: Faculty publications: Florida State University.
33.
QuadriGOIdowuOA (2016) Influence of social media use on reading habits of students of the University of Lagos, Nigeria. Journal of Applied Information Science and Technology9(1): 45–56. Available at: https://jaistonline.org/9vol1/6.pdf
34.
RamnarainYGovenderKK (2013) Social media browsing and consumer behaviour: exploring the youth market. African Journal of Business Management7(18): 1885–1893.
35.
RousseauSJMPuttarajuK (2014) A study on gender differential factors in uses of social networking sites. International Journal of Humanities and Social Science Invention3(1): 31–40, Available at: https://www.ijhssi.org/
36.
RowlandsINicholasDRussellB, et al. (2011) Social media use in the research workflow. Learned Publishing24(3): 183–195.
37.
SuleimanMMGamboBSaniA, et al. (2020) Effects of using social media on students' academic performance of higher education in Nigeria: benefits and challenges. International Journal of Research7(1): 5616. Available at: https://journals.pen2print.org/index.php/ijr/article/view/20041
38.
TozerBC (2017) Pennsylvania teachers’ perceptions and use of social media communication technologies as a pedagogical tool. Theses and Dissertations (All). Available at: https://knowledge.library.iup.edu/etd/1563
39.
TurkleS (2008) Always-on/Always on you: the tethered self. In: KatzJ (ed) Handbook of Mobile Communication Studies. Cambridge, MA: MIT Press.
40.
UwanduLIOsujiCE (2022) Use of social media for service delivery by library staff in academic libraries in Imo State: a case of Federal University of Technology, Owerri. International Journal of Research in Library Science (IJRLS)8(2): 1–8.
41.
VenkateshVMorrisMGDavisGB, et al. (2003) User acceptance of information technology: toward a unified view. MIS Quarterly27(3): 425–478.
42.
YankahSAdamsKGrimesL, et al. (2017) Age and social media behavior predict social activism. The Journal of Social Media in Society6(2): 56–89, Available at: https://www.thejsms.org/
YoungSWHRossmanD (2015) Building Library Community through Social Media. Information Technology and Libraries34: 20–37.
45.
ZaidYAOlatiseOM (2016) Past imperfect, present continuous and future perfect: paradigm shift in information service provision in Nigerian university libraries. MiddleBelt Journal of Library and Information Science14: 2022. Available at: https://mbjlisonline.org/index.php/jlis/article/view/62
