Use of Social Media Platforms in Disseminating Information amid COVID-19 pandemic in Technical University Libraries in Ghana

Abstract

Educational institutions have undergone tremendous changes through the usage of technology-based applications. Academic libraries however have not been left out of this transition since the libraries are instituted in the university and the heart of the institution. The study aimed to examine social media use to disseminate information amid the Covid-19 pandemic in Technical University libraries. A qualitative research approach was used with semi-structured interviews used to collect data from ten participants. The findings revealed that most of the participants made use of social media like Facebook, YouTube, Instagram, and WhatsApp to disseminate information during the pandemic in both libraries studied. Also, social media helped make the libraries studied visible to the world at large. Inadequate funding, slow internet connectivity, and inadequate ICT infrastructure hindered the effective use of social media platforms as well as users accessing information during the Covid-19 pandemic. It was recommended that the Management of the parent universities provide the necessary infrastructure as far as ICT is concerned for libraries to function efficiently and effectively in their line of duty to support scholarship, teaching, leaching, and research work as they cannot function effectively without adequate provision of IT tools.