Retooling the Concept of Information Service

Provision: Imperatives for Libraries in

Developing Countries in Times of Pandemic

A Paper Presented at the Online Conference of the West and Central African Research and Education Network
(WACREN), Tagged: “Digital Transformation for Development” held 15-19 March, 2021

By

Roland Izuagbe, Goodluck Ifijeh & Promise Ilo (Ph.D)

 Sensitize librarians in order to awake
their professional consciousness to
the transformational impact of social
media in the provision of user-focused
information services
Aim
 Introduction 1

Information Service Provision: What it is

 The dissemination of man’s

recorded ideas through personal
contact by professionals trained to
do so.

 The dissemination of man’s

recorded ideas through the use of
technology by professionals trained
to do so.
 The Traditional Library System: what it is

• A system characterized by manual

methods of processing physical
records and services from the point
The BIG Question
of acquisition to transmission of
same to the end-users.
Unfavorable weather
conditions, emergencies
• It is a system that emphasizes a & pandemics
centralized physically assembled
information stock where usage
require physical visit to the
library (Kaur, 2015). ?
The Debate

The relevance of the library as

an information provider has
been a subject of debate since
the Internet was invented.

Critics are of the view that if

the primary duty of the library
profession is information
dissemination, then, the
Internet has extinguished its
usefulness.
One of the technological innovation giving impetus
to this argument in recent time is the social media.

(DataReportal, 2021)

With the emergence of Covid-19 pandemic and its

attendant restrictions, the popularity of social
media as a veritable means of communication is
receiving greater attention.
 Social Media Statistics

Source: DataReportal (January, 2021)

S/N Social Media Application Monthly Active Users

1 Facebook 2.740 billion

2 Twitter 353 million
3 Instagram 1.221 billion
4 Pinterest 442 million
5 Snapchat 498 million
6 YouTube 2.291 billion
7 Reddit 430 million
8 WhatsApp 2 billion
9 Quora 300 million
10 WeChat 1.213 billion
11 Weibo 511 million
12 Telegram 500 million
13 Massager 1.3 billion
14 TikTok 689 million
Source: DataReportal (January, 2021)
 From these data, are
there opportunities that
libraries can take
advantage of? What
percentage of these
figures can the library
harness for its
advantage?
Strategies for Redefining Information Service Provision 1

 The library monopoly has been broken.

Accept the new  Patrons are more exposed to sources of information
normal now than ever before.

 Patrons now know what they want, the way they

want it, and where they want it.
 Patrons begin their search for information using
search engines, with no reference to the library as a
starting point (OCLC, 2006).

…changes patrons’ perception about the library.

Strategies for Redefining Information Service Provision 2

Identify your core

patrons

…engenders greater output and impact

 Strategies for Redefining Information Service Provision 3

Develop a variety of services

 Academic
 Political
 Social
 Religious
 Entertainment
 Games, audio and video services,
etc.

…provides patrons with a wide range of

service options
 Strategies for Redefining Information Service Provision 4
Implement relevant
social media tools and
make services audience
and device-specific
Librarians need to know the most
utilized device for accessing social
media among patrons and adapt
services.

…puts the library where the patrons are vice

versa.
 Strategies for Redefining Information Service Provision 5

Build social community

 Design a user-friendly app to

expedites access to resources and
services.
 Feature all URLs for resources and
services on all library social media
platforms.
 Link community to existing groups
and make the reference librarian a …increases the library patron-base and
member. ensures members loyalty
 Strategies for Redefining Information Service Provision 6

Designate social media savvy

librarians

Train some professionals to

engage community members
on a real-time basis for
efficiency.

…keeps the community strong and engaging

Strategies for Redefining Information Service Provision 7
…they will
Follow them  Share posts and provide updates on return the
trending or topical issues. gesture
 Demonstrate you have the
information patrons need.
 Adapt the information and make it
available where patrons are.

…builds patrons’ confidence

 Some Benefits for Libraries in the Developing Countries

• Adapting and making information services social media-compliant

automatically removes the appellation “traditional” from libraries
operating the conventional model thereby giving them a digital,
professional, and global relevance.
• The debate about relevance, social rejection and the eventual demise of
the library profession becomes null and void.
• Improvement of the professional image of academic libraries in terms
of interaction, and liaison operations with the various departmental
Heads in their respective institutions.
• Increase in research visibility and citation.
For listening