Bridging the Awareness-Adoption Gap: A Content Analysis of Institutionalised Social Media Use for Library Promotion in Nigerian Federal Universities

Abstract

Promoting library resources through digital marketing has become a key strategy in modern librarianship for increasing user patronage and awareness. However, awareness of social media’s importance does not always translate into institutional adoption or the creation of dedicated digital marketing units. This study used digital content analysis to assess the institutional use of social media for library promotion in Nigeria, focusing on 51 federal university libraries. Data were collected from official YouTube, Facebook, LinkedIn, and Twitter accounts. Posts were analysed based on visibility, recency, followership, feedback, and relevance to library promotion. Findings revealed low institutional adoption of social media, a preference for Facebook, poor alignment of posts with library content, and low user engagement. The study recommends advocating institutional adoption of social media, creating dedicated promotion units, and providing librarian training. It also urges library schools to integrate social media into their curricula to enhance library visibility in a competitive information environment.