Effectiveness of utilising social media in marketing muhas and sua library resources and services in Tanzania.

This study assessed the effectiveness of social media in marketing of library resources and services in the academic libraries in Tanzania. Specifically, the study examined the kinds of social media the libraries used in marketing of library resources and services at MUHAS and SUA; examined the extent to which social media are effective in enhancing the marketing of library resources and services; and examined the challenges the libraries faced in utilising social media to market library resources and services. The study was conducted in Dar es Salaam and Morogoro regions where MUHAS and SUA libraries are respectively located. Mixed research design approach and methods were used to process, collect and analyse the data. Primary data were collected through triangulation methods: questionnaire, face-toface interviews and observations whereas secondary data were collected through documentary review by consulting a variety of printed and non-printed sources. Qualitative data were subjected to content analysis whereas Statistical Product for Service Solutions (SPSS) version 20was used to analyse quantitative data. The study findings suggest that Facebook was a more effective platform for boosting the marketing of library services and resources due to its popularity and convenience in both libraries. WhatsApp was also found to be most effective for promoting library resources and services among the staff at MUHAS. These results affirm that social media deployment had contributed to the increase in the usage of library services and resources in the two academic libraries surveyed. On the other hand, despite its implementation in the marketing of resources and services, the study found that the effectiveness of social media use pattern was undermined by challenges such as lack of a written policy for social media usage, unreliable internet connectivity, low promotion, content obsoleteness, inadequate computer facilities and inadequate funding. Based on the research findings, the study recommends for social media policy formulation, investment in ICT infrastructure development, promotion of social media usage among information users, and provision of financial support to these libraries by their parent institutions.