Library and Social Integration

Abstract

This study was designed to examine the role of social media as a tool in the library for social integration. Social integration is the process during which newcomers or minorities are incorporated into the social structure of the host society. Social integration, together with economic integration and identity integration are three main dimensions of newcomers' experiences in the society that is receiving them. Social Media’s presence is almost everywhere and the vision of the library within the last few years has been that library services should go to users not necessarily that users should come physically to the library. Social Media is expected to be a veritable tool in achieving this purpose. The study revealed that; privacy concern, low levels of technology penetration, network problem, lack of awareness, lack of funds etc. as the major challenge librarians encounter in the use of social media for promoting library and information services and enhancing social integration. It also concluded thatthe integration of the society via social media technology into library services is more than a management strategy; it is a tool that can be deployed to transform library services and bring cutting edge services to users in the face of dwindling budgets. And the finally this paper recommends that Libraries should design their services in such a way that they will fully employ the sharing capacity of social media tools towards provision and dissemination of their services to users, as this capacity is still currently underutilized and that Libraries should formulate a viable Social Media Policy to guide the full integration of social media tools to the provision of library services in public libraries so as to facilitate social integration.