Use of web 2.0 by librarians and other professionals

Abstract

The study investigated the use of web 2.0 by librarians and other professionals in Ikere-Ekiti, Ekiti State, Nigeria. Four research questions were formulated to guide the study. The study adopted a descriptive survey type of research design. The population included librarians, lecturers, medical practitioners, and bankers from public and private organizations in Ikere-Ekiti with a total population of 478 professionals. A simple random sampling technique was used for sample selection. A sample size of 291 professionals was used and a questionnaire was used as an instrument for data collection. The instrument was validated by two experts and coefficient alpha was used in testing the result of the pilot study. A reliability index of 0.81 was obtained, which guaranteed the reliability of the instrument. The data collected from the respondents were subjected to both descriptive statistical mean with standard deviation and statical analysis of frequency counts and percentages. The findings revealed that web 2.0 was available to use by professionals viz. blogs, Facebook, wiki, and Whatsapp which they used frequently for sharing information, professionals’ services, teaching, and learning among others. However, the challenges that affected its uses included unstable power supply, high cost of subscription and maintenance, high cost of the smartphone, network problems, etc. It was therefore recommended that public and private organizations should educate their workers on the use of web tools, libraries and other organizations should formulate policies and rules to guide its uses, etc.