To read this content please select one of the options below:

Understanding public libraries’ challenges, motivators, and perceptions toward the use of social media for marketing

Namjoo Choi (School of Information Science, University of Kentucky, Lexington, Kentucky, USA)
Soohyung Joo (School of Information Science, University of Kentucky, Lexington, Kentucky, USA)

Library Hi Tech

ISSN: 0737-8831

Article publication date: 25 June 2018

Issue publication date: 21 June 2021

7746

Abstract

Purpose

The purpose of this paper is to identify challenges and motivators to social media adoption for marketing purposes in public libraries and to investigate how these libraries perceive the importance of social media marketing.

Design/methodology/approach

A nation-wide online survey on public libraries in the USA was conducted to carry out this study, and a total number of 470 responses were used for data analysis.

Findings

This study determined a range of challenges and motivators to implementing social media for marketing in public libraries. The results also showed that public libraries perceive social media as an important tool for their library marketing and intend to increase their use.

Practical implications

The findings from this study can serve as a guideline for public libraries when employing social media for marketing purposes in their libraries.

Originality/value

This study assessed the current state of social media use for marketing in the public library context, a context that has been under-researched in the literature, from three perspectives: challenges, motivators, and perceptions.

Keywords

Citation

Choi, N. and Joo, S. (2021), "Understanding public libraries’ challenges, motivators, and perceptions toward the use of social media for marketing", Library Hi Tech, Vol. 39 No. 2, pp. 352-367. https://doi.org/10.1108/LHT-11-2017-0237

Publisher

:

Emerald Publishing Limited

Copyright © 2018, Emerald Publishing Limited

Related articles