Analysis of the use of social networks by university libraries

Abstract

The aim of the research is to study the implantation and perspectives of the use of social networks by university libraries in Brazil, the United States and England. It aims to analyze the challenges and possibilities in the use of these technologies to carry out the activities in the libraries, comparing the practices of social interaction with the users. The methodological procedures are characterized by the analysis and description of the profiles of nine libraries in the social network Facebook, three of them located in the United States of America, three in Brazil and three in England. It is a descriptive study with non - probabilistic and convenience samples, using the comparative and inductive methods by field research and the quantitative - qualitative data collection by observation. The results were obtained through a descriptive analysis based on searches applied in social networks, identifying, through established criteria, the information and content made available on these platforms. It concludes that the implantation of these tools in university libraries brings benefits to its activities, but it requires constant planning and monitoring to efficiently and effectively improve the provision of products and services, as w ell as the service to the users through the possibilities of communication and interaction offered by these platforms