Social Media Strategies for Dynamic Library Service Development

Citation

McKinley, D. (2016), "Social Media Strategies for Dynamic Library Service Development", The Electronic Library, Vol. 34 No. 1, pp. 172-173. https://doi.org/10.1108/EL-08-2015-0155

Social Media Strategies for Dynamic Library Service Development examines some of the opportunities and challenges related to the use of social media by libraries and LIS professionals-in-training, with a particular focus on Africa. It includes several case studies, and aims to stimulate debate on a range of topics including the use of social media for competitive intelligence and marketing of libraries, the ethical dimension of social media and social media in LIS education and training. Bringing together the expertise and experience of 26 contributors from Botswana, Kenya, Nigeria, South Africa, Zambia, Zimbabwe and India, Social Media Strategies approaches the topic from both theoretical and practical perspectives.

Several of the 18 chapters cover similar ground; however, chapter content is usefully summarised in the detailed table of contents, the editor’s chapter synopses and the abstracts that precede each chapter. Several chapters suggest additional readings, and chapter references are helpfully compiled at the end of the book. The key terms and definitions at the end of each chapter do little to support the reader; many general terms such as social media and social networking are repeated, and definitions are inconsistent. Similarly, the index, which at two pages is relatively light for a 388 pp text, provides limited support. The two-column presentation is difficult to read, and at times, the quality of the writing and editing is below what a reader might expect of an academic endeavour.

Despite these limitations, this is a rich resource and timely publication for LIS professionals and academics with an interest in the use of social media in the developing world and Africa, in particular, which the book explains is currently experiencing a social networking boom. Although the editor makes claims for the value of this “hands-on ‘how to’” book for practitioners, its size, price and presentation make it better suited as a resource for LIS education.