Engaging users through social media: A systematic review of academic library practices in higher education

The Journal of Social Media

 
 
Field Value
 
Title Engaging users through social media: A systematic review of academic library practices in higher education
 
Creator Pasipamire, Edmont
 
Subject Libraries, Higher Education, Teaching and Learning social media integration; digital library services; academic library innovation; user-centred library services; social media strategy
Description Background: This systematic review explores how social media is being harnessed by academic libraries in higher education to strengthen communication, expand outreach and enrich user engagement.Objectives: Guided by the Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses (PRISMA) framework, peer-reviewed studies published between 2010–2025 were identified through searches in Scopus, Web of Science, Education Resources Information Center (ERIC), Academic Search Ultimate and Google Scholar.Method: Twenty eligible studies were examined using the PICO (Population, Intervention, Comparison, Outcome) strategy to frame inclusion criteria and assess outcomes.Results: The review finds that social media platforms are increasingly applied to promote resources, enable real-time interaction and foster collaborative learning environments.Conclusion: Nonetheless, barriers such as uneven adoption, insufficient staff training, and institutional policy gaps constrain consistent implementation. The synthesis identifies successful approaches, including targeted platform selection, development of interactive content and cross-departmental collaboration.Contribution: The study offers useful insights for library professionals and policymakers looking to optimise the advantages of social media integration while addressing obstacles in higher education contexts by compiling global evidence.
 
Publisher AOSIS
 
Contributor Not applicable
Date 2026-01-14
 
Type info:eu-repo/semantics/article info:eu-repo/semantics/publishedVersion — Systematic Review
Format text/html application/epub+zip text/xml application/pdf
Identifier 10.4102/jsm.v2i1.4
 
Source The Journal of Social Media; Vol 2, No 1 (2026); 12 pages
 
Language eng
 
Relation
The following web links (URLs) may trigger a file download or direct you to an alternative webpage to gain access to a publication file format of the published article:

https://thejournalofsocialmedia.org/index.php/jsm/article/view/4/19 https://thejournalofsocialmedia.org/index.php/jsm/article/view/4/20 https://thejournalofsocialmedia.org/index.php/jsm/article/view/4/21 https://thejournalofsocialmedia.org/index.php/jsm/article/view/4/22
 
Coverage Africa, South Africa, Global 2010 -2-24 Libraries, Social Media, Higher Education
Rights Copyright (c) 2026 Edmont Pasipamire https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0
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