The library must be dynamic to adapt to transformation and it should not remain static. Stoffle et.al directed concern towards academic libraries. Libraries must have to change their library work style in this digital era. We need to understand the urgency of these transformations. It is very important to decide in this present era now that this is very important to give a shape of library in future consequences. If we cannot change in work pattern then we have not any future to stand with this internet era through the marketing landscape by the help of Internet. Burkhardt (2010) emphasised on the necessity for academic libraries to adopt social media tools for information dissemination, service marketing, sharing innovative content, providing updates on new knowledge, and enhancing library visibility (Burkhardt, 2010).

The addition of social media tools and social networking sites to libraries has totally revolutionised how people talk to each other, share knowledge, and get it. These platforms have turned libraries into places where people can connect digitally and share knowledge. They have also made traditional library services more useful. In the digital era, libraries are using these tools to make creative, cosy, and inviting spaces that are easy to get to so that they can meet the requirements of all its users. Social media tools and sites help academic libraries become more popular, easier to find, and more interactive.

Adoption and Use of SMT/SNS in Academic Libraries:

In the age of the digital era, increasing the adoption of SMT/SNS various platforms like Facebook, WhatsApp, Instagram, YouTube, Twitter, etc. For this, Motali (2025) emphasised the communication patterns are also changing, and for this we need to change to use these latest and current tools for communications. Bamigboye et al. (2021) highlighted the need for user awareness regarding the adoption of SMT/SNS in universities. Shah & Khan (2019) presented that there is maximum utilisation of it in the north zone in India for its enlightening visit and clarity. Rabatseta et al. (2021) also explored that there were not any policy, skills, and confrontation as key factors in South Africa.

Social media for the promotion of Library Services:

By the various tools of SMT libraries, various promotional activities and communication can be done. Mustafa & Zainuddin (2016) demonstrated that there are used in academic libraries promoted their various library events, research queries, and other ready reference services by SMT in Malaysia. Sikandar & Saha (2016) also highlighted in their study the promotion of their various library activities by the SMT. Mahadeva et al. (2021) have shown the benefits of SMT by the help of upsurged users and quick updates.

Enhancing User Engagement, Visibility, and Interaction:

Several social media tools advance with easy interaction with users and their contributions and are also aware of available library print and online library resources. In this regard, Kamarudin et al. (2020) stated that SMT is as a transitional to rise involvement of users and its content collaboration.

Objectives:

1. To find out how academic librarians in Bharuch use social media and networking platforms.
2. To look at the kinds of information that people share using these technologies.
3. To assess the difficulties encountered in adoption and implementation.
4. To find out how it affects visibility, user engagement, and promotion.
5. To evaluate the attitudes and perceptions of academic library professionals toward social media adoption in their work.

Scope and Limitations of the Study:

This study's scope was limited to the local boundaries of Bharuch city, with the emphasis being solely on academic libraries in the region. The study focused on 17 college library professionals serving as the major participants. This research mainly aims to collect data mainly from various points of view and opinions of these library professionals. It purposely eliminates other groups, such as students, teachers, and staff, as well as public libraries and other non-academic information centres. The study's limitation is the emphasised attempts to give a more precise and pertinent awareness of library operations, issues, and innovations particular to Bharuch college libraries. These college libraries are listed below:

[Table 1 List of collages in Bharuch city]

RESEARCH METHODOLOGY:

The research employed a combination of methodologies, including case study and survey techniques. This study examined 17 academic libraries and their librarians in Bharuch. Each librarian represented a distinct scenario, facilitating both qualitative and quantitative data collection. In this study researcher used a structured questionnaire to gather both qualitative and quantitative data. The survey forms will be sent to the librarians at the academic library in Bharuch one at a time. This method allowed for more interaction and answers to any questions that library professionals may have about the questions. The analysis of the collected information primarily utilised statistical methods to condense and interpret the gathered data. To show how often each answer was given as a percentage of all answers, so that answers can be compared across questions. counting how often certain answers show up in the dataset. When giving out these questionnaires, each librarian has given a short explanation of the research's goals and methods.

Analysis Interpretations & Findings:

Distribution of library professionals by Designation

Table 2. Distribution of library professionals by Designation

Chart 1 Distribution of Library Professionals by Designation

As per the above Table 2 shown a distribution of library professionals by the designation. There are 17 library professionals, out of these, 12 (70%) library professionals were librarian, while 2 (12%) were Sr. Librarian and 3 (18%) were assistant librarian. So, most of them were designated as librarian.

Use of Social Media tools and Social Networking Site:

Table 3 Use of SMT and SNS

Chart 2 Use of SMT and SNS

Table 3 & Chart 2 clearly highlighted that all 17 library professionals used social media platforms or social networking sites for college.

Table-2   Distribution by Social Media Platforms/ Social Networking Sites

Table 4 Distribution by Social Media Platforms/ Social Networking Sites

Chart 3 Distribution by Social Media Platforms/ Social Networking Sites

As per above table no. 4 & chart no. 3, there are given list of social media tools like Facebook, twitter, LinkedIn, Instagram, YouTube, WhatsApp, telegram, etc. to the library professionals, all i.e. 17 library professionals were using Facebook, YouTube and WhatsApp. While 8 (47.06%) were using LinkedIn and telegram, 7 (41.18%) were using twitter and 6 (35.29%) were using Instagram.

Distribution of frequency of use of SMT/SNS:

Table 5. Frequency of use of SMT or SNS

Chart 4 Frequency of use of SMT or SNS

As per the table 5 & chart 4, there are frequency of the use of SMT or SNS is described. 12 (70.59%) library professionals used social media sites every day. 2 (11.76%) library professionals used them several times within a week. While 3(17.65%) out of 17 used them occasionally. In general, the findings show that the majority of library professionals agree with daily use.

Types of information or content share on SMT/SNS:

Table 6. Types of information or content shared on SMT/SNS

In Table 6, it shows which type of information or content is shared on SMT/SNS. The information about library events and workshops, new book arrivals or library acquisitions, library news and updates, promotional campaigns for library services is posted by 17 (100%) library professionals. The information of research resources and databases, collaborative projects with other libraries or institutions are shared by 8 (47.06%) library professionals. Also, information literacy tutorials are shared by 10(58.82%) of 17 professionals.

Impact of Visibility and reach of library services

Table 7. Visibility and reach of library services

Table 7 described about visibility and reach of library services using social media and social networking sites. 12 (70.59%) library professionals identified that visibility was significantly increased, 5 (29.41%) believed moderate increase in visibility and reach. Also, none of the users believed that there is any decrease in visibility and reach of library services.

Benefits of SMT or SNS

Table 6. Benefits of SMT or SNS

Table 6 shown benefits of using SMT/SNS. 17 (100%) library professionals believed increment in visibility, promotion of events and programs, sharing resources and recommendations, educational content, and promotion of digital collections. Cost-effective marketing was a benefit for 14 (82.35%) of users. 8 (47.06%) library professionals saw community building as an advantage. 6 (35.29%) benefited as engagement with patrons and data analytics. However, 11 (64.71%) library professionals believed that data analytics and engagement with patrons were not benefits of using SMT or SNS.

Measure Impact of SMT or SNS

Table 7. Measure impact of SMT/SN

Chart 5 Measure impact of SMT/SN

As per table 7, it is suggested that most widely utilized impact measurement approach is user feedback or testimonials (100%). This implied that getting qualitative views from users is a top goal for all responders, as direct feedback provides significant insights into how library services are perceived and can be improved. A significant number of library professionals (88.24%) monitor the number of followers or subscribers, implying that audience expansion is an important sign of social media success. Engagement metrics such as likes, comments, and shares (64.71%) are also routinely tracked. A significant number (70.59%) track click-through rates to the library's website or resources, demonstrating that many libraries monitor how well their social media material promotes visitors to their digital services. Similarly, attendance at library events promoted through social media (76.47%) is a preferred metric, indicating that library professionals regard social media as a tool for event promotion and user engagement. While only 2(11.64%) library professionals believed that there is no impact of SMT or SNS on number of followers or subscribers.

Challenges/Barriers faced by Library Professionals

Table 8. Challenges or barriers

Chart 6 Challenges/Barriers faced by Library Professionals

As per above table no. 8 & chart no. 6, there were described Challenges/Barriers faced by Library Professionals All library professionals (100%) mentioned three challenges: privacy and security concerns, platform selection, and evaluating impact. Other notable challenges include Lack of Time (70.59%), Information Overload (70.59%), Technical Expertise (58.82%), and Audience Engagement (58.82%). The high percentage of library professionals citing a lack of time implies that individuals or organizations are unable to allocate adequate resources to address these challenges. After the information overload, it is indicated that there are difficulties in processing unnecessary data, and it leads to inefficiencies. For these we require technical skills to identify a skill gap. Library professionals need professional training/external support. From the above table no. 9 & chart no. 6, it is found that 35.29% limited resources are a reasonable challenge. We can state that if there are controls on these resource constraints, they aren’t as critical as further obstacles.

Strategies to Overcome challenges

Table 9. Strategies to overcome challenges

As per Table No. 9, it is clearly shown that regarding the guidelines and policies, there is a usage of social media with 100% clear guidelines and policies for the most effective strategy; there are also 100% focused resources to relevant sites, after that 94.1% conducting user feedback surveys, and 82.4% of library professionals prefer low-cost or free social media management tools to maintain digital engagement. It highlights the importance of cost-effective solutions. It is included harnessing the experience of library personnel for promotional efforts (58.8%), reacting promptly to user requests and comments (58.8%), and presenting visually appealing information with concise language (58.8%). Less than half of the library professionals reported allocating dedicated time for social media tasks (47%), encouraging staff participation in training programs (47%), and engaging users through interactive content such as contests or polls (47%). Varying content types, including informative posts, updates on library events, user testimonials, and success stories are adopted by 6(35.3%) library professionals. More than 50% of library professionals are convinced that strategies like leveraging the expertise of library staff with an interest in social media to handle promotional activities, encouraging staff to participate in workshops, webinars, or online courses focused on social media management, encouraging user participation through contests, polls, or interactive discussions, varying content types, including informative posts, updates on library events, user testimonials, and success stories are not as effective as other strategies.

Professional Development and Training

Table 10. Whether library professionals has received any training

Table 10 demonstrated that 8 (47.06%) library professionals have received training or professional development opportunity, while majority of them (52.94) have not received any formal training or professional development opportunity.

Types of Training and Professional Development

Table 11. Types of training and professional development

Chart 7 Types of training and professional development

Table 11 & Chart 7 suggested that most common approach is self-study and the use of online resources (64.7%), indicating that most library professional prefer independent learning methods. Moderately adopted approaches include webinars and online courses (35.3%) and participation in professional conferences (29.4%). These findings suggested that while some library professionals take advantage of virtual and in-person learning opportunities, participation levels remain relatively low. Only 11.8% of library professionals have participated in social media marketing workshops, and an equal percentage have taken part in internal training programs. The lack of collaborative learning and peer engagement (0%) is especially noticeable, as knowledge sharing and teamwork can be valuable tools for professional development. Most of the library professionals have not received training such as social media workshops, any internal training program, webinars and online courses, professional conferences or any collaboration and peer learning.

Confident Using SMT and SNS

Table 12. Confidence using SMT and SNS

Table 12 described that more over half (53%) of library professionals expressed moderate confidence in their social media skills. Only 35.3% of library professionals reported feeling very confident in their abilities to use social media efficiently. A very small percentage (11.8%) reported feeling unconfident, indicating that they are having difficulty efficiently using social media tools for library promotions.

Willingness to attend training or workshop

Table 13. Willingness to attend training or workshops

Table 13 described that 14 (82.4%) library professionals are willing to attend training or workshops which focuses on skills enhancement of using social media tools and social networking sites for library promotions.

Recommendations

• Organise recurring training on privacy/security management, social media norms, and digital literacy. Users will be able to make ethical and effective use of social media thanks to it.
• Provide explicit policy guidelines outlining the library's stance on social media use, protecting user privacy, and protecting personal information. This will help create a setting that protects users' privacy.
• Use social media strategically in library services, such as Facebook for community events or WhatsApp for announcements, to boost user engagement and usability.
• In future research, we can compare Gujarat as well as India; it is very important to understand the pattern of social media use, concerns about privacy, and training needs. It can be helpful to librarians across different regions to see how libraries and librarians are able to adjust their involvement in the digital era and assist their patronage.

We all know that SMT and SNS’s roles are very crucial. They are crucial for providing easy library resources with the help of marketing to provide various library services. User feedback is so helpful on various networking sites. Library personnel are able to improve their library services and make them available very easily after using these platforms. These platforms are frequently used in a library.  In Bharuch, there were frequent uses of various platforms such as Facebook, YouTube, and WhatsApp in the academic college library, and it indicated a strong predilection for SMT and SNS for communicating with users to easily share information. Patrons are always worried about data security and its privacy; in this regard, we need to provide them maximum knowledge to manage their data. It is our responsibility to give them guidance for using SNS, and for this we need to arrange a training program on security and privacy, usage of social media, and digital literacy.

As per these research findings, in Bharuch’s library, professionals are using SMT and SNS to enhance library service delivery. It is necessary to improve user participation for sharing of data with the help of marketing initiatives for data sharing with the service of these platforms. It is also important to build trust with our prominent users by promoting various library services with security as well as privacy concerns in this regard. Library personnel are able to interact with their patrons and market their resources as well as library services and need to highlight their implication by utilizing SMT and SNS. Library personnel are able to connect easily with their variety of users after using social media effectively and make a bonding user community to support them. It is always preferred by the library personnel to interact with a numerous user community through SNS and SMTs.

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