Original Research

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

Edmont Pasipamire

Received: 21 Aug. 2025; Accepted: 05 Nov. 2025; Published: 14 Jan. 2026

Copyright: © 2026. The Author Licensee: AOSIS.
This work is licensed under the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International (CC BY 4.0) license (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/).

Abstract

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.

Keywords: social media integration; digital library services; academic library innovation; user-centred library services; social media strategy.

Introduction

This article substantially expands the earlier conference article presented at the 12th European Conference on social media (Pasipamire 2025) by providing a more rigorous and comprehensive systematic review of social media use in academic libraries. Whereas the conference version offered preliminary observations, the revised manuscript strengthens methodological depth through a Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses (PRISMA)-aligned study selection process, refined PICO-based (Population, Intervention, Comparison, Outcome) framing and enhanced data extraction procedures. It also advances the earlier work by incorporating a thematic synthesis directly aligned with the research objectives, a deeper critique of methodological and measurement limitations, an expanded analysis of regional and infrastructural variations and more detailed implications for practice and policy.

Background and context

As digital communication becomes essential, social media is becoming an integral part of higher education and libraries are using platforms such as Facebook, X (formerly Twitter), Instagram and YouTube to engage users and promote resources (Collins & Quan-Haase 2012). Although there is a growing number of studies on the integration of social media into libraries, there are few studies on the best practices for social media and few structured strategies for using social media, and the literature is not well connected (Collins & Quan-Haase 2012). This systematic review addresses the research question: ‘How can social media be effectively utilised in academic libraries to enhance user engagement and improve service delivery?’ (Pasipamire 2025:185).

Social media as a tool for enhancing library services

Social media is an essential tool for academic libraries and has transformed the way in which libraries communicate with and engage their users by providing immediate access to resources and disseminating information (Chugh & Ruhi 2018; Cowell 2017; Dhanavandan 2023). Social media enable libraries to market their services, attract users and engage communities, fostering innovation and responsiveness to digital changes, promoting research support and information literacy education and improving access to digital resources (Dhanavandan 2023; Gohel 2021; Miyanda Chitumbo 2023). Platforms such as Facebook and Twitter can be used for sharing resources and collaborating and networking with organisations and professionals, making strategic integration a necessity to be relevant in the digital environment, to improve the provision of services and create interactive learning environments through enhanced technological integration (Lessick 2015). Real-time communication through chatbots and messaging platforms has transformed user interaction, with AI-powered systems demonstrating enhanced operational efficiency (Kasaraneni 2022).

Conceptualising user engagement in library contexts

User engagement in academic libraries refers to the quality and depth of users’ interaction with library services, encompassing participation, satisfaction and sustained connection. Within higher education, engagement supports learning outcomes and continued use of scholarly resources (Paul, Chauhan & Pal 2024; Young & Rossmann 2015). It is widely viewed as a multidimensional construct incorporating behavioural, cognitive, emotional and social aspects (Harrison et al. 2017; Lohia et al. 2025; Tagarda et al. 2025). Behavioural engagement involves visible actions such as attending events or using online platforms (Dyamanagoudr et al. 2025), while cognitive engagement reflects focused effort and information-seeking strategies (Lohia et al. 2025). Emotional engagement captures users’ satisfaction and sense of belonging and social engagement denotes collaboration and community identification through sharing and dialogue (Collins & Quan-Haase 2012). Quantitative indicators such as usage analytics and social-media metrics offer behavioural insight (Chugh & Ruhi 2018), whereas qualitative methods reveal motivation and meaning (Young & Rossmann 2015). This review adopts a context-dependent, multidimensional understanding of engagement, combining behavioural and qualitative evidence to ensure methodological rigour and ethical interpretation (Kumar & Chidambaram 2025; Paul et al. 2024).

Rationale of the study

This systematic review fills a significant gap in the body of research in the field of library and information science, which has seen individual case studies and surveys document the adoption of social media within academic libraries but lacks the synthesis of evidence on effective strategies, persistent barriers and context-specific best practices that are needed to translate them into actionable strategies (Burkhardt 2010; Collins & Quan-Haase 2012).

This systematic review, which summarises the global evidence, clarifies how social media integration enhances user interaction, communication and resource accessibility in higher education and pinpoints the institutional factors that either facilitate or impede successful implementation.

Research gaps

The use of social media by academic libraries for communication, service promotion and user engagement has been extensively studied (Burkhardt 2010; Chugh & Ruhi 2018; Collins & Quan-Haase 2012; Gohel 2021); existing studies are scattered, provide little cumulative insight into patterns of effectiveness or long-term outcomes and primarily rely on descriptive analysis such as reporting platform use, frequency or perceived benefits, rather than systematically comparing results across contexts (Chiparausha & Chigwada 2019; Kumar & Kumar 2024; Ndlangamandla & Chisenga 2023; Oloo & Luyombya 2023). There is also a lack of consistency in methodology, with many studies based on surveys and self-reported perceptions rather than behaviour or outcome-based measures (Dhanavandan 2023; Howard et al. 2018; King 2015). Finally, although the literature reflects global engagement, its geographic distribution is inconsistent, evidenced by the absence of studies from Latin America and the limited number from Europe and the Middle East (Jones & Harvey 2019). Collectively, these drawbacks indicate the need for a methodical synthesis that can compile worldwide research and pinpoint context-sensitive tactics for successful social media integration in higher education libraries.

Research objectives

The following are the main goals of this systematic review:

• To assess the success of social media integration in higher education library services. This objective explores how social media platforms impact user engagement, communication tactics and the promotion of library services and resources. According to earlier studies (Chugh & Ruhi 2018; Young & Rossmann 2015), social media is significantly growing in academic libraries but has not yet been thoroughly assessed.
• To explore challenges that hinder libraries’ use of social media. This objective explores institutional, technological and human resource factors that may impede the successful integration of social media into the academic library environment. Previous studies have identified barriers such as explores institutional reluctance and lack of understanding of user behaviour (Cheng, Lam & Chiu 2020; Dickson & Holley 2010; Gohel 2021).
• To identify effective social media strategies for enhancing user engagement. The purpose of this objective is to identify the best practices from the literature related to platform choice, content development, staff training and collaborative approaches that enhance the use of social media. Researchers highlighted the importance of goal-setting strategies and engagement to facilitate meaningful interaction between libraries and users (Burkhardt 2010; Harrison et al. 2017; Young & Rossmann 2015).
• To assess the impact of social media on service delivery in higher education institutions. This objective explores how social media is integrated into service delivery, including access, immediate support, information distribution and user satisfaction, and how it can improve communication and outreach within academic contexts (Ayu & Abrizah 2011; Harrison et al. 2017).

Research methods and design

This section outlines the systematic approach employed to identify, select and analyse studies examining social media integration in academic library services. The methodology ensures transparency, reproducibility and rigour in synthesising evidence across diverse geographic contexts, institutional settings and research designs. Following established systematic review protocols, this section details the review framework, research question formulation, search strategy, eligibility criteria, study selection process, data extraction procedures and high-quality evaluation techniques used to assess the strategies, difficulties and efficacy of social media use in higher education libraries.

Framework for systematic review: Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses

As established in the conference article, ‘this systematic review follows PRISMA guidelines to ensure a structured and transparent research process’ (Moher et al. 2009; Pasipamire 2025:186), using the 27-point PRISMA checklist and the four-step flow chart to guide the selection of studies.

Research question formulation: Population, Intervention, Comparison, Outcome strategy

Building on the conference article (Pasipamire 2025), this expanded systematic review examines how academic libraries leverage social media platforms to enhance service delivery and strengthen user engagement. Following the methodological approach established in the conference article, ‘the PICO methodology (Population, Intervention, Comparison, Outcome) was utilised to ensure that the systematic review remains focused and adheres to sound research practices’ (Pasipamire 2025:186). Originally developed by Richardson et al. (1995) for evidence-based clinical decision-making, this review used a framework adapted from the traditional PICO approach of systematic reviews (Higgins et al. 2019) with some modifications to account for the exploratory nature of social media adoption in academic libraries: Intervention (I) was replaced with Phenomenon of Interest (PI) to capture the integration and application of social media platforms in library services, and the traditional Comparison (C) was replaced with Context (C) to reflect the situational and institutional contexts of higher education library services:

• Population: Academic libraries and librarians in higher education institutions are involved in the use of social media to provide services and communicate with users (Chitumba 2015; Chitumbo & Chewe 2015).
• Phenomenon of Interest: Integration and application of social media platforms (e.g. Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, WhatsApp, YouTube) into library services to increase communication, visibility and engagement the users (Chugh & Ruhi 2018; Trucks 2019).
• Context: Library services within higher education settings, examining both successful implementations and reported challenges across diverse institutional and geographic contexts.
• Outcomes: The measured results include levels of user engagement, satisfaction with library services, visibility of resources, communication efficiency and interaction with the community (Chitumba 2015), assessed by user feedback, usage statistics, engagement metrics and qualitative reports.

This framework guided the development of inclusion criteria and data extraction protocols, ensuring consistency in identifying studies that address the adoption, implementation and outcomes of social media in academic library contexts.

Strategy for literature search

This review explored the use of social media in higher education library services. Searches of the literature were performed in Academic Search Complete, Education Resources Information Center (ERIC), Google Scholar, Web of Science and Scopus using the PICO framework and keywords such as social media, academic libraries, library services, engagement and technology integration and using Boolean operators for each database structure (Table 1).

Eligibility criteria

Table 2 shows the inclusion and exclusion criteria established for the systematic review to ensure the selection of relevant and high-quality studies.

Based on these criteria, the review excluded irrelevant or poor-quality articles, ensuring a reliable and methodologically sound selection, in line with current academic library practice.

Study selection process

The study selection process included a search of 180 publications on social media integration in library services, which was reduced to 150 unique records after removing duplicates, with titles and abstracts screened, 45 of which were evaluated for full text, with 20 included in the analysis. Consistent with the conference article (Pasipamire 2025), this review employs PRISMA guidelines to ensure methodological rigour. Study quality was assessed using the Cochrane Risk of Bias Tool, which classifies studies as low, moderate or high risk of bias based on selection methods, reporting clarity and conflicts of interest and excluded high-risk studies. The PRISMA flow diagram (Figure 1) visually maps this selection pathway, showing the number of records identified, screened, included and excluded at each phase to ensure methodological transparency and reproducibility.

FIGURE 1: PRISMA (Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses) flow diagram of study selection.

Data extraction

The extraction form captured five key dimensions: (1) study characteristics (authors, year, location, methodology, sample); (2) social media platforms examined; (3) implementation characteristics (purpose, posting frequency, policies, resources); (4) outcomes and impacts (engagement metrics, satisfaction, barriers, success factors) and (5) quality indicators (sampling, measurements, limitations, conflicts of interest). Two reviewers independently extracted data from all 20 studies, resolving discrepancies through consensus, following established systematic review methodology (Roqué et al. 2020).

Quality assessment

The quality of the included studies was assessed using the Cochrane Risk of Bias Tool (Higgins et al. 2019), a tool that evaluates potential bias in six domains: selection, performance, detection, attrition, reporting and other sources, rated as low, moderate or high risk based on criteria such as sampling methods, consistency of interventions, reliability of measurements, completeness of data, transparency in reporting and disclosure of conflicts of interest (Nejadghaderi, Balibegloo & Rezaei 2024).

Quality assessment process and inclusion decisions

The detailed outcomes of the quality appraisal, including risk ratings and the basis for study inclusion or exclusion, are presented in Table 3.

A total of 20 studies were included in the final sample (15 low-risk and 5 moderate-risk articles), maintaining methodological rigour while providing an adequate breadth of evidence for synthesis.

Ethical considerations

This article followed all ethical standards for research without direct contact with human or animal subjects.

Results

This systematic review included 20 studies that fully met the inclusion criteria, representing peer-reviewed research on social media use in academic libraries across five geographic regions. The synthesis revealed patterns in effectiveness, implementation challenges, strategic approaches and service delivery impacts, with significant variation in adoption and outcomes across different institutional and regional contexts. The reviewed studies utilised a variety of methodological approaches, including surveys (n = 11), content analysis (n = 1), case studies (n = 3), phenomenological research (n = 1), literature reviews (n = 3) and mixed-methods (n = 1), conducted from 2010 and 2024. Findings are synthesised thematically to address four research objectives: assessing the success of social media integration (Objective 1), identifying implementation challenges (Objective 2), determining effective engagement strategies (Objective 3) and evaluating impact on service delivery (Objective 4). These themes emerged from iterative analysis of the extracted data. Table 4 summarises the characteristics and key findings of all 20 included studies.

Study’s characteristics

This systematic review included 20 studies employing varied methodological approaches: surveys (n = 11), content analysis (n = 1), case studies (n = 3), phenomenological research (n = 1), literature reviews (n = 3) and mixed-methods (n = 1), conducted between 2010 and 2024.

Geographic distribution

Studies were distributed across Africa (n = 8, 40%), North America (n = 6, 30%), Asia (n = 4, 20%), Europe (n = 1, 5%) and the Middle East (n = 1, 5%). This distribution indicates rising scholarly attention on social media adoption in resource-limited African contexts, alongside notable evidence gaps in European, Latin American and broader Middle Eastern scholarship.

Regional highlights

African studies (n = 8): Contexts included Southern Africa, Ghana, Zimbabwe, Uganda, Nigeria and South Africa, with emphasis on infrastructure constraints, policy gaps and mobile-first innovations. As reported in the conference article, ‘70% of libraries in Southern Africa recognised the need for social media policies’ (Ndlangamandla & Chisenga 2023; Pasipamire 2025:189) and structured approaches leading to 40% higher engagement (Chiparausha & Chigwada 2019). Common platform preferences were WhatsApp and Facebook (Oloo & Luyombya 2023) and YouTube for multimedia content (Kizito, Rugambwa & Kansiime 2023). Analysis of social media adoption patterns among academic libraries in Africa reveals varied implementation approaches and engagement outcomes (Olajide & Alao 2016).

North American studies (n = 6)

Focus on engagement strategies and community building revealed that 85% of libraries have adopted social media for engagement (Chugh & Ruhi 2018), with two-way communication increasing user loyalty (Young & Rossmann 2015). Regular updates were identified as essential (Howard et al. 2018), while platform selection emerged as critical to success (Harrison et al. 2017).

Asian studies (n = 4)

Focused on India (n = 3) and Hong Kong (n = 1), examining scholarly dissemination, mobile applications and WhatsApp for instant communication. Limited expertise was identified as constraining uptake (Chu & Du 2013; Kumar & Kumar 2024). European and Middle Eastern Studies: One UK study found 60% of libraries using social media primarily for marketing (Jones & Harvey 2019). One Kuwaiti study revealed informational tweets predominating over interactive engagement (Al-Daihani & AlAwadhi 2015). No studies from Latin America met inclusion criteria, representing an important geographic gap. The geographic concentration is illustrated in Figure 2.

FIGURE 2: Geographic distribution of included studies (N = 20). Africa: 40% (n = 8), North 422 America: 30% (n = 6), Asia: 20% (n = 4), Europe: 5% (n = 1), Middle East: 5% (n = 1).

Assessing the success of social media integration in higher education library services

Research Objective 1

To assess the success of social media integration in higher education library services. The results across the 20 included studies confirm that social media integration has been largely effective in enhancing communication, visibility and user interaction within academic libraries, although degrees of effectiveness vary by institutional context, platform and study design. Quantitative surveys (n = 11) and mixed-methods studies reported measurable increases in user awareness, participation and event attendance, while qualitative case studies captured perceived improvements in immediacy and relational connection.

Theme 1: Communication and resource awareness: Findings addressing Objective 1 show that social media markedly improves the visibility of library resources and information flow. Librarians using Facebook, X and WhatsApp observed increases in user inquiries and content reach, with ‘57% of respondents endorsing it for updates and community building’ (Karanja 2018; Pasipamire 2025:189), surveys indicating that over 50% of users became aware of new materials via social media posts (King 2015; Oloo & Luyombya 2023; Zubeda 2018). Content analysis of 16 library tweets found that 23% promoted resources and 15% announced services (Al-Daihani & AlAwadhi 2015). These data confirm that social media strengthens communication effectiveness and resource promotion fulfilling Objective 1.

Theme 2: User engagement and attendance: Studies aligned with Objective 1 reveal that structured and frequent posting correlates with higher engagement. Studies reveal that coordinated campaigns increased event attendance by approximately 40%, particularly when supported by multimedia content and real-time interaction (Chiparausha & Chigwada 2019; Howard et al. 2018). This finding aligns with the conference article’s observation that ‘libraries with structured strategies report a 40% increase in participation’ (Kumar & Kumar 2024; Pasipamire 2025:190).

However, qualitative evidence cautions that ‘likes’ and ‘shares’ do not necessarily reflect meaningful engagement, indicating the need for mixed-method evaluation. Theme 3: Real-Time Interaction and Feedback. Real-time communication through WhatsApp and Facebook Messenger improved service responsiveness, reducing response times from 48 h to 1 h – 4 h (King 2015). Yet only 15% of posts encouraged dialogue, indicating broadcast-oriented rather than interactive use (Al-Daihani & AlAwadhi 2015). Combined, quantitative and qualitative findings confirm that social-media integration effectively enhances communication and user connectivity in higher education libraries.

Challenges hindering the effective use of social media in academic libraries

Research Objective 2

To explore challenges that hinder libraries’ use of social media. The synthesis reveals that institutional, human resource and infrastructural constraints continue to limit consistent and strategic use of social media in library contexts. These barriers vary across regions. Existing research indicates that while social media enhances communication, its strategic implementation in libraries remains limited but collectively suggests the operational conditions that hinder the realisation of Objective 2.

Theme 1: Staff capacity constraints: As identified in the conference article, key challenges include ‘lack of staff training, poor infrastructure, and policy gaps’ (Pasipamire 2025:189). Results under Objective 2 indicate that limited staff training and confidence are the most cited barriers. Across seven survey-based studies, more than 60% of librarians reported inadequate digital literacy and a lack of formal instruction (Ezeani & Igwesi 2012; Gohel 2021). Libraries that instituted structured training programmes achieved 35% – 40% higher engagement rates (Izuagbe et al. 2019), demonstrating that skill development directly mitigates the Objective 2 barrier of human-capacity deficits.

Theme 2: Institutional infrastructure and policy gaps: Findings linked to Objective 2 show that underdeveloped ICT infrastructure and absent governance policies constrain implementation. Studies from Southern Africa reported that 70% of libraries lacked formal social-media policies or privacy protocols (Ndlangamandla & Chisenga 2023). Poor bandwidth and obsolete systems led to inconsistent posting and limited analytics use (Akeriwa, Penzhorn & Holmner 2014).

Theme 3: Resource allocation challenges: Qualitative interviews revealed that insufficient budgets and staff time forced librarians to treat social media as a secondary duty. As a result, accounts were undermaintained and campaign continuity was lost, impeding the institutionalisation of effective strategies envisioned under Objective 2 (Bhardwaj & Jain 2016).

Theme 4: Platform-specific engagement complexities: Objective 2 results also uncover platform-related issues: although adoption rates are high, interactive use is limited. Content-analysis studies demonstrated that 85% of library posts were one-way announcements (Al-Daihani & AlAwadhi 2015). This shows a conceptual barrier the tendency to equate presence with engagement. Methodological diversity clarifies these findings: quantitative surveys emphasised frequency and obstacles, while qualitative case studies exposed organisational culture and leadership as deeper constraints. Addressing Objective 2 therefore requires not only technical solutions but institutional reform and professional capacity building. Strategic planning and goal-setting frameworks have proven essential for sustainable social media integration in resource-constrained contexts (Maisiri et al. 2015).

Effective social media strategies for enhancing user engagement in academic libraries

Research Objective 3

To identify effective social media strategies for enhancing user engagement. Thematic synthesis across quantitative, qualitative and mixed-methods studies identifies four complementary strategies that demonstrably increase engagement. The results show that engagement outcomes depend less on platform novelty and more on intentional design, staff competence and institutional collaboration.

Theme 1: Platform selection and content optimisation: Objective 3 findings suggest that selecting a platform based on audience characteristics and optimising the content style to suit the target audience can have a significant impact on engagement, with undergraduate-focused libraries achieving as much as triple the engagement with Instagram or TikTok and postgraduate and research-intensive institutions benefiting from LinkedIn and X for professional exchanges (Harrison et al. 2017). Engagement was notably higher for multimedia content, such as videos, infographics and polls, than for text-only posts.

Theme 2: Staff training and digital literacy development: Results related to Objective 3 confirm that professional development programmes directly influence engagement success. Libraries investing in structured training on content planning and analytics reported more high-quality interactions and consistent posting (Izuagbe et al. 2019; Mabweazara & Zinn 2016).

Theme 3: Cross-departmental and institutional collaboration: Case studies fulfilling Objective 3 also demonstrate that collaborating with academic departments, Information Technology (IT) units, and student affairs, broadens reach and increases message relevance, allowing social media to become a campus-wide communications platform (Howard et al. 2018).

Theme 4: Mobile accessibility and multi-platform presence: Mobile-first and cross-platform strategies are even more effective in resource-constrained environments, as shown by Objective 3 results. Building on the conference finding that ‘the adoption of mobile applications and WhatsApp-based services facilitates instant communication’ (Pasipamire 2025:189; Singh & Madhusudhan 2023), libraries in Africa and Asia using WhatsApp for reference and alerts showed high increases in engagement continuity and inclusivity (Oloo & Luyombya 2023). Quantitative analytics confirmed higher levels of behavioural interaction across methodologies, while qualitative narratives revealed the motivational and relational drivers behind those outcomes. Collectively, these strategies meet Objective 3 by identifying replicable, evidence-based practices for sustained user engagement.

The impact of social media on service delivery in higher education libraries

Research Objective 4

To assess the impact of social-media use on improving service delivery in higher-education libraries. Findings indicate that effective social-media integration positively transforms core library services such as communication, instruction, event participation and resource access aligning closely with Objective 4. The degree of impact varies by region, infrastructure and methodological lens.

Theme 1: Enhanced communication and reference services: Objective 4 results show that interactive platforms significantly improved service efficiency and accessibility. Comparative data demonstrated reduced query-response times from 48 h to 1 h – 4 h via instant messaging (King 2015). Users reported greater satisfaction and perceived librarians as more approachable (Burkhardt 2010).

Theme 2: Event promotion and attendance: Quantitative surveys and institutional analytics confirm that structured social-media promotion increased event attendance by 30% – 45% (Chiparausha & Chigwada 2019). Qualitative feedback linked these gains to the immediacy of reminders, live-streamed sessions and post-event engagement.

Theme 3: Information literacy and user education: Objective 4 outcomes reveal that social-media channels, particularly YouTube and Facebook, extend the reach of information literacy programmes. Students accessing online tutorials reported improved research confidence and flexibility in learning (Izuagbe et al. 2019).

Theme 4: Resource visibility and utilisation: Analytics-driven campaigns increased downloads and database access by up to 25% where libraries used scheduled posts and targeted hashtags (Chu & Du 2013; Howard et al. 2018). Conversely, unstructured efforts produced minimal changes, underscoring the need for strategic content planning to realise Objective 4. Combined evidence demonstrates that social-media integration substantively improves resource discovery and user access, thereby fulfilling Objective 4. These results provide the empirical foundation for the interpretive discussion that follows.

Discussion and interpretation of findings

The findings of this systematic review reveal that social media has transformed communication, outreach and user engagement in academic libraries, but its effectiveness is strongly shaped by regional and infrastructural contexts. Consistent with the conference finding that ‘North American libraries lead in social media adoption due to better infrastructure’ (Pasipamire 2025:190), North American and European libraries benefit from robust ICT infrastructure, institutional budgets and mature digital strategies with centralised communications teams, resulting in higher engagement (Chugh & Ruhi 2018; Harrison et al. 2017).

In contrast, African and Asian libraries face structural constraints including intermittent connectivity, limited device access, insufficient training and fragmented policy guidance, leading to reactive, ad hoc outreach primarily driven by individual efforts rather than institutional initiatives (Ndlangamandla & Chisenga 2023; Singh & Madhusudhan 2023). Even as connectivity improves, low-bandwidth platforms such as WhatsApp remain preferred in these contexts, reflecting adaptive innovation to overcome barriers (Oloo & Luyombya 2023). These results suggest that measures of effectiveness must be contextually grounded: North American success is often quantified through follower counts and reach, whereas African and Asian settings focus on accessibility and overcoming infrastructural limitations (Dhanavandan 2023).

The methodological diversity across the 20 reviewed studies explains apparent contradictions in the evidence base. Quantitative surveys reported increased engagement but relied on proxy indicators (likes, shares, attendance) that limit interpretation of meaningful outcomes and were vulnerable to social desirability bias (King 2015; Young & Rossmann 2015). Conversely, content analysis provided objective evidence, revealing that 85% of library tweets were one-way broadcasts despite self-reported claims of interactive communication (Al-Daihani & AlAwadhi 2015). Case studies added contextual depth, showing how platform affordances and institutional strategies shape engagement (Harrison et al. 2017). These methodological insights clarify why studies produce divergent conclusions.

Theme 3 from the results emphasises that platform-specific affordances shape communication strategies. Facebook and Instagram were most effective for visual storytelling, resource promotion and community-building, while Twitter functioned primarily as a notification tool supporting brief interactions rather than sustained dialogue (Chugh & Ruhi 2018; Kumar & Kumar 2024). WhatsApp enabled real-time assistance in resource-constrained African and Asian contexts, leveraging mobile-first design and low data requirements (Oloo & Luyombya 2023; Singh & Madhusudhan 2023). These findings indicate that libraries achieve better engagement when platform selection aligns with user demographics, communication goals and local constraints (Harrison et al. 2017).

Building on the preceding themes, Theme 4 demonstrates the critical role of institutional support and strategic integration in ensuring sustainability. Libraries that embedded social media into workflows, provided staff training, and secured management backing reported consistent engagement and effective strategies (Burkhardt 2010; Chiparausha, Onyancha & Ezema 2024). Without these supports, social media adoption often remained superficial, producing irregular posting and minimal impact (Al-Daihani & AlAwadhi 2015; Ndlangamandla & Chisenga 2023). The interplay between organisational readiness and platform use demonstrates that effectiveness is not merely a product of technology adoption but emerges from alignment between institutional processes, staff capacity, and user needs (Bhardwaj & Jain 2016). Overall, the discussion critically interprets the results by situating empirical patterns within broader contexts, explaining contradictions through methodological diversity, analysing context-specific moderators such as infrastructure and platform affordances, and demonstrating that sustainable social media engagement depends on the integration of technology with institutional strategy and user-centred design.

Implications for library practice and higher education

The findings have several implications for library practitioners and decision-makers based on evidence. Libraries providing formal staff training achieved 40% higher engagement than those with ad hoc approaches, demonstrating that professional development is essential for success.

Policy frameworks for content approval, response protocols, privacy and staff authorisation are important; libraries without them have irregular posting and are vulnerable when staff leave. Content analysis indicates overreliance on announcements and not enough dialogue; strategic, user-focused content, such as multimedia posts, interactive polls and responsive dialogue, is more effective. Libraries should select platforms based on the behaviour of users rather than general popularity, as platforms already embedded in user communication patterns work best. Cross-departmental partnerships increased reach and established libraries as core campus resources, and institutional support through dedicated budgets, staff time and management engagement facilitated sustained strategies. Even less use of analytics represents a lost opportunity; libraries should conduct regular content audits and systematically record metrics.

Limitations of the review

This review has several methodological limitations. The search was limited to five databases and excluded grey literature, potentially missing regional studies and practitioner reports. Geographic coverage was uneven, with 40% of studies from Africa but none from Latin America. Inconsistent outcome measures across studies precluded meta-analysis, and only one study analysed actual social media posts rather than self-reported perceptions. Finally, narrative synthesis required subjective grouping decisions that may have influenced interpretation.

Directions for future research

This review identifies three critical research gaps requiring scholarly attention:

• The field urgently needs systematic content analysis of social media posts across various platforms and institutions. Most studies rely on self-reported perceptions rather than objective behavioural data, limiting our understanding of actual communication patterns.
• Longitudinal studies tracking social media integration over time would reveal how libraries adapt to platform evolution and whether effectiveness patterns persist across technological generations.
• Comparative research examining institutional contexts particularly between well-resourced and resource-constrained settings would provide guidance for practitioners facing diverse organisational conditions.

Conclusion and recommendations

This systematic review synthesised evidence from 20 peer-reviewed studies conducted across five continents between 2010–2025, examining how social media platforms are integrated into academic library services to enhance communication, outreach and user engagement. The review reveals both substantial opportunities and persistent challenges in leveraging social media for library service delivery in higher education contexts.

Conclusions

This systematic review synthesised evidence from 20 peer-reviewed studies across five continents (2010–2025), demonstrating that social media platforms (Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, WhatsApp, YouTube) expand communication channels, increase resource awareness and enable timelier interactions when used strategically. However, effectiveness is highly context dependent: North American and European libraries benefited from strong infrastructure, while resource-constrained African and Asian libraries demonstrated innovative mobile-first solutions. Three key barriers emerged: inadequate staff training, policy gaps (only 30% of Southern African libraries had formal frameworks) and insufficient institutional support leading to inconsistent implementation. Crucially, content analysis revealed that 85% of library tweets were one-way broadcasts rather than interactive dialogue, indicating a disparity between platform adoption and communication transformation. Successful strategies combined strategic platform selection aligned with user behaviour, multimedia content, two-way communication, cross-departmental collaboration and mobile accessibility, with libraries implementing these elements achieving sustained engagement and measurable improvements.

Recommendations

Based on the synthesised evidence, this review offers the following recommendations for library practitioners, administrators and policymakers:

• Select platforms based on user behaviour analysis, not popularity. Conduct user needs assessments to identify platforms your community already uses for academic communication (Harrison et al. 2017; Oloo & Luyombya 2023).
• Balance information dissemination with genuine interaction. Incorporate polls, Q&A 7 sessions, user-generated content and responsive dialogue (Howard et al. 2018; Young & Rossmann 2015). With 85% of library tweets being broadcasts (Al-Daihani & AlAwadhi 2015), substantial improvement in two-way communication is needed.
• Provide structured, ongoing digital literacy training for social media staff. Training should cover content strategy, community management, analytics, crisis communication and accessibility – not just platform mechanics (Ezeani & Igwesi 2012; Mabweazara & Zinn 2016). Programmes of 6 weeks or longer yielded measurably higher engagements (Izuagbe et al. 2019).

Contributions to scholarship and practice

Methodologically, this systematic review advances library and information science scholarship by applying PRISMA guidelines with adapted Cochrane criteria, setting evaluation standards for non-experimental library research. Geographically, the significant African evidence (40% of studies) challenges the North American and European dominance in previous syntheses, showing that infrastructure constraints influence adoption patterns and proving that best practices need to be adapted to context. The review analyses conflicting evidence by examining discrepancies between self-reported engagement claims and objective content analysis (Al-Daihani & AlAwadhi 2015) and warns against overreliance on survey data. It bridges theoretical concepts such as platform affordances, institutional readiness with practical implementation evidence, moving beyond advocacy to specify how libraries can implement effective strategies in the face of common constraints. Finally, it documents critical evidence gaps such as the absence of longitudinal studies, experimental designs and systematic content analyses, plus underrepresented regions (Latin America, broader Middle East, Europe) requiring additional scholarship. These contributions provide both a research roadmap and practical guidance for library practitioners to enhance digital engagement.

Acknowledgements

This study acknowledges the use of AI tools for support with language enhancement, grammar check, content organisation and technical formatting of tables, figures and diagrams, while all intellectual content, analysis and interpretations are the work of the author.

This article is based on a conference article originally presented at the 12th European Conference on Social Media (ECSM), held at Instituto Superior de Contabilidade e Administração do Porto (ISCAP), Porto, Portugal, on 22–23 May 2025. The conference article, titled ‘Integrating Social Media in Library Services within Higher Education Institutions: A Systematic Review’, was subsequently expanded and revised for this journal publication. This republication is done with permission under the creative commons licensing agreement.

The author declares that no financial or personal relationships inappropriately influenced the writing of this article.

Edmont Pasipamire: Conceptualisation, Methodology, Formal analysis, Investigation, Writing – original draft, Visualisation, Project administration, Resources, Writing – review & editing. The author confirms that this work is entirely their own, has reviewed the article, approved the final version for submission and publication and takes full responsibility for the integrity of its findings.

This research received no specific grant from any funding agency in the public, commercial or not-for-profit sectors.

The author confirms that the data supporting the findings of this study are available within the article.

The views and opinions expressed in this article are those of the authors and are the product of professional research. It does not necessarily reflect the official policy or position of any affiliated institution, funder, agency or that of the publisher. The authors are responsible for this article’s results, findings and content.

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