Investigating the Information Sharing Behavior of Public Library Librarians in Social Network Sites During the COVID-19 Restrictions

Abstract

The main purpose of this study is to investigate the information-sharing behavior of librarians of public libraries in the Khorasan region on social network sites. This research was an applied one for which an analytical survey method was employed. The research population consisted of librarians of public libraries affiliated with the Public Library Foundation. Based on Cochran's formula, the sample size was 231 people. A total of 150 people (65%) completed the online research questionnaire. Findings show that about 42% of librarians have used social network sites for more than three years, and nearly half of them use these networks for half an hour to an hour during the day. Librarians have performed significantly below the desired level of information sharing on these networks. The results also showed that there was no significant difference in the information-sharing behavior of male and female librarians as well as librarians of different educational levels on social network sites. But there was a significant and positive relationship between both indicators of trust (trust in network and trust in network members) and librarians' information sharing behavior on social network sites.

Keywords

• information sharing behavior
• libraries
• public librarians
• social network sites