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The purpose of this paper is to examine the use of social media in the marketing of academic library resources and services in Kuwait and identifies the factors related to the use of social media applications in marketing academic libraries.

A quantitative data-collection approach using a paper and online questionnaire has been employed to elicit the opinions of librarians working in academic libraries in Kuwait in both private and public institutions. In total, 89 valid questionnaires have been analyzed using descriptive (frequencies, percentages, means and standard deviations) and inferential statistics (factor analysis, correlations, experimental analysis and regression).

The study shows that the academic librarians have a positive perception toward the use of social media. The identified factors relating to the use of social media for marketing library information resources and services are the usefulness of social media tools in raising awareness and in providing needs analysis and satisfaction assessments. However, management support for the use of social media for library marketing is poor.

This study provides insights into the factors related to the use of modern social media platforms to promote information resources and services at academic libraries to provide outreach services to current and potential users.

This research contributes to the field of information studies as it highlights the importance of using social media platforms in marketing academic library information resources and services. Library administrators could use the results to develop social media marketing plans to effectively promote their library resources.

This research aims to analyze academic libraries’ Twitter content and present a categorization framework for the study of their tweets.

The research adopted a statistical descriptive analysis in addition to a content analysis of the tweets. Consequently, many categories and subcategories were created to classify the tweets according to different aspects. A total of 17 academic library accounts were examined.

The findings show that academic libraries used Twitter as a multifaceted tool. “News and announcements” received the highest score as the type of information most often posted on Twitter by libraries, followed by “library collections” and “library services”. The subcategories that received the highest scores were “library marketing and news”, “answers and referrals” and “books”. Academic libraries showed a penchant for posting links more often than other content. Other results show different patterns of communication and interaction between libraries and their Twitter followers.

The categorization of tweets provides a framework for understanding how academic libraries use Twitter.

As little research can be found in the library and information science literature on Twitter content analysis, this research is expected to contribute significantly. It will also support academic libraries and librarians in using Twitter more efficiently and effectively.

The purpose of this paper is to explore students' perceptions and views of the instructors, in relation to information and communications technology (ICT) education in library and information science (LIS) programs.

A questionnaire survey was carried out among students from the two LIS departments in Kuwait. A focus group was conducted with faculty members of the two institutions, who provided qualitative input about the instruction of ICT, needed changes, and relevance of market needs.

Participants showed dissatisfaction with the currently available ICT courses in the LIS programs. Students pointed out deficiencies and inadequacies in ICT resources and facilities, and suggested upgrading software and hardware. They appeared to be satisfied with the ICT skills being targeted by LIS programs. They also appeared to be satisfied with the ICT instructors. The study pointed out a need for collaboration with professional forums for continuing education programs and the need for revisions in curricula to introduce more focused courses that meet the needs of the ever‐changing market requirements and give the students access to professional bilingual materials. The faculty members noted the demands of the job market and proposed measures for addressing them through enhanced course content and improved opportunities for hands‐on instruction.

Earlier studies reported in the literature have discussed ICT education in broader terms. This study reports the situation of ICT education in IS programs in Kuwait, focusing on specific areas such as resource, curricula, and instructors.

The purpose of this paper is to investigate the information literacy capabilities of Kuwaiti police officers by focusing on computing and information skills and perceived value of information sources. The study is designed to test the hypothesis that there existed significant differences in information literacy capabilities based on three personal characteristics.

A questionnaire‐based survey was conducted of 211 police officers enrolled in a training program; 60 percent responses were received and analyzed using SPSS package.

It was found that generally the Kuwaiti police officers had weak computing and information capabilities. They were generally poor in searching skills. It was further found that departmental affiliation exhibited significant differences for computing and information skills.

The study is the first of its type in this region and has significant value in making it clear that appropriate programs of training are needed for the development of information and computing skills among Kuwaiti police officers.

The purpose of this study is to investigate social science academics’ use of social media for scholarly communication at Kuwait University.

Phase One data were collected through web-based and paper responses to questionnaires. Faculty members, teachers and teaching assistants in the social science faculty were invited to participate. Forty-six of the 100 invited participants responded. Phase Two comprised interviews with 10 respondents.

Social connection platforms, such as Twitter and Facebook, received the highest mean score for use (M = 4.35), followed by mobile apps, such as WhatsApp (M = 4.24), and multimedia platforms such as Instagram and YouTube (M = 3.59). Moderate to low use was recorded for academic social media. ResearchGate recorded the highest use (M = 3.09), followed by academia.edu (M = 2.93). “Keeping in touch” was the most frequently reported activity (M = 4.04). Two-thirds of respondents used social media for informal scholarly communication with people they knew. “Lack of university encouragement” received the highest score (M = 3.54) as a factor inhibiting use and almost half the respondents (47.2 per cent) cited “lack of time” as a barrier.

Improving academics’ understanding of the uses of social media might increase their visibility and improve their research and other scholarly activities. Study findings support the development of relevant training programs that include a focus on integrating social media into research activities and the dissemination of research findings.

This study contributes to the limited literature on this topic in Kuwait and the Arabian Gulf region.

The purpose of this paper is to explore the perceptions of Kuwait University students majoring in the social sciences, faculty members and academic librarians toward mobile library applications (apps), which are not currently available. These technologies are highly desirable for students, but many libraries struggle to properly implement them.

Quantitative survey questionnaires were distributed to 400 undergraduate students, of which 184 valid and completed questionnaires were collected. In addition, three focus groups were conducted with social sciences graduate students, academics and librarians to further explore attitudes and perspectives toward library apps.

A majority of respondents (62 per cent) visited the academic library less than five times per month or never, but a smaller majority (57 per cent) also preferred to use a combination of computers and mobile devices to access library information. The most desirable student uses for library apps involved access to basic information or services such as library hours, book renewal or catalog searches. Most potential barriers to student use of library apps received low scores; only slow internet speed was considered a significant problem. Focus group discussions clarified that major concerns regarding the implementation of library apps included the potential cost, knowledge, training and administrator support for these efforts.

This study highlights the unique interest in, and barriers to, library app implementation at Kuwait University, while providing an informative structure for similar studies and considerations elsewhere.

This study aims to investigate the use of smartphones by undergraduate students for information seeking. Aspects include frequency of use, purposes, types of activities, impediments and characteristic differences by grade point average (GPA), major or collegiate level.

A questionnaire is administered to social sciences students, and 240 responses are analyzed.

Students reported using smartphones most often for social networking or entertainment; accessing academic information ranked fifth among seven purpose categories. A lack of knowledge regarding smartphone use for academic information was commonly reported as an impediment encountered. The hypothesis that statistically significant differences in smartphone information-seeking behavior exist among students based on their GPA, major or collegiate level was partially supported.

Future research will consider the use of a more diverse sample of students comprising different disciplines and statistical modeling methods, which would indicate the magnitude and direction of effect for various academic variables.

The results indicate a need for student awareness programs and an adaptation of library resources and services to accommodate smartphone technology.

The results of this study contribute to the state of knowledge regarding the use of smartphones for information seeking. This knowledge will assist libraries and information-related institutions worldwide in accommodating and exploiting this technology and related behaviors.

The purpose of this paper is to investigate the different factors that affect using Web 2.0 applications in Omani academic libraries (OALs).

In all, 29 interviews with directors and library staff of five OALs were conducted for the purpose of collecting data for the current research.

The results indicated that there are nine internal factors and four external factors that affect using Web 2.0 applications in OALs. Internal factors include the low motivation of directors and library staff regarding using of Web 2.0 applications, lack of training and constant changes in the management structure. Meanwhile, the external factors are related to lack of policy and regulations and weakness and low speed of the internet.

Most academic libraries in Oman have not yet adopted Web 2.0 applications to enhance their services. Therefore, this study intends to open insight into the state of Web 2.0 adoption in academic libraries and will help library managers to understand factors facing the use of Web 2.0 applications in their libraries, and this could signal a basis for policy shift in the internet infrastructure especially in the institutions of the higher education.

This research is the first study in the field of Web 2.0 applications in OALs that investigates the factors affecting the use of Web 2.0 applications in academic libraries in general and in OALs specifically.

The purpose of this paper is to explore the perceptions of master of library and information science (MLIS) students of social software.

A web‐based questionnaire is used as a survey instrument. The MLIS students at Kuwait University (KU) and the University of Wisconsin‐Milwaukee (UWM) are identified as the population of this study. In total, 132 MLIS students participate in the survey.

The majority of students from the two schools are aware of social software applications and their use. Blogs, video sharing, collaborative authoring, communication and social networking received the highest mean scores. Their perceptions about online activities, their use of social software and the obstacles to its use were not significantly affected by institutional affiliation. It was further found that the institutional affiliation exhibited significant differences for their perceptions of social software applications in education.

The sample issues present one of the main limitations of this study and the bias of the survey method.

The findings of the study can meaningfully contribute to a better understanding of the affect of social software on MLIS students. It also can be applied to the implementation of these applications in library and information science (LIS) education.

Most research on social software concentrates on students from other fields; very little research has considered student in LIS. This research is also the first survey to investigate how MLIS students in Kuwait using social software.

The purpose of this paper is to understand the pervasiveness of mobile devices in ubiquitous access of information. Moreover, the study tries to ascertain the growing demands of mobile devices in library settings.

A survey was administered to gain in-depth information regarding the use of mobile devices and their use in information access. Further, it investigated the general uses of mobile devices in day to day life. The survey also contained some questions aimed at obtaining more comprehensive information about the impediments faced by the students in library settings and the way out.

The study highlights the rapid growth of mobile device usage among students at the College of Basic Education, Public authority for Applied Education and Training, Kuwait, and indicates the urgent need of libraries to the embrace mobile web.

The use of mobile devices in comfort zones demands libraries to disseminate information anytime, anywhere. This study examines the academic library users’ insistence for such services and the competence of libraries to provide services “on the go”.