Academic libraries are pivotal in bolstering research endeavours by furnishing access to diverse resources and specialised services. This investigation explores the contribution of librarians in augmenting the visibility of teaching staff within higher learning institutions through the use of academic social networking sites (ASNS). A questionnaire was administered to teaching staff at the Mwalimu Nyerere Memorial Academy (MNMA). Employing a purposive sampling technique, 105 participants were selected for inclusion. Data were analysed descriptively using the Statistical Package for the Social Sciences (SPSS), version 27. The findings show that at MNMA, Google Scholar, ResearchGate, and Academia.edu were the most frequently utilised ASNS by respondents. A majority of respondents (67.6%) perceived that ASNS use increases professional visibility. Nonetheless, impediments such as time constraints, insufficient knowledge, complexities in registration, and privacy concerns curtail effective engagement with these platforms among this sample. The study concludes that within the MNMA context, while ASNS present opportunities for faculty visibility and collaboration, deliberate interventions including dedicated research support and training workshops may be beneficial to surmount existing barriers and cultivate a more conducive environment for faculty engagement with ASNS at this institution. Given the single-institution design and descriptive nature of the data, these findings represent the MNMA context and cannot be generalized to other higher learning institutions.
Christian Mubofu (Mon,) studied this question.