Social networks in Iranian academic libraries: complementary or antagonistic tools?

PurposeThe present study aimed to investigate the impact of social networks on the use of academic libraries by university students.Design/methodology/approachThe method used in the present study was a survey. The statistical population included 461 university students. The data collection tool was a questionnaire. The result of the Cronbach test was equal to 0.726 indicating the acceptable reliability of the questionnaire. For data analysis, descriptive statistical methods and inferential statistical methods using SPSS 21 software were employed.FindingsThe findings showed that 243 of the participants used social networks for 4–6 h a day, 192 students never used university libraries and 229 used the university library only once in a month. Communication with friends was also reported to be one of the main goals in using social networks. The results of regression analysis also indicated that four predictor variables including information retrieval, social influence, trust and attractiveness of social networking environment were statistically able to explain the variance of reluctance to use university libraries.Originality/valueThe present study is one of the few studies that has examined the negative impact of social networks on visiting university libraries.