ADOPTION OF DIGITAL TECHNOLOGIES FOR THE LONG-TERM PRESERVATION OF SOCIAL MEDIA RECORDS IN MERU COUNTY PUBLIC LIBRARIES
Keywords:
Digital Technologies, adoption, long-term preservation, Social Media Records, Meru County, Public LibrariesAbstract
Public libraries are mandated to serve as trusted custodians of community memory, yet in Meru County, Kenya, social media records remain largely unpreserved, risking permanent loss of contemporary heritage. This study assessed the adoption of digital technologies for the long-term preservation of social media records in public libraries in Meru County, Kenya. The study followed the Technology Acceptance Model and used a convergent parallel mixed-methods approach within a cross-sectional descriptive survey design. The target population comprised 34 library staff from four public libraries in Meru County, who were selected through census sampling. Data were collected using questionnaires and interviews and analyzed using descriptive statistics and thematic analysis. Findings revealed critically low adoption of digital technologies for the long-term preservation of social media records, with major gaps in automated archiving tools, metadata management, cloud storage, and supporting ICT infrastructure. Qualitative evidence reinforced these findings, indicating limited access to appropriate equipment, inadequate staff training, insufficient funding, and absence of specialized social media archiving software. The study concluded that public libraries in Meru County have limited capacity to effectively adopt and sustain digital technologies for the long-term preservation of social media records, placing valuable digital heritage at risk of loss and obsolescence. The study recommended adopting appropriate automated archiving, digital storage, and metadata technologies, supported by staff capacity development, adequate resources, and institutional mechanisms to ensure consistent implementation and maintenance.
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