Today, social media and social networks have become almost everyone's constant companion. The advantages that social networks bring can also be transferred from the private environment to the professional sphere. Librarians abroad are already using social networks for professional purposes. In our research, conducted in May and June 2022, we wanted to find out whether they are also used by Slovenian librarians. With the survey we conducted among librarians working in different types of libraries in Slovenia, we wanted to find out how they use social networks for the purposes of professional development and to find out to what extent the use of social networks for the needs of informal education and professional development is present in our the environment, what are the reasons for using social networks for the purposes of professional development and which groups of librarians use them to a greater extent. We found that Slovenian librarians already recognize social networks as useful and important for their professional development and often already use them. 279 librarians responded. As many as 85% of respondents already use social networks for the purpose of professional development. The most frequently used social network for this purpose is Facebook, but in the research we also considered Twitter, Pinterest, Instagram, LinkedIn and TikTok. Social networks are most often used, to monitor the activities of libraries and society, to find information about events, to monitor news and trends related to the profession, and to find examples of good practices.
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