Information/Digital Literacy

Digital literacy has become an increasingly prominent issue within the technologically developing society and has transformed the services provided within public libraries. Public libraries have increasingly taken on an educational role, particularly where older patrons are concerned. In society, many in-person services have either been removed completely or have become increasingly harder to access (e.g., Centrelink, banking). Within public libraries, patrons regularly need assistance completing daily tasks such as accessing emails, printing, scanning to email, using smartphones and…well…anything and everything! This was evident throughout the COVID-19 pandemic where patrons came to public libraries for assistance to create MyGov accounts, upload proof of vaccination certificates, and download the Check-in app. At my workplace, the local doctor’s surgeries were even referring their patients to the library to access this service. Library staff are adept at embracing new challenges and are a jack-of-all-trades.

The ability to adapt quickly and diversify services is a frequent occurrence within public libraries. Although this can be challenging for libraries and library staff, it does present exciting opportunities, allowing the provision of additional services and resources and broader audiences to be reached (Aba and Makinde, 2020). Public libraries play a critical role in ensuring patrons have the skills needed to become active participants in society.

From my experience, a lack of digital literacy skills is not limited to a specific age group and can be just as prominent in younger people who may not possess the knowledge to understand internet safety. Additionally, parents often lack the technical skills and knowledge to successfully pass on appropriate skills to their children (Hernández-Martín et al., 2021). This includes internet safety, in particular, social media which is frequently used to spread misinformation. The most effective way to reduce the spread of misinformation is to increase awareness through education (Rampersad & Althiyabi, 2020). Public libraries are well-positioned to provide these educational opportunities to the community. Public libraries exist to provide equitable access to information and support the lifelong learning of all citizens (Yoshida, 2021). Public libraries are critical to ensure all members of the community possess the information/digital literacy skills that enable them to remain successful participants in society.

References

Aba, J. I., & Makinde, T. O. (2020). Relevance of Web 2.0 for Library Services in the Digital Era. In A. Tella (Ed.), Handbook of Research on Digital Devices for Inclusivity and Engagement in Libraries (pp. 382-405). IGI Global. https://doi-org.ezproxy.csu.edu.au/10.4018/978-1-5225-9034-7.ch020

Hernández-Martín, A., Martín-del-Pozo, M., & Iglesias-Rodríguez, A. (2021). Preadolescents’ digital competencies in the area of safety. Does frequency of social media use mean safer and more knowledgeable digital usage? Education and Information Technologies, 26(1), 1043-1067. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10639-020-10302-4

Rampersad, G., & Althiyabi, T. (2020). Fake news: Acceptance by demographics and culture on social media. Journal of Information Technology & Politics, 17(1), 1-11. https://doi.org/10.1080/19331681.2019.1686676

 Yoshida, Y. (2021). Public libraries as places for self-directed lifelong learning: narratives of empowerment. Information Research, 26(1). https://doi.org/10.47989/irpaper888