Development of Digital Skills of Library Specialists in the Distant Format

Digitalization of the library sector requires library staff to develop digital competencies, information retrieval skills and new knowledge in the field of data processing. The purpose of the study was to identify the digital skills of specialists of public libraries and the opportunities for their development when mastering additional professional education programs with the use of distance learning technologies. Educational programs for advanced training of library specialists, implemented within the framework of the Federal project “Creative People” of the National project “Culture”, have become the basis for such work. The article analyses the experience of participation of the St. Petersburg State Institute of Culture in educational projects for professional development of practicing librarians using distance learning technologies, the topics of programs offered by the centres for continuing education and advanced training of creative and managerial personnel in the field of culture in 2019—2021. Programs of additional professional education give priority to the formation and development of digital skills in the following categories: information (information literacy), communication (communication and collaboration) and creative skills (creation of digital content). There is an obvious shortage of educational programs related to the formation of critical thinking of users of digital resources and information security. Communication skills of librarians participating in the Creative People project implemented in their willingness to undergo formal training remotely, in a positive attitude towards the distant forms of professional development, despite their labour intensiveness. It is established that in the structure of thematic preferences of library specialists for future training in the system of continuing professional education there prevail the topics related to the formation of information and communication competencies. The article notes that significant proportion of specialists who have mastered the advanced training program are not ready to clearly determine in what types of practical activities their knowledge and skills can be applied. The obtained results make it possible to correct the topics of educational programs of further professional education of library specialists, to clarify the list of priority didactic tasks and the tools of distance learning technologies used for their implementation.

1. Gendina N.I. Digitalization of Library and Information Activities and Library Education: Technocratic and Humanitarian Components, Vestnik Kemerovskogo gosudarstvennogo universiteta kul’tury i iskusstv [Bulletin of the Kemerovo State University of Culture and Arts], 2020, no. 52, pp. 170—181. DOI: 10.31773/2078-1768-2020-52-170-181 (in Russ.)

2. Shraiberg Ya.L. Information and Document Space in Education, Science and Culture in the Contemporary Context of Society Digitalization. (The Annual Paper Presented at the Fifth World Professional Forum “Crimea-2019”), Nauchnye i tekhnicheskie biblioteki [Scientific and Technical Libraries], 2019, no. 9, pp. 3—55. DOI: 10.33186/1027-3689-2019-9-3-55 (in Russ.).

3. Melentyeva Yu.P. The Role and Place of Traditional Libraries in Terms of the Digitalization of Society, Bibliografiya [Bibliography], 2019, no. 2, pp. 27—33 (in Russ.).

4. Neshcheret M.Yu. Digitization of User Service Processes in Libraries Is Already a Reality, Bibliosfera [Bibliosphere], 2019, no. 2, pp. 19—25. DOI: 10.20913/1815-3186-2019-2-19-25 (in Russ.).

5. Redkina N.S. Over-Professional Skills and Professional Knowledge of Library Specialist: Demands of the Time, Bibliotekovedenie [Russian Journal of Library Science], 2019, vol. 68, no. 6, pp. 647—658. DOI: 10.25281/0869-608X-2019-68-6-647-658 (in Russ.).

6. National Project “Culture”, Ministerstvo kul’tury Rossiiskoi Federatsii: ofits. sait [Ministry of Culture of the Russian Federation: official website]. Available at: https://www.mkrf.ru/about/national-project/about-project/ (accessed 24.08.2021) (in Russ.).

7. Strategy for the Development of Librarianship in the Russian Federation for the Period up to 2030: Approved by Order of the Government of the Russian Federation of March 13, 2021, No 608-r, Sobranie zakonodatel’stva Rossiiskoi Federatsii [Collected Legislation of the Russian Federeation], 2021, no. 12, art. 2072 (in Russ.).

8. Klyuev V.K. Transformation of Formed Competences in the System of Higher Library and Information Education as a Response to the Digitalization of Society, Kul’tura: teoriya i praktika [Culture: Theory and Practice], 2019, no. 4. Available at: http://theoryofculture.ru/issues/108/1268/ (accessed 24.08.2021) (in Russ.).

9. Federal Project “Creative People”, Ministerstvo kul’tury Rossiiskoi Federatsii: ofits. sait [Ministry of Culture of the Russian Federation: official website]. Available at: https://culture.gov.ru/about/national-project/creative-people/ (accessed 24.08.2021) (in Russ.).

10. Golubeva N.L. Professional Development of Library Specialists in the Context of Implementation of the Federal Project “Creative People”, Bibliotekovedenie [Russian Journal of Library Science], 2020, vol. 69, no. 3, pp. 325—334. DOI: 10.25281/0869-608X-2020-69-3-325-334 (in Russ.).

11. Dvorovenko O.V., Taranenko L.G. Technological Approach to Projecting the System of Additional Professional Education for Library Specialists: First Results of the Federal Project “Creative People” in Kemerovo State Institute of Culture, Vestnik Kemerovskogo gosudarstvennogo instituta kul’tury i iskusstv [Bulletin of the Kemerovo State University of Culture and Arts], 2020, no. 52, pp. 182—190. DOI: 10.31773/2078-1768-2020-52-182-191 (in Russ.).

12. Obuchenie tsifrovym navykam: global’nye vyzovy i peredovye praktiki: analit. otchet k III Mezhdunarodnoi konferentsii “Bol’she chem obuchenie: kak razvivat’ tsifrovye navyki” [Teaching Digital Skills: Global Challenges and Best Practices: Analytical Report to the 3rd International Conference “More than Learning: How to Develop Digital Skills”]. Moscow, Korporativnyi Universitet Sberbanka Publ., 2018, 122 p. Available at: https://sberuniversity.ru/upload/iblock/2f8/Analytical_report_digital_skills_web_demo.pdf (accessed 24.08.2021).

13. Kabalina V.I., Makarova A.V., Reshetnikova K.V. Motivating Employees to Acquire Digital Skills, Rossiiskii zhurnal menedzhmenta [Russian Management Journal], 2020, vol. 18, no. 3, pp. 411—432. DOI: 10.21638/spbu18.2020.306 (in Russ.).

14. Carretero Gomez S., Vuorikari R., Punie Y. DigComp 2.1: The Digital Competence Framework for Citizen: With Eight Proficiency Levels and Examples of Use. Luxembourg, Publications Office of the European Union, 2017, pp. 23—43. DOI: 10.2760/38842.

15. Taranenko L.G., Mironova L.O. The Quality of Electronic Local History Products: Experience of Development of Criteria and Expertise, Bibliotekovedenie [Russian Journal of Library Science], 2020, vol. 69, no. 6, pp. 589—601. DOI: 10.25281/0869-608X-2020-69-6-589-601 (in Russ.).

16. Gendina N.I., Kolkova N.I., Ryabtseva L.N. Digital Content of Regional Central Libraries in the Russian Federation as a Potentiality for User Access Growth, Nauchnye i tekhnicheskie biblioteki [Scientific and Technical Libraries], 2020, no. 7, pp. 49—70. DOI: 10.33186/1027-3689-2020-7-49-70 (in Russ.).

17. Anpilogova O.A., Stankevich T.B. Features of Adult Education: literature review, European Scientific Conference: sbornik statei pobeditelei III Mezhdunarodnoi nauchno-prakticheskoi konferentsii: v 2 ch. [European Scientific Conference: Collected Papers of the Winners of the 3rd International Scientific and Practical Conference: in 2 parts]. Penza, Nauka i Prosveshchenie Publ., 2017, part 1, pp. 210—217. Available at: https://elibrary.ru/item.asp?id=29049576 (accessed 24.08.2021) (in Russ.).