Libraries Empowering Society through Digital Literacy

Abstract

The origins of this book lie in a proposal submitted several years ago to produce a book on the topic of transliteracy, which sought to address the issues of the multiple literacies required for successful information use. The world changed. Information and communications technology developments with high-speed connectivity, massive growth in social media, huge computer storage capacity locally and remotely, ubiquity of mobile devices, and the emergence of artificial intelligence led to new ways of human and machine interaction. Sustainability issues came to the fore, and the pandemic brought social and economic disruption. There was a growing realization that sophisticated skills were required to deal with information access and use in an online world with a surfeit of information, vast quantities of user-generated content—particularly by so-called influencers—and multiple means of digital communication. An overabundance of fake news, misinformation, and disinformation, along with the many platforms being used for the transmission of information, has led to disquiet about the ability of individuals to discover and evaluate the information needed for daily living, participation in the workforce, and scholarly endeavors.

Community and individual information needs have changed. Digital natives, who have grown up using computers and smartphones; digital immigrants, who were raised before the ubiquity of information technology and have acquired skills over time; and digital refugees, who have lost jobs due to the emergence of new technology or who are unable or unwilling to use it effectively, have different needs, capabilities, and ways of learning. These differences require librarians and educators to adapt their collections, teaching approaches, and services to reach and engage with these communities. The difficulties of locating, evaluating, and applying the right information at the right time have brought new attention to library values of authority, credibility, veracity, and equitable access to information, and a wider use of the term digital literacy.