This document provides an overview of digital literacy for librarians. It defines digital literacy as the ability to use technology to navigate, evaluate, create and communicate information. The document outlines some core ICT skills for librarians, including knowledge of integrated library systems, emerging web technologies, and electronic resources management. It also discusses how librarians can leverage social media platforms like Facebook, Twitter, Google+, LinkedIn, and leverage strategies like posting regularly and including calls to action.

1. DIGITAL
LITERACY
FOR
LIBRARIANS
Compiled and delivered by
David N. Ofili
(Web Librarian, John Harris Library, University of Benin)
At the
Workshop on Innovation in Libraries
Organised by
The Nigerian Library Association,
Delta State Chapter
Venue
Federal University of Petroleum Resources
Effurun, Delta State, Nigeria
Date
11 July, 2017

2. “It is not the strongest of the
species that survives, nor the
most intelligent, but the one
most responsive to change”
Charles Darwin

3. WELCOME
Why
Are
We
Here?
Learn
Exchange
Ideas
Practise

4. Imagine for a Moment What
It’s Like Not Knowing How To
Read Or Write
The World
Becomes Much
More Difficult To
Navigate and
Understand

5. Apply for Jobs
Surf the Net
Keep Abreast of Societal Happenings
Follow Instructions
Study

6. …that can prevent
you from succeeding

7. literacy is the ability to read for
knowledge, write coherently, and think
critically about the written word
Hence,

8. It Comes in
Many Forms

9. There is a new kind of literacy that
touches almost everyone in our world
It’s not related to a specific
industry or job type

10. This literacy matters to
both young and old
...and has become more important as computers
and electronic devices have become more of
a necessity in daily life

11. Digital
Literacy
1
ICT Skills
Core to
Librarians
2
Web
Presence and
Visibility
3
Leveraging
Social Media
4
Websites
and Blogs
5
7
Internet
Search
Strategies
Searching
Scholarly
Databases
8

12. The ability to use technology
to navigate, evaluate,
create and communicate
information
(Basic)
Digital literacy is the set of competencies
Required for full participation in a
knowledge society. It includes knowledge,
skills, and behaviors involving the
effective use of digital devices such as smartphones, tablets, laptops and desktop PCs for
purposes of communication, expression, collaboration and advocacy.
(Classic)

13. Have the knowledge and skills to
use traditional computers, such as
desktop PCs and laptops
Computer literacy
Be able to analyze facts objectively
to form judgment
Critical thinking

14. • have the ability to engage in online
communities and social networks while
adhering to behavioral protocols
• be able to find, capture, and evaluate
information
• have to ability to understand the societal
issues raised by digital technologies and
possess critical thinking skills
• will possess a range of digital
skills,
• knowledge of the basic
principles of computing
devices,
• and skills in using computer
networks.
Digital Literate
The individual will:
Basically…

16. What ICT Skills Are Core To Librarians?
Assumption
Job Openings
InternetDailies
No generally
accepted ICT skills
required of Library
and Information
Professionals
Guide
Different employers require different
skills and at varying degrees
Most employers require skills according
to their needs
Some require skills according to their
library's type
Professional Associations
IFLA
No defined ICT skill set all LIS
professionals should have in
common
Rather, there are standards for the
different types of libraries, and for
professionals working in such
libraries
LRCN
Reality

17. “BASIC” ICT Skills
 Integrated Library Systems (ILS) – knowledge of basic structure, content and use of an
integrated library system;
 Emerging web technology – knowledge of major trends in web development including
online social networking tools (Facebook, Twitter, Google+, etc.);
 Electronic resources management – knowledge of how digital resources are acquired,
managed and accessed;
 Web page development – understanding of principles of web page design and
maintenance;
 Institutional repositories – understanding the basic structure, content and use of campus
institutional repositories;
 Learning management system (LMS / CMS) – knowledge of the structure and the use of
campus LMS / CMS;
 Database management – understanding how databases are designed and structured for
convenient data and/or information retrieval.
• Should be minimum and general, irrespective of professional affiliation or aspiration
• Should form the nucleus of our library schools' curricula
Canadian Association of Research Libraries - CARL

18. • ICT – continuously updated and introduced
• Traditional – replaced by digital formats
• New skill requirements
• Fast growing information needs and hasty
desire to satisfy such needs
• Library furniture – replaced by computers
• Reading areas – replaced by computer labs
• Research – electronic
• Library patronage vs Internet dependence
The world / librarianship today…
…librarians must
reinvent themselves
before they go the
way of the dinosaur
Ramsay and Kinnie
(2006)

19. Now that the world is getting
smaller and smaller as a result
of advances in technology, who
knows you? How significant
are you?
Do you have a:
social media account?
website?
blog?
vlog?
profile page?
search
engine
ranking?

20. and

21. Leveraging Social Media
POST REGULARLY
Posting at least once
a day will increase
your chances of being
seen by your
community. Posting
2-5 times is ideal but
if that seems
overwhelming, start
by posting at least
once a day
CREATE SHAREABLE
CONTENT
“Shareable” means
the content is
relevant to your
audience and
compels people to
share it
INCLUDE A CALL TO
ACTION
It’s important to ask
people to engage.
Include something as
simple as “If you
found value, please
share.” The more likes
and comments, the
more a page is seen
as relevant by
Facebook.
MIX UP CONTENT
TYPES
Text-Video-Image
A high ratio of video
in your content will
increase the visibility
and engagement of
your page
substantially. An
interesting image can
spark more Likes,
comments, and
shares.

22. COMMENT ON
OTHER PAGES
You can easily
increase your
exposure by choosing
other Pages in your
niche or with a similar
audience to yours
USE HASHTAGS
By adding hashtags
(keywords with the #
symbol attached such
as #librarian) to your
post, you have the
potential to be seen
by more people who
are searching on that
hashtag within a
particular social
media website
REPLY TO
COMMENTS ON
YOUR POST
With a reply, the post
has a chance for
added visibility
because there is new
activity on that post.
You don’t have to
reply to every single
comment, but it’s
nice to acknowledge
comments with a
reply or a Like as
much as possible
TAG OTHER PAGES
When you tag
another Page (by
using the @ symbol
and typing the other
Page name) in a post,
your visibility can
increase with that
Page’s audience.
Leveraging Social Media

23. DRIVE TRAFFIC FROM
OTHER SOURCES
Another way to
increase engagement
for your posts is to
send traffic to your
Page from other
social networks,
websites, your
newsletter, etc.
KEEP IT SHORT
It's best to keep
messages short.
People just don’t like
to read long articles
as they want to catch
up with other things
and notifications
TRAIN YOUR
AUDIENCE TO WATCH
FOR YOUR CONTENT
You want to make
sure you are
delivering good
content so that your
audience won’t want
to miss a thing. The
best way to do this is
to work toward
building super fans
GOOGLE+
One additional
element that can be
leveraged on Google+
is natural search.
Google intends to
leverage social media
even more in search
results, so it stands to
reason that what a
brand says on
Google+ might end
up in Google's natural
search results
Leveraging Social Media

24. LINKEDIN
LinkedIn is used today in a
variety of ways—for
recruitment, company or
personal pages, groups and
advertising. Librarians should
think of their LinkedIn profiles
as professional introduction
to themselves, and as their
public CV —for prospective
employers, clients, and
professional contacts
TWITTER
Twitter is a network for both
brands and individuals (brand
consumers/clients) inclusive.
It can be used very
successfully for customer
service, marketing,
engagement, branding,
boosting visibility, and all
combinations. Users can
leverage the power of 140
characters successfully by:
having a strategy, engaging in
the channel, responding to
tweets, keeping it short,
engaging hashtags
responsibly, and creating a
voice
Leveraging Social Media

25. BIBLIOGRAPHY
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from https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8wQoZj5lrSk
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Smith, M. (2016, October 17). 10 Ways to Increase Your Facebook Engagement. Retrieved June 2017, from Socia
Media Examiner: https://www.socialmediaexaminer.com/10-ways-to-increase-your-facebook-
engagement/
TEDx Talks. (2012, March 22). The essential elements of digital literacies: Doug Belshaw at TEDxWarwick.
Warwick, England. Retrieved June 2017, from https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=A8yQPoTcZ78&t=18s
University of Derby. (2014, November 5). Digital Literacy and Why It Matters. Derby, England. Retrieved June
2017, from https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=p2k3C-iB88w&t=12s
Vahl, A., Haydon, J., & Zimmerman, J. (n.d). 8 Tips for Boosting Visibility in the Facebook News Feed. Retrieved
June 2017, from Dummies: http://www.dummies.com/social-media/facebook/8-tips-for-boosting-
visibility-in-the-facebook-news-feed/