Hernández-Pedreño, Manuel, Romero-Sánchez, Eduardo and Gómez-Hernández, José-Antonio Public libraries in the context of digital inclusion services: challenges for a more equal citizenship. Revista Mediterranea de Comunicación, 2019, vol. 10, n. 1, pp. 41-55. [Journal article (Paginated)]
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English abstract
Public libraries provide access to technology and digital competence, since training in the critical, reflective and purposive use of information is a compensatory factor for digital exclusion. This study seeks to analyse this training’s potential and limitations when designing and applying these services. The methodology is based on qualitative techniques such as interviews and discussion groups. Interviews were performed with ten reputedly expert librarians, using a questionnaire with nine questions about digital literacy services and the role that public libraries should play for digital inclusion. The views of public librarians from the Region of Murcia (Spain) were obtained through three discussion groups, selected according to the population size of the cities where their libraries are located. In addition to this, structured guidelines in accordance with topics on information literacy services, human and material resources, librarians’ training necessities or typology of users were followed. It emerges that librarians are highly committed to their function in digital literacy services and digital inclusion. However, this is restricted by the human and material resources at their disposal, and by the specific needs and demands associated with different types of users. The analysis concludes with some proposals for managing these services including collaboration strategies within private entities or public local departments.
Spanish abstract
Las bibliotecas públicas facilitan acceso a las tecnologías y competencia digital pues consideran la formación para el uso crítico, reflexivo e intencional de la información un factor compensatorio de la desigualdad digital. Nuestro objetivo es analizar su potencial y sus limitaciones para desarrollar este servicio. La metodología se fundamenta en dos técnicas cualitativas: la entrevista y el grupo de discusión. Las entrevistas se realizaron a diez expertos mediante un cuestionario virtual de nueve cuestiones vinculadas con la formación digital y el rol a desempeñar por las bibliotecas. La opinión de los bibliotecarios municipales de la Región de Murcia se obtuvo mediante tres grupos de discusión constituidos según el número de habitantes y se siguió un guion estructurado en torno recursos humanos y materiales, necesidades formativas y tipo de usuarios. Se ha verificado un alto compromiso con la función de formación digital, si bien está muy condicionada por los recursos humanos y materiales de los que se dispone, junto a las demandas específicas asociadas a los usuarios que atienden. El análisis propone algunas medidas para mejorar la organización de este servicio, incluyendo estrategias de colaboración con agentes externos al municipio (entidades privadas) u otros departamentos municipales.
Item type: | Journal article (Paginated) |
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Keywords: | bibliotecas públicas; competencia digital; usuarios vulnerables; inclusión digital; investigación cualitativa, Public libraries; digital competence; digital inclusion; qualitative research; vulnerable library users |
Subjects: | B. Information use and sociology of information > BD. Information society. C. Users, literacy and reading. > CE. Literacy. D. Libraries as physical collections. > DC. Public libraries. |
Depositing user: | José-Antonio Gómez-Hernández |
Date deposited: | 26 Jan 2021 03:41 |
Last modified: | 26 Jan 2021 03:41 |
URI: | http://hdl.handle.net/10760/40942 |
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