Public libraries and digital competences. : A mixed-method analysis of job ads and professional views.

Technological advancements and digital tools have radically changed the professional profile of public librarians and yet little has been researched about the practical influence these changes have had on the digital competences that the professionals need in their daily work. The goal of the present paper is to examine which digital competences are required of the modern public librarian. A mixed-method research approach was adopted, based on content analysis of job advertisements retrieved from a Swedish context and semi-structured interviews with five currently employed librarians. A conceptual model was developed to allow a triangulation of results based on such different datasets. Results showed that the concept of digital competences is still defined in diffuse terms, often subjective to individual interpretations and strongly affected by the library’s size and user population. In spite of this, the professionals working in the public library sector clearly demand a minimum standard of digital skills and knowledge in all digital competences to be established. Such standard is needed both to perform daily responsibilities linked to the professional role of the public librarian and to the vital task of catering to the users’ needs.