Digital library competences in public libraries. A review in 2019. Examining the digital skills of librarians with different qualifications

Abstract

Social scientists rarely have the opportunity to replicate a representative empirical study on a basically identical sample in a relatively short time, thereby confirming the validity or, conversely, invalidity of the first results. Within the framework of the comprehensive EFOP-3.3.3-VEKOP-16-2016-00001 "Museum and Library Developments for All" project, the "My Library" programme, implemented under the auspices of the Szabó Ervin Library, Budapest, made it possible to assess the digital competences of library professionals by two successive surveys. Both studies are considered representative for public libraries. The number of participants in the 2017 survey was 1786 from various municipal libraries, while it was1868 in the 2019 survey. As a result, an extremely rich data set is now available to gain an accurate understanding of digital skills of library professionals, to identify areas for improvement, and even to organize targeted professional extension training.