Development of Digital Skills of Library Specialists in the Distant Format

Digitalization of the library sector requires library staff to develop digital competencies, information retrieval skills and new knowledge in the field of data processing. The purpose of the study was to identify the digital skills of specialists of public libraries and the opportunities for their development when mastering additional professional education programs with the use of distance learning technologies. Educational programs for advanced training of library specialists, implemented within the framework of the Federal project “Creative People” of the National project “Culture”, have become the basis for such work. The article analyses the experience of participation of the St. Petersburg State Institute of Culture in educational projects for professional development of practicing librarians using distance learning technologies, the topics of programs offered by the centres for continuing education and advanced training of creative and managerial personnel in the field of culture in 2019—2021. Programs of additional professional education give priority to the formation and development of digital skills in the following categories: information (information literacy), communication (communication and collaboration) and creative skills (creation of digital content). There is an obvious shortage of educational programs related to the formation of critical thinking of users of digital resources and information security. Communication skills of librarians participating in the Creative People project implemented in their willingness to undergo formal training remotely, in a positive attitude towards the distant forms of professional development, despite their labour intensiveness. It is established that in the structure of thematic preferences of library specialists for future training in the system of continuing professional education there prevail the topics related to the formation of information and communication competencies. The article notes that significant proportion of specialists who have mastered the advanced training program are not ready to clearly determine in what types of practical activities their knowledge and skills can be applied. The obtained results make it possible to correct the topics of educational programs of further professional education of library specialists, to clarify the list of priority didactic tasks and the tools of distance learning technologies used for their implementation.