A digital-first world requires digital skillsets adequate to participate in it, meaning that those without such skills risk being left behind in an age of almost-compulsory computing. Deficits in digital literacy competencies thus have detrimental real-world consequences, and at all points within this self-perpetuating cycle it is often the most vulnerable members of society who find themselves disproportionately affected in myriad ways. Larger societal structural issues particular to such demographic groups often seem to exacerbate and even promulgate inequalities, and in the UK there presently exists no formal policy or strategic means to address these critical matters in holistic, skills-diverse and learner-focused ways.

Public libraries meanwhile find themselves at the centre of community digital access and skills development provision, despite an overall lack of formality, cohesive outlook or central support for this role. These challenges conversely present public libraries with opportunities to develop new, novel and user-centred ways to tackling the development of effective digital literacies in all areas of society, and this poster will outline much-needed positionality here.

Participative methodologies – here meaning those centred on, by and for their participants themselves – offer compelling theoretical and practical ideas in helping to address all of these growing issues in meaningful and sustainable ways. Public libraries already sit constitutionally at the heart of such an ethos and so are centrally placed to enable and enact it. 

This poster is part of a larger PhD project presently being undertaken at Â鶹ÉçÇø looking at user-led and participatory ways to develop new approaches to digital literacy training in older adults, a demographic group amongst the most digitally-deprived in contemporary society. The poster looks at the relevancy, consistency and applicability of current measures to develop effective digital literacies across the whole of UK society, and argues that by employing more participative means to research and develop new approaches here – in doing so empowering those most directly affected by such issues to tackle them collectively – these challenges may be addressed in innovative, scalable and sustainable ways. The continued proliferation of public libraries in the UK alongside the high levels of trust and influence they maintain within communities means that they are logical places to promote the development of essential digital literacy competencies. Moreover public libraries are temperamentally and practically aligned to operate in participative ways already, suggesting that in bringing this inherent participatory culture to the fore it is possible to imagine new conceptual horizons and new developmental paradigms when considering such critical digital literacy deficits. Under these assumptions notions of engendering increased user participation in digital development activity could be very much part of the civic remit of public libraries, helping both to bridge existing skills gaps and (of equal importance) to address a demonstrable growing need with significant potential practical impact.

This poster will therefore conceptually position public libraries as hubs of participative action and research in the development of effective digital literacies.