Why librarians need to be fluent in IT

Here's an outline of the lecture I presented during ASLP's seminar on ICT in libraries: trends, security and ethics last 27 April 2006 at Hotel Kimberly in Ermita, Manila:

I. Introduction
The 21st century suffers from progeria, so says Alvin Toffler, author of the best selling book Future Shock.

II. Why know about IT?
a. for personal use
b. for work
c. for education
d. for society

III. Why do I need to learn more?

• to help cope with difficulties in using IT
• to make more effective use of whatever technology is available
• to use an ICT tool safely, effectively, and flexibly
• to exploit developments in technology & to comprehend capabilities & implications of these technologies
• to give a feeling of confidence and feeling of control when something goes wrong

IV. What must you know and understand about IT to use it effectively and productively?

Be FIT - fluent with information technology. Fluency with information technology goes beyond being computer literate. The three elements of FITness are: intellectual capabilities, knowledge of the fundamental concepts basic to information and computing, and contemporary skills.

Additional material was taken from Jenny Levine's post on the 20 technology skills every librarian should have from her blog The Shifted Librarian.

V. How will these skills be useful in the library?

IT fluency will be very helpful in adapting to current trends in various library operations such as library automation, circulation, collection development, cataloging, and user services that make use of information and communication technologies.

VI. Conclusion: How FIT are you?

Being FIT does not mean one does not have to rely on an expert nor does consulting with one imply a lack of it. Librarians need to have some level of IT fluency to the extent that she/he does not need an expert to fix an information technology problem or to harness a new opportunity IT offers.

A detailed discussion of my lecture is available here. A summary of the two-day seminar is available here and here.

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