Digital Skills in Finnish Public Libraries to Engage in the National Operating Model for Digital Support for Citizens

During the last four years, government actions have required Finnish public libraries to take a moreconcrete role in citizens’ digital support. Although Finland is doing well in digitalisation, andlibraries have been providing digital support since the mid-1990s, there are large groups of citizenswho have a wide range of challenges in the digital world. There is a dire need to equally engagecitizens to use digital services and devices. However, the digital skills of library employees havediverged during the last decades. This calls for wider further education activities for libraryemployees. Turku City Library studied the digital competencies of 405 public library employees inSouth-West Finland. However, significant variation was found in digital competencies. National-leveldigital competence requirements have been created by the Council of Public Libraries, and furthereducation activities have been launched all over Finland, organised by the nine regional developmentlibraries with extra finance from the Parliament Finance Committee’s Digital Libraries Initiative, toenhance digital competency in public libraries and create collaborative networks to help citizens takepart in digital society.