EMERGING TRENDS IN LIBRARIANSHIP: ROLE OF LIBRARIES IN LEARNING ENVIRONMENT
Libraries across the world are undergoing extensive transformational change as a result of the digital disruption. The ways in which people today learn, teach, communicate, interact, acquire and share knowledge have changed due to advancements in the information and communication technologies. Hence, the libraries and librarians must compete for their survival. Libraries have to integrate several technologies in their services in order to attract the users. Technological advance and social change have on the skills required of a librarian to deliver services in the open learning environment. As the 21st century progresses librarians are facilitating to connect communities and users with knowledge and knowledge creators.
With the developments in open learning, digitised learning resources and the use of online and offline web environment, several possibilities emerged to design digital learning strategies to make any instructional context effective to suit the ever changing learning and learner requirements in the global network, library professionals are overwhelmingly optimistic about the future and positive about the value of their skills.