Libraries play a vital part in helping people become digital citizens because they are accessible and trusted institutions in the community. They provide free access to learning. Lifelong learning and knowledge creation have long formed the core of library services (Lomax, 2020). Present libraries are working under invariably changing e-environments. Rapid advances in modernized technologies have enhanced the potentialities of storage, processing, retrieval, repackaging, sharing and regulate the explosive growth of information effectively in libraries. The role of technology revolution in the last few decades has made enormous impact on the way the information is processed, stored, retrieved, and disseminated (Lomax, 2020)
Digital libraries are one of the most effective vehicles for change in higher education. They facilitate collaboration involving universities in an international cooperation venture, unlocking scholarly resources and caring out functions previously limited to publishers (Fox, Gonsalves, McMillan, Eaton, Atkins and Kipp, 2002)
What is the role of the libraries in promoting literacy? And what is the role of academic librarians in promoting digital literacy amongst students and lecturers.
According to Karklins (2011) libraries are key institutions in the context of achieving global literacy.
Open access and sharing of information in libraries
One of the major barriers for scholars and researchers in universities is the lack of access to current literature in their subject, much of which may be published in journals that have high annual subscription rates and some are far too expensive for many libraries (Krishnamurthy, 2007).
And then we have what we call copyright.
Academic libraries are becoming increasingly involved in copyright issues so much as through work with course reserves, licensed library resources and assisting faculty authors with negotiating copyright agreements with publishers(Charbonneau and Priehs, 2014)
Most academic libraries subscribe to electronic databases, but not every information found in those databases is free. What can the librarians do to make sure that every student gets the information they need?
Learning Communities
Becoming involved in learning communities can provide librarians with a deeper understanding of the information needs of the students ( Lippincott, 2002)
Meaning when the librarians learn more about their students information need and when they get more involved in the learning communities it becomes easy to choose which relevant electronic databases to subscribed to.
