ICT and change in UK public libraries: does training matter?

Abstract

A consideration of the implications of technological change for public library staff and managers in the UK is based on the selected results of a literature review. Recent developments affecting the growth of information and communication technology (ICT) in public libraries provide a context against which research into the effects of automation, the introduction of ICT in a variety of library environments and into society generally, are explored. The value of attitudes to ICT are questioned noting that attitudes are often seen as being important in determining the successful implementation of ICT in libraries. Training is suggested as an appropriate means of enabling staff to cope effectively with technological change. Successful training needs to appreciate that staff have different needs and so prefer different training methods. Resistance is also viewed as a natural response to change that managers should note and attempt to understand, if and when it occurs.