How ICT have impact at academic libraries performance

• Autor(a) principal: Preto, Paulina
• Data de Publicação: 2021
• Outros Autores: Braga, Inês
• Tipo de documento: Artigo
• Idioma: eng
• Título da fonte: Repositório Científico de Acesso Aberto de Portugal (Repositórios Cientìficos)
• Texto Completo: http://hdl.handle.net/10400.22/23794
• topic: ICT; Academic libraries; Higher education; Digital transformation

Abstract: Information and Communication Technologies (ICT) are today essential in the world of work, leisure and especially in terms of communication, as these have a strong impact on life in society, on the economy and on business competitiveness. We live in a society characterized by the constant advance of ICT and young people who attend schools and universities have a very technological experience, as they have already grown up in a context where technology is very accessible and is part of their daily lives. This investigation aims to reflect on issues that arise in the context of the Information and Knowledge Society and which are important to answer. How is the use of ICT evolving in Portugal? Are we making good use of them and taking advantage of their potential? How do educational institutions deal with ICT? Higher Education Libraries (HEL) play a decisive role in the dissemination of knowledge, and should reinforce users' information literacy skills and guide them towards the use of credible scientific resources. It is therefore important that HEL be proactive with and through ICT. The present work intends to make the state of the art of the use of ICT, within the scope of HEL, in Portugal and in the last ten years, trying to understand how they perform this function, providing users with quick access to quality information. This objective is complemented by a survey of statistical data from the National Statistics Institute (INE), Eurostat and Foundation for Science and Technology (FCT) that provide a quantitative view of the evolution of ICT in the last ten years. As a result of the theoretical research carried out, some aspects that may provide necessary changes in the university context are highlighted, namely: i) there are considerable gaps in terms of human resources, mainly due to the lack of adequate training, resistance to change and lack of motivation, although the infrastructures, technological equipment and communications are satisfactory. Given that university librarians are important to the successful use of ICT, their training is crucial and urgent; ii) One must understand the rapid change imposed by ICT and take advantage of this change to evolve and better position libraries in higher education establishments, which will allow them to stop being seen as book stores. This is a challenge for all library staff and should be a priority for management bodies; iii) National support initiatives and programs are of great importance, with continued, persistent and monitored investment being crucial, with cooperation between ministries, an investment that will enable libraries to be provided with new digital resources. In conclusion, the authors - a librarian at the Faculty of Economics of the University of Porto and a professor of higher education in Porto Accounting and Business School, in the field of Information Science - feel that, from now, in the exercise of their professions, they will be able to influence other educational agents for the advantages of a necessary digital transformation.