Il bibliotecario come innovatore. Strumenti e competenze per la biblioteca pubblica del futuro

This monography deals with the training needs of librarians and general library workers. It considers the types of tasks that librarians and general library workers perform, the skills required, and the standards and expectations within the working environment. Data were collected by means of a focus groups self-administered questionnaire directed at all staff of public libraries in 11 Italian Library Network. The findings reveal the need to offer in-service training to librarians and general library workers who increasingly have trouble with the ongoing change in terms of audience behaviours, digital transformation, resources shortage and social turbulences. The results also show a preference for a learning programme – either formal or non-formal – with a strong vocational component. A need for closer relations between practitioners and educators to negotiate logistics in terms of the completion of the practical component of the programme is envisioned.