Encouraging essential skills: How public libraries promote technological literacy in rural communities

Abstract

Amid rapid technological change and shifting economic activities, the population of many rural British Columbia communities now requires greater development of digital skills. Today’s public libraries offer a range of digital services and, therefore, represent a significant resource for developing such skills. This study identifies the extent to which public libraries are promoting the development of technology skills in rural communities. A qualitative content analysis was conducted on technology program promotional messaging from rural public library websites in British Columbia. Results showed that these rural libraries are indeed promoting technology programs in a way that focuses on technology skill development as an emerging role. With that said, additional measures can be taken to further refine current messaging, and this study offers several recommendations towards that end.