Lowering the threshold to libraries with social media: The approach of “Digital Literacy 2.0”, a project funded in the EU Lifelong Learning Programme

Abstract

Purpose

Digital literacy has become one of the key competences to ensure social cohesion, active citizenship and personal fulfilment. The objective of the project Digital Literacy 2.0 is therefore to develop and to implement an ICT‐based approach to lifelong learning addressing especially disadvantaged groups and vulnerable social groups of people with special needs. Since educational disadvantage is closely linked to social exclusion and poverty, there is a need to empower the really “hard to reach” learning distant groups and to enable them to make use of ICT. This paper seeks to address these issues.

Design/methodology/approach

The project partners are piloting a two‐step approach to attract learning distant groups by offering an attractive starting point to information and social bonding: staffs at non‐formal learning places like libraries will be trained for the use of ICT in their daily work with hard‐to‐reach target groups; they will gain competences in how to motivate socially disadvantaged clients to learn with the help of ICT/social media; adults from learning distant groups will be attracted to the places of non‐formal learning by the use of social media thus improving their motivation to learn and empowering them to participate in social life.

Findings

The project builds on the experiences gained so far in teaching digital literacy: special target groups can be attracted to learning offers by topics relevant to their daily life and offers that do require only a small first commitment to learning. Besides DLit2.0 will establish a new approach of non‐formal education with the help of ICT. Social media make it possible to provide learning offers tailored individually to the learners' needs and thus increase the learning effects. Taking also into account the new opportunities of online participation and user‐generated content, the concept of teaching digital literacy will be developed further in the project's lifetime and beyond.

Originality/value

The network develops an approach to improve the collaboration between the non‐formal education sector and the social sector. Staff from both areas will obtain knowledge and skills how to better understand the mode of practice of the other sector as well as to identify synergies and efficient procedures and to improve their collaboration. Information society has the potential to make a difference to the lives of people who often feel marginalized or isolated because of their social and cultural situation – DLit2.0 want to spread this issue to maximize this potential.

Citation

Bernsmann, S. and Croll, J. (2013), "Lowering the threshold to libraries with social media: The approach of “Digital Literacy 2.0”, a project funded in the EU Lifelong Learning Programme", Library Review, Vol. 62 No. 1/2, pp. 53-58. https://doi.org/10.1108/00242531311328168