Introduction to the Fourth Industrial Revolution and Libraries

Abstract

The fourth industrial revolution (4IR) is radically transforming the roles and responsibilities of librarians in different types of libraries. This calls for a fundamental rethink in order to retool the competencies and skills of librarians to ensure that they deliver efficient services to patrons who have diverse and dynamic information needs. The digital era provides librarians with an opportunity to reprofile their competencies and reinvent themselves in order to remain relevant. This chapter documents continuous professional development by librarians in the industry 4.0 era. A literature review was done to unpack how libraries are dealing with the impact of the 4IR. The findings revealed that the libraries are affected by the seismic technological changes that are arise from the 4th industrial revolution and librarians should develop their skills to be able to remain relevant in the industry 4.0 era.

Citation

Chigwada, J.P. and Chisita, C.T. (2021), "Introduction to the Fourth Industrial Revolution and Libraries", Chigwada, J.P. and Nwaohiri, N.M. (Ed.) Examining the impact of industry 4.0 on academic libraries, Emerald Publishing Limited, Leeds, pp. 3-15. https://doi.org/10.1108/978-1-80043-656-520201010