In 2006 a group of library and information studies academics and experts from three European universities – Oslo University College in Norway, Tallinn University in Estonia and the University of Parma in Italy - began talks and consultations to develop a Master programme to impart knowledge and skills in digital libraries. The outcome was the formation of the two-year International Master in Digital Library Learning (DILL) programme. After taking in the first batch of 18 students from 16 different countries across the world in 2007, DILL has continued to train different cohorts of varying numbers in the last decade. In this paper, I identify the various stages in DILL’s developmental process following a community of practice framework by (Wenger and Snyder, 2000). Data was drawn primarily from literature including the various DILL websites from the different consortia institutions, combined with a reflection of my own experience of the DILL programme and activities. My analysis of the DILL programme is mainly based on the activities of its first two years, as I was a member of the first batch of DILL students. However, my continuous association with key contacts in the programme also offered useful observations that provided data for this study. While DILL was planned to primarily provide education for the Digital Librarian new professional, specific details of the programme also offer extensive knowledge in other areas including understanding of innovative digital services, interactive digital exhibitions, gamification techniques (such as topic maps), etc. There was also understanding of skills in knowledge management and human resource management, which are still relevant for emerging trends in modern global education and digital information environment. The programme is rich with expert local professors and numerous visiting lecturers who made DILL a unique learning experience. DILL programme is developing into a virtual community of experts who collaborate from various locations of the world to discuss and share ideas not only on digital library related issues, but also other issues that can enhance the development of members within the community and beyond. DILL provides a useful model for other disciplines where experts seek to collaborate to develop consortia programmes to advance knowledge in their area. The fast developing digital technologies and changing library and information studies environment have resulted in new competencies and skills required of modern digital librarians. As DILL steps into its second decade, the programme may be more effective if its curriculum content is targeted to evenly assess the professional knowledge, generic skills and specific personal competencies of today’s digital librarians.

1. Eric Boamah (PhD)
DILL 10 years discussions,
Milan, March 2016

2. 2
Eric was part of DILL 1 – 2007-
2008 year group

3. 3
DILL 1 – 2007-2008 year group

4.  The problem
 The research question
 Approach
 What does the literature say?
 What I found
 What I think
 My DILL Experience
 Conclusion, with some suggestions
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5. 5
 The fast changing digital technology is shifting the way
library services are provided
 Over the last decade, experts have been investigating what
skills, knowledge and competencies are required to meet the
challenges brought about by this change
 Yet an understanding of specific features of a core
curriculum for digital library education is unclear in the
literature
 The Google era has also brought its own challenges
 It is therefore important to understand the features of a core
curriculum for digital library education.

6. What are the key features of a core curriculum for
developing the profiles, competencies and skills required for
the new digital library professional in the Google era?
6

7.  Literature review approach
 Searching academic databases
 Emerald and EBSCOhost
 Web-searches
 Using Google search engine and Google Scholar
 Personal observation and experience with the DILL
programme
7

8.  Digital library education curriculum
◦ Audunson and Shuva (2016); Ma, Clegg and O’Brian
(2006);Tammaro (2007); Virkus (2008); Do (2015); Yang
and Oh (2006), DILL Website
 Skills, knowledge and professional competencies
of the digital librarian
◦ Choi and Rasmussen (2006); Nonthancumjane (2011)
Raju (2014)
 Issues with Google
◦ Baio, (2015); Google company (n. d.); Theguardian
(2016)
8

9.  The emergence of the concept of memory
institutions
 The library-based approach to knowledge
management and
 The isolation of IT from LIS schools (Tammaro,
2007)
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10. Information seeking and information retrieval
Library management and promotion
Knowledge organisation
Knowledge management
Information literacy and learning
The information society in a historical perspective
Cultural heritage and digitisation of the cultural heritage
The library in the multi-cultural information society: International and
intercultural communication
Mediation of culture in a special European context (Virkus, 2008, p. 195)
10

11.  Digital Library Standard
 Role of Digital Library in society
 Information Architecture
 Design and Evaluation of Digital Library
 Copyright and Intellectual property right
 Digital usability and interface
 Digital collection building and management
 Development and management of digital library
 Metadata
 Digitisation and preservation
 Software
 Access and usage of Digital Libraries
 Definition, History and Development of DL
 (Audunson and Shuva, 2016, p.7)
11

12.  Personal skills – being self- motivated, flexible to learning and adaptable to
changing trends
  Generic skills – relating to interpersonal communication, collaborative
works, technical knowledge etc.
  Professional skills – professional development, knowledge in key aspects of
librarianship and information management skills, chartered librarian, ability to
identify appropriate places or
(Nonthancumjane, 2011)
12

13.  Analysis of the various elements from the literature that can be used to define
the key features of a core curriculum of digital library education indicates that a
digital library can be effective when it is build around the culture of the society
it is being build to serve.
 It should seek to effectively capture, manage and preserve all digital (both
born-digital and digitised) heritage resources and to create a future digital
memory for that society.
 Skills, knowledge and competencies in culture and heritage management
should form part of the core curriculum of modern digital library education
programme
 Effective cultural communication skills
 Competencies identifying the value in the material that needs to be capture into the digital library
 Skills is marrying technology with cultural rights and intellectual property rights
 Knowledge in cultural privacy and ownership
 Technical skills in developing digital memory for the future
13

14.  Before entering DILL I was a teacher and also worked as a college librarian in
Ghana.
 A friend told me about the DILL website.
 I was excited to see how a digital library looked like.
 But I could not identify a digital library in my first year into the DILL
programme.
 I was told something was an example of digital library for the first time at a
conference in Florence, Italy.
 My class also had the opportunity to build our own digital library collections in
group.
 But there was not enough time for this practical digital library activity
 I did my internship with the Central Institute for the Union Catalogue of Italian
Libraries and Bibliographic Information (ICCU).
14

15. 15
A digital library software at a conference in Florence, Italy

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In class, learning how to use the Greenstone digital library
software to build a digital library collection

17.  I liked the Modules in Tallinn: knowledge Management and Human Resources
Management issues in digital libraries
 So I wrote my Mater thesis in Tallinn
 My Master thesis explore Ghanaian information professionals’ perception of
digital libraries
 While completing my Mater thesis, I won a Vice Chancellor’s Strategic
Research Scholarship from Victoria University of Wellington, New Zealand, to
do my PhD in the broader area of Digital Preservation and Cultural heritage
 My PhD study specifically explored the contextual factors influencing the
management and preservation of digital cultural heritage resources in Ghana.
 During my PhD study, I also worked part time as an Adjunct Faculty member
at the Open Polytechnic of New Zealand
 I completed my PhD in 2014 and was taken on as a full time Lecturer at the
Open Polytechnic of New Zealand, where I work now.
17

18.  DILL needs to be clear with the specific features of a core
curriculum to shape its digital library education processes.
 DILL can identify and define its own idea of what the
digital library concept is, and what a DL actually is. That
is, something members in the DL community can put their
hands on and say this is what we identify as a digital
library.
 The practical activities we undertook to build our own
collection of a digital library with the Green Stone
software, were very rich experience. DILL can incorporate
more of such practical activities.
18

19.  Any core curriculum DILL develops needs to include skills,
knowledge and competencies relating to capturing,
managing and preservation digital cultural heritage
resources to build a digital memory for the society.
 The DILL community has now grown to become a full
fledged community of practice in accordance with Wenger
and Sunyder’ (2002) framework. This community needs to
be nurtured and strengthened through constant
communication and sharing of ideas about digital library
education.
 Long live DILL and God bless all its members.
19

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21. 21
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