International Journal of Research and Innovation in Social Science (IJRISS) | Volume VI, Issue III, March 2022 | ISSN 2454–6186

The Adoption and Use of Digital Literacy Among Selected Libraries in Tertiary Colleges in Tanzania.

Bulugu, Paskazia Patrick and Julius Tunsaje Tweve
Tumaini University, Tanzania

Abstract: This study chiefly aimed at assessing the adoption and use of digital literacy among libraries in selected tertiary colleges. Two tertiary college were selected as cases studies, namely, Tanzania Public Service College (TPSC) and Dar es Salaam Maritime Institute (DMI).The study aimed at examining the status of digital literacy adoption, determining the use of digital literacy on their day-to-day activities, and identifying challenges of digital literacy adoption and use among libraries in selected colleges. A sample of 98 library users were selected as respondents. Data was collected through questionnaire and face-to-face interview. Quantitative data was analyzed using Statistical Package for the Social Sciences, while content analysis was used for qualitative data.
The findings show that majority of the respondents were aware of the adoption and use of Digital Literacy, but faced challenges such as technophobia, lack of enough and supported instructions on digital literacy, poor power supply to support internet, and insufficient digital literacy facilities. In fact, the majority of respondents had adopted and used digital literacy for less than a year. The use of digital literacy has a number of benefits such as easy and quick access of information, retrieval of library information in cataloguing and classification, as well as accessing different databases to acquire relevant data and information.
The study recommends that the government and top management of institutions or colleges should make available more funds to support libraries in the adoption and use of digital literacy, allow librarians to take short courses to enhance adoption and use of digital literacy, purchase more digital literacy facilities, purchase a strong standby generator, and accommodate digital literacy programmes in college curricula.

Keywords: Literacy, Digital Literacy, Libraries, Adoption, Use.

I. INTRODUCTION

Digital literacy is a proposed umbrella term that signifies skill personnel with corresponding names used often despite some slight difference in their theme (Karpati, 2011. In educational circles, it is defined as recognizing the basics but extreme exceptionalities of the internet and identifying the digitally literate student as possessing a specific set of information skills applicable to text and multimedia information launched on the internet and set in a regular, school-based learning environment (Gilster, 1997).
User education programmes are essential for academic libraries to reinforce the teaching and research demands of their institutions, hence guarantee use of their information resources, sources and services amplified to advantage the users. The novel technology advancement channels access to easing information for users, while information skills are necessary to collect and present that information. Information workers as intercedes between users and information sources are likely to be less of a role (Chalukya, 2015). The shift of digital culture has been accelerated by the boosting power of the internet, hence digital information sources coinage is the heart of most academic libraries for the aim of guaranteeing equal access to information services and resources by users (Lawal, 2017).
Statement of the Problem