Information school for scientist: modernization in the era of digitalization

Abstract

The digital transformation and the changes generated in the R&D field determine the high importance of information and digital literacy for researchers. Research and academic libraries have a great potential in the development of information and digital competencies. This is confirmed by many publications of domestic and foreign library specialists. One of the promising areas to increase information and digital literacy of researchers, is the implementation of the educational function in research and academic library in the distance format. Since 2010, the Central Scientific Library of the Ural Branch of the Russian Academy of Sciences organizes the educational course “Information School for Scientist”. Digitalization-based changes in research field and the relevance of distance training have resulted in the need to process the course deeply. The purpose of the article is to determine the way to modernize the educational course in the Central Scientific Library UB RAS. The article presents the direction of content transformation of the course and the option to convert it into a distance format. Content changes suggest the addition of a number of topics, the choice of which is based on an analysis of the components of information and digital knowledge necessary for a modern researcher. The creation of the online course is supposed, will be based on the Moodle course management system. The author concludes that the updated thematic content and presentation format of the course “Information School for Scientist” will increase significantly the level of information and digital literacy of researchers. It is possible due to synchronization of the course with the tasks facing modern researchers; organization of on-the-job training, the availability of the exhaustive complex of training materials on one and the same platform, and the expansion of students’ geography.