Upskilling the Library and Information Science Professionals for Effective Information Service Delivery in the 21st Century Global Economy

Abstract

The global economy of the twenty-first century have caused a paradigm shift in the role of librararians, moving them from being only caretakers of conventional information resources to suppliers of service-oriented digital information resources. The change increased the demand for Library and Information Science professionals to possess certain skills that would allow them to deliver effective and efficient services. It is against the fore-stated backdrop that this theoretical paper suggests a need for upskilling the LIS professionals to render effective services for the global economy. Specifically, the paper explained the concept of upskilling; analysethe LIS profession and the 21st century, explore the required skills by the LIS Professionals of the 21st-century society; highlight some of the challenges to effective information service delivery by the LIS professionals, state some of the required strategies for upskilling the 21st century LIS professionals and discuss on the need for up-skilling the LIS professionals for effective service delivery in a 21st-century global economy. However, the paper puts forward some recommendations for training and follow-up workshops for LIS professionals, to ensure that they are technologically savvy and remain effective in line with the demands of the complex and competitive knowledge societies they serve in a global economy.