Abstract

Global changes and the growth of information and communication technologies have influenced largely every community in the world. The role of communities in driving the attainment of digital literacy skills in the 21st century is highly essential if no nation or group is to be left behind. This chapter focuses on the various issues surrounding the attainment of digital literacy skills, the roles of the community in providing digital materials, information literacy and education, as well as the roles of libraries in developing digital literacy skills through library instruction and user education.

Keywords:Community, digital literacy skills, 21st century, indigenous knowledge, public libraries.

Introduction

The community is one of the building blocks of a nation. Sociologically, a community is defined as a group of people who follow a social structure within a society (culture, norms, values, status). They may work together to organize social life within a particular place, or they may be bound by a sense of belonging sustained across time and space. Beyond this, the community has also been defined as a social unit with communality of norms, religion, values, customs or identity. A community may share a sense of place situated in a given geographical area or in virtual space through communication platforms (Barton and Trusting, 2005). In the context of this work, the community is regarded as a group of people with diverse characteristics who are linked by social ties, share common perspectives and engage in joint actions in a geographical location or setting.

Beyond these definitions, there are communities within cities as well as within workplaces. Community does not just denote those who live in rural areas; rather, it has a wider meaning and connotation. Community is also a set of meaningful social connections in a group of any size where members have things in common. Dwelling extensively on this notion of community, Douglas (2010) suggests positive aspects of the concept which perceive the belongingness and collective will within communities as a ‘good thing’ that has capacity to improve the individual wellbeing of members. Community has emotional overtones, implying familiarity, social and emotional cohesion and commitment. It implies a degree of attachment and belonging which offers a common sense of identity.