Digital Transformation

When was the last time any one of us visited a public library in India? Most likely, not in a while. We also assume that they’ve disappeared. Which is possible, but data seems to suggest that libraries are alive and thriving. Rare books, the rarified atmosphere of the library, it seems, can still be experienced in around 54,000 libraries across the country.
The Covid-19 pandemic and the subsequent lockdowns in the last two years forced us to look at things we take for granted, like everyday pleasures like reading or going to libraries. Schools and education of children have undergone an extensive digital transformation to be able to meet the needs of the young generation and their digitalized future. The digital transformation initiated by the pandemic in the basic education of the young generation, the variety of digital divides emerging and reinforced, and the possible barriers reported along the way now has cleared the way for digital transformation. Digital transformation, i.e. “a process that aims to improve an entity by triggering significant changes to its properties through combinations of information, computing, communication, and connectivity technologies” is generally taking place in all spheres of our life and affecting everyone from babies till the elderly; for sure, it is not confined only to organizations and the workplace anymore. Existing resources and capabilities, including factors such as technology, culture, practices, people’s skills and competences as well as their values, attitudes, identities and mindsets, have been considered as barriers to digital transformation.
Information management research should acknowledge children, their digitalized everyday life and their basic education as significant areas of concern. We should understand them as well as allow them to shape the education we offer in the context of higher education, but we should also aim at influencing the basic education of the young generation – for the purpose of equipping them with important skills and competencies but also for the purpose of arousing their interest in this important field, maybe even as a career option.
When technology compliments the equitable and universal access to knowledge resources through digital libraries that will definitely open up the possibility of far more flexible and coherent multimedia collections. As each generation becomes more in tune with the internet, their desire to retrieve information as quickly and easily as possible has increased. Effective knowledge creation and deployment could lead to societal transformation and wealth generation.