Reframing ourselves: digital information literacy skills of frontline public library staff.

This article is based on research conducted in 2012 to discover ways to improve digital information literacy skills of frontline public library staff in New Zealand using Kolb's model of experiential learning. Frontline public library staff are the interface between the library and the general public in a digital arena which is increasingly fluid and changeable. A semi-structured interview technique was used to interview nine staff recruited from two different organizations - a Level One, and a Level Three public library service as defined by the Library and Information Association of New Zealand Aotearoa (LIANZA). Participants were those who spent more than thirty percent of their time serving the public. For reasons of finance or access staff are unable to gain sufficient digital information literacy skills in their own time to keep current in the workplace. Participants' preference for hands on learning and training by peers places them at the feeling end of Kolb's perception continuum. This article identifies the importance of using peer training mentors to provide regular team based digital information literacy training sessions and to provide workplace support after any formal classroom based training has been delivered. Continuing training in digital information literacy is essential for libraries to remain relevant and secure stakeholder support in a difficult economic climate. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]