Emerging LibraryTech Skills and the Reconfiguration of Professional Identity in Library and Information Science

Abstract

Library and Information Science is undergoing a profound transformation driven by digital scholarship, research data management, emerging technologies and changing patterns of researcher behaviour. Researchers increasingly use digital tools throughout the research process for idea generation, literature discovery, synthesis, data analysis and scholarly communication. These developments create new opportunities for libraries, while also raising concerns relating to ethics, transparency, information quality, academic integrity and unequal access. This article examines how libraries are responding to these changes and argues that traditional models of librarianship centred on information provision are no longer sufficient in an increasingly digital research environment. It contends that the profession stands at a crossroads between maintaining conventional roles and embracing a new identity in which librarians function as digital knowledge strategists and active contributors to research and digital scholarship. Drawing on recent scholarship, the article identifies the emerging competencies required of contemporary library and information science (LIS) professionals, including digital literacy, prompt design, critical evaluation of machine-generated content, data and algorithmic awareness, research data management, scholarly communication and digital preservation. It further examines the gap between these expectations and the current level of professional preparedness, particularly within Nigeria and other African contexts where infrastructural and educational challenges remain significant. The article concludes that the future relevance of Library and Information Science depends not simply on the adoption of new technologies, but on sustained reskilling, curricular reform and the development of the human capacities required to support ethical, critical and effective engagement with the changing research environment.