Last month, BIBLIO project coordinator Altheo Valentini from EGInA, was interviewed by Franziska Grell from the Digital Skills Map.
The Digital Skills Map is an initiative of the Berlin Senate Department for Integration, Labour and Social services with a pan-European ambition to collect local and regional know-how on digitalisation and vocational education and training across Europe. It is essentially a database of 70+ projects aiming to improve the digital skills of citizens through various ways. Our BIBLIO project is featured on the map.
Whether you are new to BIBLIO, or you are a project partner and you think you know the project like the back of your hand, the interview will surely be an interesting watch. Below, you can also find a full transcript. Enjoy, share, and let us know what you think!
Franziska Grell: What is your project BIBLIO about?
Altheo Valentini: BIBLIO is an Erasmus+ project that aims to develop skills and competences in the library sector by introducing the concept of digital transformation through the sustainable cooperation between sector representatives and VET providers, and universities, as well.
Franziska Grell: Which skills are acquired through your project?
Altheo Valentini: The courses offered by BIBLIO focus on two main sets of skills – digital competences, of course, due to the main objective of the project, but also transversal competences. We try to match and mix the ones with the other ones in order to make the training more effective.
Franziska Grell: What makes your project unique?
Altheo Valentini: BIBLIO is unique because there is a strong intergenerational component in the training. During the last phase of the project, those who follow the entire course will have the task to carry out a project in the libraries together with elder staff of the libraries, so that they can transfer digital competences to the staff of the libraries, but acquire more traditional competences and experience from them.
Franziska Grell: What are the biggest challenges for libraries and library professionals regarding the digital transformation?
Altheo Valentini: We discovered that regardless of the geographical dimension, the biggest challenge is to cope with the request of the audience and the users, so librarians really need to be trained in digital skills in order to offer new services and new activities to the existing audience, and to new ones, as well.
Franziska Grell: Thank you very much for taking the time and telling us about your very interesting project!
Altheo Valentini: Thanks a lot for inviting me. And I really think that your initiative is a very good one. Good bye!
