ISSN : 2466-2542
Digital citizenship includes an evolving set of knowledge and skills related to effectively and ethically using technology, especially when interacting with other people, information, and media in the online context. As public libraries have long provided access to and training with a variety of technologies, this study explores how digital citizenship has been covered in public library programming to identify potential trends and best practices. A purposive sampling of public library recipients of the American Library Association (ALA) and Information Today Inc.’s Library of the Future Award over the past 11 years (2013-2023) identified 7 case libraries to review. The titles and descriptions of 337 relevant library programs for audiences of school-aged children(5 years old and up) to seniors were collected for a 2-month period from each library’s website and analyzed using Ribble & Parks (2019) 9 elements of digital citizenship. The findings suggest that programming related to digital citizenship most often addresses themes connected to digital access and digital fluency through coverage of topics related to computer and technology use. Based on themes and examples from the findings, public libraries are encouraged to expand upon existing programs to integrate all elements of digital citizenship, strive for inclusive and accessible digital citizenship education for all ages, and leverage resources and expertise from relevant stakeholders and community partnerships.