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Rapid development of digital technologies significantly transforms the world, and it demands new approaches to the education. Formal education systems are not ready to provide digital skills needed for citizens to follow those changes. Informal, nonformal and lifelong education become more significant source of knowledge in this area and public libraries as well as librarians are expected to play a significant role in promoting of digital literacy. The main goal of this study is to understand the readiness of librarians from public libraries to be promoters of digital literacy and their awareness about their role in this context. Discussion in this article is based on findings of a case study in Latvia. Data were collected using qualitative research methods including focus group discussions with library experts and in-depth interviews with librarians from public libraries. Research results indicated that librarians do not have a clear understanding of their role, rights and responsibilities in supervising of young people`s digital activities in public libraries. Non-awareness of their role as mediators of digital literacy together with lack of time and insufficient technological preparedness seem to create a risk for librarians to a giving-up attitude, but if not giving-up then applying restrictive mediation practices. Results indicated that active, collaborative mediation practices are still in the evolving stage. Research results suggested that it is very important to support librarians via providing them opportunities to participate in professional development programs raising awareness about their role as mediators of digital literacy and increasing their readiness for that role.

The main question discussed in this article is: how can young people, as empirical experts, inform the methodologies in studying digital media literacy? Discussion is rooted in a study based on youth consultation organized in Finland in May 2021. The aim of the youth consultation was to help researchers for the European ySKILLS project from three countries (Belgium, Czech Republic, Finland) plan a study on disinformation, conducted later in autumn of the same year. The youth consultation consisted of two parts: an online survey as a qualitative research tool, and an open semi-structured discussion. Based on the results of the youth consultation, it was possible to give recommendations for researchers of the ySKILLS research project. Most useful was information related to youth (not) understanding of algorithm-based communication of social media, which led to suggestions for an additional research question for the ySKILLS study. Overall, the analysis of the results of the youth consultation suggested that young people could act as empirical experts and advisors, especially in the planning stage of research on the uses of digital media and skills on digital media literacy. The next steps could be their consultation in a methodological sense, on how to study their age groups and what topics should be studied.

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