How information professionals can prepare themselves to identify and mitigate the influence of disruptive technologies

This research aimed to investigate how information professionals can prepare themselves to identify and mitigate the influence of disruptive technologies while adhering to acceptable ethical conduct. The research confined its scope to information professionals working in five South African university libraries. The research adopted a pragmatist paradigm and a mixed-methods approach. Results from the exploratory sequential research design, which began with qualitative semi-structured interviews in the first phase, were employed to develop an online questionnaire for quantitative data collection in the second phase, thereby creating an evidence-based foundation for the quantitative phase. Both thematic analysis and descriptive statistics were used to analyse the research data.The findings showed that South African academic libraries are in transition, with disruptive technologies partially integrated, and library staff are adapting through experimentation and institutional governance. Information professionals are aware of the ethical risks associated with disruptive technologies, but their capacity for risk assessment is uneven. The level of digital competence is generally adequate for current jobs but is uneven, with strong functional skills in core areas. Many variations were identifiable across roles and generations, and levels of confidence in personal competence also varied. This research identified the unique combination of digital and AI literacy skills and competencies required by information professionals to prepare for the future challenges and opportunities presented by disruptive technologies.