Purpose – The purpose of this paper is to investigate what con`sequences the digitisation of publiclibraries’ knowledge dissemination and the transition to online services has, for library staff members’perception of their skills. This discussion is interesting because library staff members, by politicians,stakeholders, and other opinion makers, have been appointed as key facilitators of citizens’ continuedattachment to civil society and the labour market.

Design/methodology/approach – This study is based on interviews with library staff members atDanish public libraries. Empirical data were collected through semi-structured e-mail interviews, basedon an interview formula, and via follow-up telephone conversations. Library professional rapports andresearch literature were identified and applied as a theoretical framework in the creation of theanalytical apparatus.

Findings – There were several different explanatory models available when respondents had to articulatetheir current challenges. The first model regarded the library staff members’ lack of skills as a political-organisational issue, occurring because of a lack of invest in their continuing education. Continuing educationhad therefore become a personal matter. The second model highlighted the library staff members’ lack ofskills as an individual, library professional problem, where the responsibility for solving the problem lay withthe individual employee.

Originality/value – Several studies have been conducted on library staff members’ skills and how theychange, due to the transition to digital forms of dissemination. The present study strives to give employees avoice, which is why the respondents’ experiences are the starting point for the analytical work. Such studiesare essential to understanding the extent and nature of the problem