The essence and significance of informal education for library specialists

In the modern world, the unity of formal, nonformal and informal education affects the success of professional activities of library staff. Informal education plays a significant role in the society, as it includes all possible branches of knowledge and provides an opportunity for the full development of a person and a specialist. The essential characteristic of informal education is the individual cognitive activity of a person. The article actualizes the problem of implementing informal education in the context of continuing education of library specialists. The pros and cons of informal education are considered, the psychological features of informal education and methods of overcoming emerging psychological barriers in its implementation are described. Social media is one of the methods of obtaining informal education, which allows users to get the necessary information in an accessible, capacious and clear form. The Instagram profile «Library Journalism» is an example of the informal education of library specialists through social media. It is noted that such online assistants for library specialists contribute to the development of multi-level education, which leads to the creative self-realization of librarians, their professional, intellectual and cultural improvement. The results of the study can find practical application in the implementation of informal education using an online methodological resource both in relation to the training of students of the library specialty and in relation to improving the competence of library practitioners. 

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