Transforming Library and Information Science through Digital Learning Integration: A Conceptual Framework

This paper introduces the Digital Learning Integration Framework for Library and Information Science (DLIF-LIS), a three-node conceptual model designed to operationalise the transformation of LIS education in Nigerian Colleges of Education and universities. The framework maps three interdependent dimensions: curricular revision as the input node, faculty technology-pedagogical modelling as the process node, and the production of digitally competent information professionals as the output node. Anchored in Connectivism and the Technological Pedagogical Content Knowledge (TPACK) model, the DLIF-LIS provides an explanatory architecture for understanding how institutional policy, educator readiness, and curricular design interact to determine the digital literacy outcomes of LIS graduates. Drawing on verified empirical literature from Nigerian and international LIS contexts, the paper documents the systemic failure of existing LIS programmes to produce graduates aligned with the digital demands of contemporary information practice. The paper advances the position that digital learning integration is a professional, ethical, and national development imperative, marshals literature-backed arguments in support of that position, confronts key counterarguments, and derives actionable recommendations for curriculum planners, faculty, and policymakers. The DLIF-LIS offers LIS educators, institutional administrators, and accreditation bodies a structured, implementable model for driving digital transformation in Nigerian information science education.