Introduction
The prevalent use of the Internet and new Information and Communication Technologies (ICTs) have revolutionized how information is generated and disseminated, providing enormous pedagogical opportunities that were not previously possible (Russell, 2008). Acquiring ICT skills and related competencies can help manage this technological revolution. In the information era, issues of information organization, access, storage, retrieval, and evaluation have become an urgent necessityies in the society in wehich arwe living ine, which is described as “the information society”. Addressing issues related to this society, such as information literacy, skills, and competencies, and designing how they can be best integrated into the process of learning have become a matter of significance (Li, 2007).
Libraries, described as information and knowledge organizations, have faced a significant technological growth, which led to the automation of library systems and then the emergence of digital libraries that require many of the skills and appropriate related competencies. “Library staff was keenly aware of the changing environment throughout libraries, particularly academic libraries, and as such, ultimately understood the need to enhance skills in order to meet the demands of our users” (Smith, Hurd and Schmidt, 2013, p. 17). The varying and changing teaching and learning environment requires increasing sustenance from library and information institutions (Russell, 2008). University library and information professionals have realized the importance of information literacy and have attempted to address these issues, focusing on making the information literacy as an integral part of the academic curriculum, helping students manage their study in the university, and also later, in their careers (Li, 2007).
Thus, this study comes as a survey, exploring the Digital Information Literacy (DIL) among one of university libraries and information professionals belonging to one of the Egyptian universities called South Valley University (SVU), which is located in southern Egypt. Digital literacy, as stated by Bell and Shank (2008), is “T0he awareness, attitude, and ability of individuals to appropriately use digital tools and facilities to identify, access, manage, integrate, evaluate, analyze, and synthesize digital resources, construct new knowledge, create media expressions, and communicate with others, in the context of specific life situations, in order to enable constructive social action; and to reflect upon this process” (Martin and Grudziecki, 2006, p. 255). The most essential aspect of the digital literacy lies in its ability to make informed judgments about what is found online (Maharana and Mishra (2007).

Purpose and significance of the study
The key purpose of this study is to explore DIL possessed by SVU library and information professionals. It also tries to identify the various types of DIL and to find out any constraints affecting the related skills and competencies of those professionals. Any findings from this study may serve as a noteworthy reference that can benefit university authorities, academic library and information professionals, specialists, educators, experts and policymakers in establishing strategic decisions for making the library services much better. Such findings may also contribute to understanding the new and challenging role of university libraries in the digital era, particularly in the developing countries.

Statement of the problem
Academic library professionals have played a very significant role in supporting research, as well as teaching and learning, among university instructors and students. Due to the link of the academic libraries’ role with the skills and competencies of their library staff, this study emerged to investigate DIL among SVU library and information professionals in response to the demands of the digital information society and to the new changes emerged in the area of the sources, operations, functions and services of the library. Being library educators, information disseminators and service facilitators, SVU library and information professionals need to be adapted to this society, as well as adjusting attitudes to meet the emerging challenges faced by their libraries, as well as their patrons, particularly in the digital era.