The article deals with the urgent problem of integrating university libraries into the research process via the development of the academic community’s digital competence. A contradiction has been identified between the strategic importance of this task and the lack of tested practice-o riented learning models that are integrated into the users’ natural digital environment. The purpose of the study is the development and testing of a model for a distance learning course aimed at developing digital competence among faculty and postgraduate students. A multi-year pedagogical experiment (2018–2024, N = 127) has established that only 19 % of learners systematically use the library’s subscribed resources, with the dominance of open web sources (71 %). The effectiveness of the developed model is confirmed, with the recorded 32 % growth in digital competencies. A paradox is identified: despite a high rating of the distance format (4.6 / 5.0), 75 % of learners express thre demand for synchronous interaction. The effectiveness of integrating Telegram as a structural element of the educational environment is proven (we have got 78 % positive responces). Persistent learning barriers are systematized, including difficulties with the search by Boolean operators (29 %) and that of academic translation (47 %). The practical significance lies in creating a replicable course model for university libraries, substantiating the strategy for integration into the users’ digital environment, and identifying areas for the methodological improvement of educational programs.
