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Introduction
Libraries are as integral a part of successful distance education
programs as they are in traditional education environments.
Today accreditation agencies stress the need for library services
in higher education, and are becoming more specific in their
standards concerning these services for distance education
students. During implementation, ongoing management and assessment
of distance education programs, the library must be a partner
in institutional discussions.
Libraries acknowledge that members of the academic community
need timely access to information, as well as the skills to
effectively find and evaluate this information, in order to
be successful with their personal and professional endeavors.
To reach these goals while serving distance education students,
libraries must work collaboratively with distance education
faculty, academic departments within the institution, and
libraries and associations external to the institution.
Crucial library services for distance education users are:
Reference, Instruction, Reserves, Electronic collections,
Interlibrary loan and Document delivery, and User authentication.
To effectively provide the resources to distance education
students, library services must be accessible outside of the
physical library. Today most academic libraries use the Web
as the preferred delivery medium; however, other familiar
methods – such as a toll free telephone number –
should not be overlooked.
To more easily determine appropriate services and approaches
for your institution, first identify your target audiences.
Distance education users can be defined in various ways:
- Geography
For example, users that live 100 miles away from the institution
- Class registration
For example, all students registered for a distance education
class, even if they live on campus
- Program enrollment
For example, all students accepted in a particular program
- Location
For example, users accessing library resources without physically
being in the library
Many libraries use a combination of these definitions depending
upon their institution's definition of distance education
and on the service, or the level of service, being provided.
For example, reference departments may respond to all questions
from remote users regardless of institutional affiliation,
but only provide in-depth answers for specific users. Similarly,
due to the complex nature of user authentication in the online
environment, there is a trend towards opening up some distance
education library services to all students, faculty, and staff
of the institution.
The Association of College and Research Libraries (ACRL)
Guidelines for Distance Learning Library Services is currently
the best articulation of basic standards. Two philosophical
precepts from these guidelines are highlighted below, but
these two are no more important than the rest of the guidelines
available at: http://www.ala.org/acrl/guides/distlrng.html
- Access to adequate library services and resources is essential
for the attainment of superior academic skills in post-secondary
education, regardless of where students, faculty, and programs
are located. Members of the distance learning community
are entitled to library services and resources equivalent
to those provided for students and faculty in traditional
campus settings.
- The originating institution is responsible for involving
the library administration and other personnel in the detailed
analysis of planning, developing, evaluating, and adding
or changing of the distance learning program from the earliest
stages onward.
History
Historically, if a distance education student needed library
services, the student would be required to exercise initiative
and perseverance. The student could turn for help to the nearest
institution, usually a public library. With the advent of
consortial arrangements among colleges and universities, a
distance education program could more easily refer their student
to the closest academic library. In practice, the academic
or public library that the student elected to go to for help
may or may not have had any procedures in place to serve the
special needs of a distance education student. Even today
many distance education programs rely on their students' initiative
and perseverance in finding the student services they require
to succeed.
In the past, forward-thinking libraries served their distance
education students by mailing them copies of library materials,
bibliographies, and research guides. At the turn of the century,
the University of Wisconsin's extension library service began
serving rural residents, schools, and correspondence students
by mail. However, the library profession did not formally
address the special needs of this group until the ACRL Guidelines
for Library Services to Extension Students appeared in 1967.
With each successive ACRL guideline revision, the profession
acknowledged the growing importance of library services to
the success of distance education students. Gradually the
initiative and perseverance that was expected from the off-campus
student has been transferred to the library at the institution
where the distance education class originates. This transfer
of responsibility correctly requires the institution to support
their educational programs regardless of the delivery medium.
The most recent ACRL Guidelines are widely consulted by librarians
and administrators alike and are considered the best standard
for supporting distance learning.
Opportunities
Web-based library services for distance education programs
offer benefits for students, staff, and the institution. Foremost,
those interested in the quality of education provided will
find that there is no replacement for students having access
to materials for related course readings, self-directed personal
exploration, and required research projects. Providing these
materials, and the related services to help student access
and select the most appropriate resources, is essential. Providing
these materials electronically is a natural compliment for
those programs that are also provided online.
Convenience and coherence are two incentives for providing
library resources and services over the Web. Students, whether
off campus for the day or taking all classes from a distance,
are able to access materials from any location and any time
through a medium with which they are likely to be familiar.
Online services can be designed to logically connect to the
other educational materials and programs the students need
for their coursework. Some institutions may choose to personalize
services for specific students to remind them of materials
due, suggest relevant research sites based on their current
course schedule, or simply offer contact information for a
librarian who can assist them throughout their career. The
research and critical thinking skills students can learn and
hone, because library resources and services are available
to them, will be useful throughout their academic lives and
professional careers.
Challenges
Model programs and general resources as listed on this site
are extremely valuable for building your institution's expertise,
but rarely can one program adequately meet the needs across
many institutions. Differences in student populations, the
nature of the programs, and varying institutional goals may
necessitate adaptation of various programs and services. When
tailoring a service or program to a new environment, there
must be some acknowledgement of the costs to implement and
maintain it. Offering traditional services in an online environment
requires accommodations for staff who will need adequate training,
technical support, and some relief from their traditional
responsibilities. Restructuring units or even individual positions
can be difficult, but also rewarding. Staff participating
in these online projects may begin to see interesting connections
between the traditional and electronic services, as well as
learn how to translate their skills to a new environment.
Students themselves will also face some challenges, dealing
with new methods of accessing materials and learning more
advanced information evaluation skills. Besides setting up
email accounts and proxy settings, they will also have to
learn how to sufficiently express their information needs
to librarians via online forums such as chat and email, and
develop more advanced critical thinking and evaluation skills.
With new technologies, people need assistance not only with
typical questions about research processes and procedures,
but also about dealing with the technology itself. Help support
and technical support must both be provided in a seamless
manner. Collaboration between libraries, departments, student
services, and other institutions adds yet another challenge,
as all entities need to remain true to their own mission and
policies, while finding ways to maximize the benefits of all
the resources and talents available.
Issues
Throughout all stages of planning and administering distance
education programs, some universally acknowledged issues must
be addressed. These include accreditation, authentication,
copyright, licensing, privacy, and security.
Accreditation Accreditation agencies are addressing the library's
role in providing distance education services. While the regulations
may not be as specific as the ACRL Guidelines, it is important
to meet their spirit and be familiar with the ones that pertain
to your institution.
Additionally other professional accrediting organizations
– such as the American Assembly of Collegiate Schools
of Business (AACSB) or the National League of Nursing (NLN)
– should be consulted to determine standards related
to library services. Presently, the ACRL Guidelines are widely
held to be the best standard for library services to distance
education students. A regular review of pertinent regulations
or guidelines from various associations should be conducted
to insure the institution is meeting expectations.
Copyright
Copyright takes on added complexity when delivering materials
and services electronically to remote users. Library services,
such as interlibrary loan, have a long history of dealing
with copyright issues. Other library services such as reference
and reserves are dealing with new copyright issues as these
services move to an online environment. Recent legislation,
such as the Digital Millennium Copyright Act, and recent court
cases, such as New York Times v. Tasini, illustrate the dynamic
nature of copyright compliance; see the ARL Copyright and
Intellectual Property page for further information, http://www.arl.org/info/frn/copy/copytoc.html.
A regular review of the copyright environment should be conducted
to insure the library's compliance.
Licensing
Licenses have become a familiar requirement for electronic
material subscriptions. Whether interpreted liberally or conservatively,
these legal agreements outline library rights regarding the
use of electronic material. Licensing language, which varies
from publisher to publisher, can specifically limit or forbid
how information may be used or shared. Some licenses may try
to exclude remote access for anyone not physically on campus,
a situation that would be unacceptable to most libraries and
limiting for distance education students. Unless someone from
the academic institution negotiates for the insertion of standard
language into subscription licenses, electronic materials
can and will be excluded from certain library services and
students, see the LibLicense site for more information, http://www.library.yale.edu/~llicense/index.shtml.
A regular review of an institution's licensing practices should
insure the library's ability to make electronic materials
available for all required services and library users.
Privacy
Libraries have long viewed privacy as an essential right,
mainly keeping statistics to justify the expense of services
and materials. The International Coalition of Library Consortia
(ICOLC) has proposed statistical guidelines for online materials
available at: http://www.library.yale.edu/consortia/2001webstats.htm.
Due to the current tension between privacy and public safety,
all librarians also should be aware of the USA Patriot Act, http://www.ala.org/washoff/patriot.html,
and how this may affect the records they collect and retain.
Periodic review of these policies will keep the library and
institution current with legal standards.
Security Security is generally thought of as information
technology responsibility, however a library that engages
in the electronic transfer of information needs to be aware
of the integrated nature of this issue. Knowing the network
administrator, familiarizing staff members with the network
security plan, and understanding the institution's policies
about security violators is important. Computer security directly
effects user authentication, licensing compliance, online
access, privacy, and statistical reporting. Open lines of
communication between library and information technology staff
are essential.
About the Authors
Elizabeth Dupuis is Head of Instructional Services, University
of California, Berkeley. She received her BA and MLIS from
the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign. Prior to this
position, she was Head of the Digital Information Literacy
Office at the University of Texas at Austin and project manager
for the TILT web-based library skills tutorial. Currently
she coordinates library instruction and information literacy
programs for the university. She serves on the ACRL Instruction
Section, Institute for Information Literacy's Best Practices
Advisory Board, and editorial boards of Public Services Quarterly
and Research Strategies.
Alexia Thompson-Young is Distance Learning Librarian, University
of Texas at Austin. She received for BA and MLIS from the
University of Texas at Austin. Her prior experience working
in Interlibrary Services sparked her interest in serving remote
library users. In her present position she provides support
for librarians – at UT Austin and throughout the UT System
– who are developing library services for off-campus
users, by assisting with database design, web page design,
license negotiation for consortial electronic subscriptions,
and electronic materials subscription management. Alexia is
a member of the UT System Task Force on Distance Learning
Library Services.
Reference
Reference is one-on-one consulting offered to assist people
in finding appropriate information resources to answer their
personal or academic questions. Distance education students
are usually offered this personalized service via telephone,
email, or chat. Answers to common questions can often be found
on the library's frequently asked questions (FAQ) and lists
of useful reference sources pages on the Web. Click
here for reference resources.
Instruction
Through formal instruction services, faculty and librarians
to introduction students to the research process as it relates
to an entire course. Undergraduates benefit because they are
often unfamiliar with the reputable information sources available
from digital libraries; graduate students benefit by learning
about specialized online resources in their field. Instruction
can be provided through course software, television, video,
chat, or audio streaming. At many universities, librarians
develop Web sites tailored to specific concerns and assignments
of individual courses. Click
here for instruction resources.
Reserves
Course reserve systems allow faculty members to select supplementary
articles, books, audio files, and videos for students to extend
their knowledge of course topics outside of the required readings.
Traditional reserves systems made it easier for students to
share limited print resources. In an online environment, reserves
make it easier for students to locate appropriate electronic
resources, while ensuring the institution is in compliance
with copyright laws. Click here
for reserves resources.
Electronic Collections
The efficient management of electronic collections is essential
for remote library users to find, access, and use online information.
As the quantity of electronic resources increases, traditional
collection management tools may no longer be effective. Management
of electronic collections encompasses a multitude of library
activities such as licensing standards for electronic subscriptions,
storage of information in various formats, metadata to describe
electronic artifacts, and searching and sorting capabilities
to make the content of electronic collections accessible to
library users. Click here for
electronic collection resources.
Interlibrary Loan and Document
Delivery
Interlibrary loan is the practice of lending and copying
of library materials between libraries; the borrowing library
assumes responsibility for the library materials and copyright
compliance. Document delivery is the practice of lending and
copying of library materials between a library and an individual;
the individual assumes responsibility for the library materials
and usually for copyright compliance. Click
here for interlibrary loan and document delivery resources.
User Authentication
Authenticating the identity of a user confirms whether they
have the right to access specific online materials and services,
which is determined by the characteristics or nature of each
user such as their academic department or affiliation with
the institution. Authentication is sometimes fiscally or legally
required; for example, it would be cost prohibitive to mail
library materials to all students or legal liability would
be incurred if a library did not restrict online access to
subscription databases. As the methods for the delivery of
library materials and services increasingly rely on new technologies,
authentication becomes more important. Click
here for user authentication resources.
Associations and Organizations
- Association of College and Research Libraries (ACRL)
http://www.ala.org/acrl/
The Association of College and Research Libraries (ACRL),
a division of the American Library Association, is a professional
association of academic librarians and other interested
individuals. It is dedicated to enhancing the ability of
academic library and information professionals to serve
the information needs of the higher education community
and to improve learning, teaching, and research.
Publications and Articles
- Library Support for Distance Learning, Bernie Sloan
http://alexia.lis.uiuc.edu/~b-sloan/libdist.htm
Graduate School of Library and Information Science
University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign
This site provides an informational resource for librarians
interested in the many issues of library support for distance
learners.
Corporate Sites |
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- netLibrary
http://www.netlibrary.com
netLibrary offer a comprehensive approach to eBooks that
integrates with the time-honored missions and methods of
libraries and librarians. Its vision is one of enhancing
the role of librarians as stewards of knowledge, supporting
their crucial role in serving millions of people every day
who seek information.
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