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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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