THE FOURTH BIBLIOGRAPHY
Alexander L. Slade ©2005
CHAPTER 2
GENERAL WORKS
This chapter includes articles and papers of a general nature that
focus on library services for distance learning. Arrangement is by
type of material rather than by topic.
Articles, Papers and Documents
2003
Ball, Rafael. "Libraries and Distance Education - A German View."
Libri 53, no. 2 (June 2003): 71-81.
In order to cope with the flood of information in today's
society, the author states that "no global player can manage today
without electronic learning." Distance education successfully
delivers university education, corporate training, and life-long
learning. While countries such as Australia have well-developed
distance education programs, other geographic regions have not
come as far. For example, telecommunications costs in Africa are
high, slowing the development of distance learning. In addition,
careful thought must be given to what kind of education can best
be delivered via e-learning. Also, learners must be self-motivated
and willing to co-produce their education. Ball discusses the role
of professional associations and agencies such as the American
Library Association (ALA) and the Association for Information
Management (ASLIB) in developing programs aimed at library staff.
Among the examples, "Bibweb" is a German program on the use of
online media designed to train public library staff. ASLIB's
"Essential Skills in Information and Library Work" has been
developed for new library staff. I. Frank.
2002
Gover, Harvey R. To Still Live Our Ideals. Keynote paper
presented at the AAOU Pre-Conference Seminar on "Outreach Library
Services for Distance Learners," February 20, 2002, New Delhi, India.
Available online (in pdf format)
The status of international and transnational distance
learning is studied. Distance learning leaders from around the
globe are quoted and examples of innovative educational
institutions and corporations are presented. Based on the study,
essential elements for institutions of global or transnational
education are listed. Socio-cultural based elements include:
international peace, prosperity and understanding, successful
communication and cooperation among peoples and nations,
international strategic alliances, and a culture of shared
leadership. Quality assurance elements include: evaluation,
standards, an international exchange of knowledge, Internet
access, and teaching of lifelong learning skills. Many more
elements are also listed. Next, the success, importance and moral
force of the ACRL Guidelines for Distance Learning Library
Services are discussed. The philosophical precepts on which
the moral force of the Guidelines is based are listed and
explained. J. Wheeler.
Ismail-Kaye, Nazira. International Centre for Distance Learning
(ICDL) and Services to Distance Learners. Paper presented at the
AAOU Pre-Conference Seminar on "Outreach Library Services for
Distance Learners," February 20, 2002, New Delhi, India. Online.
Available: http://www.ignou.ac.in/aaou-pre/Ismail-kaye.htm
The International Centre for Distance Learning (ICDL) is
a centre for research, teaching, consultancy, information and
publishing activities. It is based in the UK Open University's
Institute of Educational Technology. Three databases provided by
ICDL are available to the public via the ICDL website. In one
database a list and descriptions of providers/institutions
offering distance learning programmes is provided. Another
database contains descriptions of various distance leaning courses
in the UK. The third database is focused on the literature
surrounding distance education. A description of three projects
that the ICDL is involved with is provided along with accompanying
URLs. Finally, library services for the Open University's Master
of Arts (MA) in Open and Distance Education are outlined. The MA
is offered online via the conferencing system FirstClass.
Reference assistance and document delivery services can be
obtained via an "Ask ICDL" icon within the conferencing system.
J. Wheeler.
2001
Bridgland, Angela and Patrick Blanchard. "Flexible
Delivery/Flexible Learning - Does It Make a Difference?"
Australian Academic and Research Libraries 32, no. 3
(September 2001): 177-191.
The University of Melbourne espouses the theory of
flexible learning in both its on campus and online courses. New
technologies are changing the way students learn and their
expectations for the style of teaching and learning, the delivery
system, and the resources they use while learning. In flexible
learning, the focus is placed on the learner and the delivery is
adapted to suit the learner's needs. Flexible delivery of
resources breaks down barriers to learning such time, distance,
and the demands of a full time occupation. However, it does have
its own set of challenges, including problems of culture, teaching
style differences, differing educational values, and difficulties
with technology. In a review conducted by the University of
Melbourne of its virtual learning environment, academics expressed
the view that virtual classes should enhance contact rather than
replace it. The University is attempting to create flexible
learning within the campus environment as well as online, in order
to better fit their students for careers in the 21st century. The
author discusses the Percy Baxter Collaborative Learning Center as
a case study for methods of offering resources and some of the
issues involved in managing those resources, including
authentication, hardware and software lockdown issues, and
deployment of software. The academics participating in flexible
delivery have discovered that it creates an atmosphere of
immediacy that large classes usually lack. C. Biles.
Brophy, Peter. "Networked Learning." Journal of
Documentation 57, no. 1 (January 2001): 130-156.
A combination of a new emphasis on the need for life-long
learning and the evolution of information and communications
technology (ICT) has led to an increased focus on networked
learning in higher education, allowing a wider economic and social
strata and extended age groupings of people to take advantage of
educational opportunities. Efforts in networked learning have
concentrated on delivery systems rather than learning. Cognitive
and learning styles, emphasis on the student, and multiple
modalities of interaction play key roles in the effectiveness of a
program. Traditional library instruction must be adapted to teach
the information skills suitable for networked learning, just as
traditional library reference must change to include new delivery
methods. C. Biles.
Olson, Jeffery E. "Distance Learning and the Transformation of
Higher Education." The Reference Librarian, no. 74 (2001):
221-232.
Online distance learning has the potential to transform
higher education more dramatically than any of the predecessor
technologies. It opens discussion on institutionalized practices
in higher education and also raises the priority of internet-based
library services. The redefinition of quality instruction to
include interactive online distance learning has potential
importance for reference librarians as well. The history,
obstacles, concerns and future of distance learning are discussed
in the article, as well as issues related to changing technology
and guidelines. F. Devlin.
Watson, Elizabeth F. "Unlocking the Potential:
Distance Education in Small States - A Commonwealth Caribbean
Perspective." New Review of Libraries and Lifelong Learning 2
(2001): 153-169.
The small nation states of the Caribbean depend on
education to balance limited land resources. They have turned to
several options, including distance education, to meet the
challenge of creating an educational system to fulfill the needs
of the population. Distance education (DE), which does not require
that student and teacher interact in the same geographical
location, works well for a community consisting of small islands
in a wide geographical footprint. Prior to the 1940s, DE programs
from European communities were the only source of tertiary
education in the Caribbean community. In 1980s, to meet the needs
of the expanding population, regional universities began to create
distance education programs to reach students unable to attend by
conventional means. Distance Education is a major and necessary
part of the Caribbean tertiary education system. C. Biles.
2000
Heaps, Elizabeth. "Open Access? Libraries and
Distance Learning in UK Higher Education Institutions." In
Libraries Without Walls 3: The Delivery of Library Services to
Distant Users, edited by Peter Brophy, Shelagh Fisher, and
Zoë Clarke. London: Library Association Publishing, 2000,
250-265.
Distance Learning has developed rapidly in the UK for a
variety of reasons. It has advantages from both the point of view
of the institution, which gets access to new markets of new
students and continuing education students, and of the students,
who get flexible hours suitable to working part-time or full-time.
The UK government is pressing for lifelong learning at all levels
and ages of society, requiring an educational system, which can
meet diverse needs for location and time. Issues for libraries at
institutions committed to distance education include special
services for distance learners, access to materials, equality of
service between traditional and distance learners, and the cost of
the special services. Libraries must also balance between the
benefits of collaboration and resource sharing and the competition
for students and status. The SCONUL Task Force for Access is
working to assist libraries in creating and marketing distance
learning services, and also to facilitate reciprocal agreements
between higher education institutions. C. Biles.
Hoerman, Heidi Lee and Kevin A. Furniss. "Education for Provision
of Library Services to Distance Learners: The Role of the LIS
Schools." In The Ninth Off-Campus Library Services Conference
Proceedings: Portland, Oregon, April 26 -28, 2000, compiled by P.
Steven Thomas. Mount Pleasant, MI: Central Michigan University, 2000,
167-173. Reprinted in Journal of Library Administration 32,
no. 1/2 (2001): 247-257.
Distance education programs are becoming an increasingly
major part of higher education offerings, but schools of library
and information science are not offering coursework or training in
distance education services. Distance learners often access their
local public or academic libraries for their materials,
necessitating training for librarians of all types. The author
describes the educational efforts of several LIS schools and
suggests steps to create further coursework and continuing
education. C. Biles.
Slade, Alexander L. "International Trends and Issues in Library
Services for Distance Learning: Present and Future." In Libraries
Without Walls 3: The Delivery of Library Services to Distant
Users, edited by Peter Brophy, Shelagh Fisher, and Zoë
Clarke. London: Library Association Publishing, 2000, 6-48. Reprinted in ASHE Reader: Distance Education: Teaching and Learning in Higher Education, edited by Lenoar Foster, Beverly L. Bower, and Lemuel W. Watson. Boston: Pearson Custom Publishing, 2002, 122-147.
The author addresses a wide variety of current topics and
future trends in this article. The broad issues affecting distance
learning are money and ways to save it, technology and the virtual
classroom, and changing student profiles and their subsequent
needs. The role of libraries in distance learning needs to change
as well, both in the academic and in the public sector, as users
expect more access from outside of the physical building and as
the lifelong learning concept becomes more popular. Distance
learning spawns organizational issues such as accreditation for US
libraries. Electronic resources and services have become the
primary means of reaching students, with remote access to services
and being a major issue. Library instruction, which is
traditionally taught on site, must be adapted both to serve remote
students and to the demands of the delivery technology. More
research studies on library services for distance education are
needed. Professional and continuing education for distance
education support is also needed, and are slowly becoming part of
library school curriculum. In the future, libraries will
reorganize both reference staff to include more dedicated time for
distance learning support and reference services to a hybrid
support model, and possibly totally electronic for distance
learning support. To leverage money, institutions will enter into
more consortial agreements and cooperate to provide distance
services. C. Biles.
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For more information, contact:
Sandy Slade
als@uvic.ca
Page updated:
June 05, 2005
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