The Journal of Library Services for Distance Education <http://www.westga.edu /library/jlsde/

 

What will Distance Education be like in the year 2002? What kind of courses will our governing/parent institutions be providing? What will library services for distance students be like? Will either be substantially different than they are today? (AND, will we decide whether these students are to be called off-campus, distance, distant, or extended campus?) Although the passage of time will (or should) bring some changes in the way in which we deliver higher education and library services, to a great degree, the direction which library services for distance education takes will depend upon the route taken by higher education in general, as well as the path our own individual institutions take.

We read constantly about various institutions experiencing budget problems, the rising costs of technology, and non-replacement of faculty and staff. Concurrently, or perhaps because of this, we also hear about the need to increase enrollment via distance technology, the need to provide better services to our students, and the need to see our students as customers to whom we must deliver quality education at their convenience.

As budgets become more restrictive, institutions are being forced to examine their academic programs, not only in terms of the way in which they deliver courses both on and off-campus, but the way in which they provide support services to their extended degree/distance students. The ACRL Guidelines for Extended Campus Library Services states that the parent institution should be responsible for providing library services to its constituency. It also suggests the levels of support that should be available to distance students. The latest draft of the Guidelines (Guidelines for Extended Academic Library Services: A Draft) is more explicit about both these areas and yet, at the same time, appears to be futuristic and broad, allowing for all contingencies, regardless of how technology and attitudes change. As now, there will be at least two philosophies governing the way in which these services are provided. Both will be customer oriented. One, however, is more service oriented --- the "give 'em what they want" school -- whereas the other places greater emphasis upon student self-sufficiency --- the "teach a man to fish" school. Both are valid approaches, particularly if we recognize the difficulties which distant students often encounter when using the library. Although the student population is becoming more computer literate, it does not necessarily follow that they are information literate, nor does it follow that they will have the necessary access to technology. Therefore, it will still be essential to provide instruction and assistance in the use of library and information resources. This will be provided via print and electronic means, on web sites and via e-mail, as well as by telephone, video, audiotape and even face-to-face.

When developing library services for extended campus students, in 2002 just as now, some institutions will grapple with the question of whether these services should be handled independently or whether they should be transparently integrated into existing library departments. The decision an institution makes will be based on finances and philosophy. Some institutions may be able to make a philosophical commitment to serve off-campus students but may not be able to make the budgetary commitment to create a new position or to provide the fullest of services. Some institutions may elect to employ a person (referred to in the draft Guidelines as the librarian-coordinator) whose responsibility is to oversee, coordinate, and manage all library support services provided to distance education students, either on a full-time or part-time basis. Other institutions may choose to integrate all services into existing units so that reference requests are handled by whomever is at the reference desk, instruction by a subject specialist or an instruction librarian, and document delivery by ILL or by a central document delivery unit.

A need for economy of finances and/or space will cause some libraries to combine all document delivery functions within one unit in the library. This unit will provide delivery of library-owned materials to off-campus patrons, as well as interlibrary loan to both on- and off-campus constituencies. Although separate statistics may be maintained for budgetary and administrative purposes, this arrangement will facilitate cross-training of staff and will also enable all necessary equipment and supplies to be housed in one common area. This plan is suggested by Bazillion and Braun in Academic Libraries as High-Tech Gateways: a Guide to Design and Space Decisions as a practical and cost-effective means of utilizing staff, space and materials, in addition to its elimination of duplicate service points within the library.

As more institutions perfect their use of interactive video and/or electronic classrooms, librarians will take a more proactive role in the classroom and will work more collaboratively with the teaching faculty to develop assignments that are feasible in the off-campus/distant environment. As involvement in developing strong courses for distance delivery increases, the relationship between teaching faculty and librarians will be strengthened. Even now, there are institutions whose contracts for teaching faculty state that they will be expected to teach in both on- and off-campus environments as well as via distance education technologies. As this occurs with more frequency, librarians will become more openly involved with the educational process. Not only will the increase in distance education bring about greater collaboration between library and teaching faculty, it will bring about greater collaboration among institutions, as evidenced by the forthcoming Western Governors University (http://www.westgov.org/SMART/VU/VU.HTML). This may, in turn, lead to more collaboration between libraries serving students studying at a distance.

As one who has been worked with the non-traditional off-campus/distance education population for nine years, I am excited by the prospect that more institutions may begin to accept their responsibility with regard to providing library services to distant students. As I look ahead, I see a scenario for the future that resembles that which occurs each time the baby boomers enter a new phase of life; that is, if there is not a suitable solution to a problem, or a strong infrastructure existent, the baby boomers find a new way to deal with issues. The elders have always benefited from the changes that the boomers have made. Similarly, those of us already involved in providing library services to distant students will benefit from the ideas of those who are just newly involved. I herald the new visions which will be offered up by my current and future colleagues.

References

"ACRL Guidelines for Extended Campus Library Services." College & Research Libraries News 51, no. 4 (1990): 353-5.
[also available at http://ecuvax.cis.ecu.edu/~lbshouse/guide.htm]

"Guidelines for Extended Academic Library Services: a Draft. (revising the 1990 guidelines). College & Research Libraries News 58, no.2 (1997): 98+

Bazillion, Richard and Connie Braun. Academic Libraries as High-Tech Gateways: a Guide to Design and Space Decisions. Chicago: American Library Association, 1995.

Author:

Gloria Lebowitz
formerly Extended Campus Library Services Librarian at the University of Northern Colorado)
E-mail: glebow@westga.edu

Gloria Lebowitz was the Manager of the Extended Campus Library Services Department at the University of Northern Colorado from 1991-1997. In 1995 the North Central Accreditation Agency cited this program as one of the ten strengths of the University. Lebowitz has worked specifically with off-campus/distance education students since 1988, when she became the regional librarian for Central Michigan University's southeastern programs. Her previous positions included those in public and community college libraries. Lebowitz has been active professionally in ACRL's Extended Campus Library Services Section and recently completed a term as the Chair of the ECLSS Statistics Committee. She has presented papers at Central Michigan University's Off-Campus Library Conferences, at NUCEA and at Kansas State University's Quality in Off-Campus Credit Programs Conference. The July 1997 issue of the Journal of Academic Librarianship will include an article titled "Library Services to Distant Students: An Equity Issue."