Circle the Wagons & Bust Out the Big Guns! Tame the “Wild West” of Distance Librarianship Using Quality MattersTM Benchmarks

Abstract

The Quality MattersTM (QM) Program is utilized by over 700 colleges and universities to ensure that online course design meets standards imperative to student success in a Web-based classroom. Although a faculty-driven peer-review process, QM provides assessment from a student perspective, thereby identifying opportunities for improvement that may otherwise go undetected. While the benefit to academic librarians who also teach for-credit online or hybrid classes may be obvious, familiarity with QM also benefits academic librarians who create Web resources, act as embedded librarians for online classes, or who seek additional opportunities to collaborate with distance education faculty. This paper will provide academic librarians with an overview of the QM Standards and Rubric and will demonstrate how they can be used to facilitate stronger relationships with distance education departments, faculty, and students.