Libraries Without Walls 4: The Delivery of Library Services to Distant Users (review)

Abstract

Reviewed by: Libraries Without Walls 4: The Delivery of Library Services to Distant Users Phillip M. Edwards Libraries Without Walls 4: The Delivery of Library Services to Distant Users. Proceedings of an International Conference, 14–18 September 2001, Organized by the Centre for Research in Library and Information Management, Manchester Metropolitan University. Edited by Peter Brophy, Shelagh Fisher, and Zoë Clarke . London: Facet Publishing, 2002. xi, 299 pp. $39.95. ISBN 1-85604-436-X. Throughout four biennial conferences, the concept of Libraries Without Walls has matured. Thematically, this conference has always placed significant emphasis on projects that demonstrate libraries' relationships to distance education initiatives, and Libraries Without Walls 4 (hereafter, LWW4) continues in this tradition. The grouping of papers in this volume—absent from the two preceding installments—chronicle the most recent directions in which this field of discourse has developed. Seven broad themes are explored by the contributors: (1) "Libraries and Virtual Learning Environments," (2) "Online Enquiry Services for Remote Users," (3) "Virtual Libraries and National Initiatives," (4) "User Behavior and User Training in the Distributed Environment," (5) "The Public Library's Role in Serving Distance Users," (6) "Content Development for the Virtual Environment," and (7) "Key Technology Issues in Delivering Services to Distance Users." The distribution of contributed papers is irregular across these themes, with the bulk of papers appearing under themes 1, 3, and 4. [End Page 338] In their introductory reflection, the editors point to several conceptual changes that set this collection apart from earlier proceedings: imposition of librarian-mediated activity has largely given way to disintermediation and empowerment of end-users, remote access to materials has become a central and driving force in libraries, and projects addressing these issues have largely evolved from proof-of-concept demonstrations to workable solutions. A careful comparison of LWW4 with its predecessors reveals several other signs of progress. On the most basic level, the number of contributed papers has consistently increased (from thirteen [LWW1], to fourteen [LWW2], to twenty-three [LWW3], to twenty-five [LWW4]), suggesting growing applicability and acceptance of conference topics within the professional community.1 More fundamentally, many of the authors in LWW4 discuss how enabling technology has affected the nature and availability of support for student research. Throughout LWW1 and LWW2, library services are positioned as foundations for educational programs by offering equitable, location-independent access to content. While this image persists, LWW4 extends this vision through the inclusion of papers on inquiry systems, both staffed and automated; for example, point-of-need assistance via synchronous reference services are addressed by Lou McGill (87-98) as well as Jo Kibbee and Lynn Wiley (62-72), and Gill Needham and Evelyn Simpson describe a library expert system and a knowledge base built using open source products (99-108). By implementing these systems, librarians' roles have been expanded; in addition to providing content, facilitating access to print- and Web-based information, and collaborating with educators on initial course design and refinement, librarians have the potential to be repositioned as active participants in student development throughout the term. A project-oriented focus remains characteristic of the Libraries Without Walls series, but the descriptive style assumed by most contributors has recently been infused with an amount of critical reflection. Starting in LWW3, research methods to evaluate projects began to be incorporated by several authors. Recognizing the importance of project assessment, many of the contributors to LWW4 also do a masterful job of describing their plans and/or current results from assessment efforts. Sarah Currier relies upon multiple methods of qualitative inquiry—specifically, interviews and community forums—to discover the needs of learners, educators, and content providers (50-61). Similarly, Julie Brett details a multifaceted evaluation scheme to collect survey and focus group data from learners and university staff (19-28). Sally Chambers and Paul McLaughlin plan an unobtrusive content analysis of questions received via the library's email enquiry service in order to refine other library services (29-39). Virpi Palmgren and Kirsi Heino complement their description of an information literacy course with the results of an exit survey on student perceptions of usefulness (197-207). As our understanding of information provision to remote learners matures, it is...