Distance Education Library Research Articles

Library Service Innovation as Learning Media at The Universitas Terbuka Distance Education Library

Long before Covid 19 hit the world, the Universitas Terbuka library already had online services as a learning media With rapid technological advances, the world is now entering the era of the Industrial Revolution 4.0, where synchronous learning can be done not only face-to-face in traditional classes, but also through distance education with the help of technology. Universitas Terbuka that use distance learning for their students are spread throughout the archipelago and in 52 countries. In lectures at the Universitas Terbuka (UT), Modules (teaching materials) function as representatives of lecturers for students, but since the digital era, UT has conducted online tutorials (Tuton) to connect students with lecturers (Tutors). Similarly, UT has provided electronic library services. Virtual Reading Room (RBV) and Tuweb and Streaming services. Tuweb and streaming services have a positive impact on students.

Perceived Usefulness, Reputation, and Tutors' Advocate as Predictors of MOOC Utilization by Distance Learners: Implication on Library Services in Distance Learning in Eswatini'

This study investigated predictors of Massive Online Open Courses (MOOCs) utilization by distance education librarians and drew out implications on library services in distance learning in Eswatini'. Eswatini is a small country in the Southern part of Africa where only a few studies on MOOCs have been conducted focusing on perceived usefulness, institutional reputation, and tutors/advocacy as they exert influence on MOOCs utilization. Therefore, a census of all available 41 librarians running distance education through MOOCs platform was taken as a sample for the study. The questionnaire was used for the collection of data while data collected from the respondents were analyzed using multiple correlation, ANOVA, and multiple regression. The results demonstrated that the three variables perceived usefulness, institutional reputation, and tutors’ advocacy had a significant positive impact on distance education librarians’ utilization of MOOCs and these have significant implications on library services provision in distance education and for distance learners.

Utilizing Text Messages for Effective Outreach

ABSTRACT As librarians strive to reach students and share reference content, text messages are a new avenue to explore. Although many libraries receive reference questions through text, few initiate the conversation. Sending text messages with video tutorials relevant to class assignments has been an effective and innovative outreach at Bethel University’s College of Professional Studies (CPS). Over three years, we have sent 1,099 text messages and 38% of the video links included were clicked. Students saw the message and clicked the link at a significantly higher rate than links inside e-mail campaigns, as compared to industry standards and CPS’s statistics. Text messages are an effective form of communication because they are prevalent, have a high likelihood of being read, and their content can be easily tailored. Students and the broader academic community do not expect a text from the library and it builds social capital with them. This social capital is a valuable benefit to librarians seeking to demonstrate their relevancy in a competitive information environment. A similar initiative could benefit several areas in an academic library. Personal librarians, first year experience librarians, distance education librarians, or librarians supporting student success could build relationships through this level of individualized contact.

Use of Library and Information Science Books in Distance Education Library, Punjabi University, Patiala

The Library is the nerve centre of any educational institution. Library services are essential support services to Distance Education Students. The Library needs of Distance Learners are not unique;they have the same Library and information needs as on campus students. The use of books in Distance Educations plays a very interesting role. Distance Education or Distance Learning is a mode of delivering education and instruction, often on an individual basis, two students who are not physically present in a traditional setting such as a classroom. The present study is related to the distance education department Punjabi university Patiala. For the purpose of the study the sample was selected for the 147 books which were being repeatedly issued 1858 times in the last 5 years (2012–17). The objective of the study is to know the usage of books by the studentsof library science. The collected data was analysed using ’Simple Percentage Techniques.

How Do We Market to Distance Populations, and Does It Work?: Results From a Longitudinal Study and a Survey of the Profession

ABSTRACTThis article discusses the results of a longitudinal survey conducted by Kansas State University Libraries to assess the marketing of library services to the university's distance education population. The latest implementation of the survey revealed overall similar or increased awareness of and satisfaction with library services compared to the previous survey. Also included are results of a survey of library professionals on best practices for distance education librarians. Findings include the importance of developing relationships with campus distance education offices and faculty and the need to be persistent with marketing efforts to a changing population.

Practical Staff Management Techniques for Distance Education Coordinators

ABSTRACTThis article reports on the author's enrollment in the SuccessfUL Supervisor Series course. As a new distance education library coordinator the author sought out formal supervisor training to address staff misconduct and establish staff training initiatives for distance library service needs. Structured as a case study, the author discusses how the course content was applied using scenarios that detail the supervisory situations that the author was involved in and actions taken in each situation. Focused on communication and problem solving, this article offers practical staff management techniques for librarians that supervise staff in distance education units.

Making the Invisible Visible: Personas and Mental Models of Distance Education Library Users

ABSTRACTGaps between users’ and designers’ mental models of digital libraries often result in adverse user experiences. This article details an exploratory user research study at a large, predominantly online university serving non-traditional distance education students with the goal of understanding these gaps. Using qualitative data, librarians created personas and mental models focused on users' perceptions and obstacles in using a digital library and conducting research. The findings provided insight into the research habits and challenges of library users, thus allowing the library to make evidence-based decisions about designing digital learning objects and the library website.

Distance Education Faculty and Librarian Collaboration: Developing Technological Skills of School Librarian Candidates

LibGuides, as a method of creating pathfinders for instruction of information literacy and content management has long been used by academic libraries, but has not been widely used by school libraries. This article describes a collaborative plan between a distance education librarian and a professor of school library media using LibGuides to overhaul a print pathfinder project in a reference sources for youth course. The methodology, results of the products, and student feedback from the assignment are discussed. The project exemplifies potential collaborative efforts between academic distance education librarians and school library media instructors.

The Effect of a Situated Learning Environment in a Distance Education Information Literacy Course

Teaching based on situated learning theory employs techniques that enable learners to experience a concept within the circumstance in which it would most likely be useful, and is presumed to facilitate transfer of knowledge from the instructional situation to its application to environments outside the classroom. The purpose of this experimental study is to investigate the efficacy of a situated learning environment for facilitating transfer during tasks requiring the evaluation of information in an online information literacy course. Eighty-five university students enrolled in a distance education library research course were randomly assigned to a situated learning condition or a control/traditional instruction group. Students assigned to the experimental group demonstrated transfer more often. A logistic regression analysis revealed that the grouping variable was a significant predictor of transfer. These results reveal that teaching models based on the principles of situated learning have the potential to facilitate transfer to real world contexts. The implications of this study may inform curricular decisions by providing evidence-based instructional design for instructors wishing to employ situated learning in order to teach for transfer, thus improving distance education courses in general, and library instruction in particular.

What Do They Have that We Don't Have? Local Libraries and Distance Students: Why Do Students Stray and Can We Get Them Back?

A significant number of distance students report they “stray” from their home universities by using local libraries, despite the fact that distance education librarians work hard to provide customized resources and services tailored to their programs and needs. Are public libraries and special libraries able to meet the research needs of distance learners, or are these students being underserved? This article explores why distance students may choose non-academic libraries over academic libraries, and the impact of this use—on local libraries serving unaffiliated distance learners, and on academic libraries with potentially underutilized distance library services.

No Learner Too Far: A Comparative Study of the Development of Guidelines for Distance Education Library Services in Australia

This paper is a comparative study relating to the development of global education policy. It examines the origins of the distance learning library services guidelines developed in Australia by the then Library Association of Australia (LAA), and those by the Association of College and Research Libraries (ACRL) division of the American Libraries Association (ALA) and by the Library Association (LA) of the United Kingdom. While the guidelines in the United States grew out of efforts to provide quality library services for an expanding population of off-campus college students, and Britain's perhaps out of the needs for an expanded approach to tertiary education, the Open University, the language in these guidelines would expand to meet criteria for a newer era locally. The paper discusses the various conditions under which guidelines for distance education library services originated and evolved in Australia and their influence elsewhere.

Distance Education Librarians in the United States: A Study of Job Announcements

This study analyzes the position announcements published in American Libraries between 1970 and 2010 for the purpose of documenting trends and changes in distance education librarianship in the United States. Findings include the first announced library distance education related job, total number of positions, titles, academic ranking, salary, educational background, roles/duties, and minimum qualifications.The study concluded technology skills, information science skills, and communication skills are fundamental occupational skills for distance education librarians. Only time will tell if job titles with words like “distance education” or “off-campus” will disappear the same way “extended services” or “external services” have in the field of distance education librarianship. The salient point is that, no matter how they are described or titled in job postings, librarians with the particular skill set of distance education librarians – diverse, with a focus on technology – will likely find a place in libraries of the future.

Librarian Like a Rock Star: Using Your Personal Brand to Promote Your Services and Reach Distant Users

ABSTRACT The business world has been using corporate branding and relationship marketing to build customer loyalty and satisfaction. In recent decades, individuals have applied the tenets of branding to themselves to create the idea of personal branding—marketing yourself as your own brand. By thinking in terms of personal branding and relationship marketing, distance education librarians can more effectively reach out to remote students and build long term relationships that are beneficial to both students and librarians. This article originally published in Journal of Library Administration, Vol. 50, Issues 5–6, pages 628–637, 2010. doi:http://dx.doi.org/10.1080/01930826.2010.488928.

Professional avatars: librarians and educators in virtual worlds

PurposeThis study aims to examine librarianship and education in virtual world settings, focusing particularly on how librarians and educators establish professional identity and trust while teaching and providing information services as avatars within Second Life.Design/methodology/approachData was gathered through semi‐structured in‐depth interviews with 12 librarians and educators within the virtual world of Second Life, and in visits to 50 virtual world workplaces.FindingsLibrarians and educators faced challenges of establishing professional identity and credibility for two different audiences – i.e. “newbies” and “residents” – within the “game‐like” virtual world environment. Visual elements such as a conservative, humanoid avatar appearance, and imagery drawn from traditional workplaces were used by librarians and educators to establish their professional role with “newbies”, while for “residents” an upgraded avatar appearance was necessary to convey credibility.Practical implicationsFor librarians and educators working within highly visual, graphical online settings such as virtual worlds, this study describes issues in providing avatar‐mediated online distance education and online library services.Originality/valueThis research provides in‐depth interviews and observations with librarians and educators from a variety of libraries and educational settings. The study also explores avatar‐mediated communication, which is little‐examined as yet in LIS research.

Distance Learning Skills and Responsibilities: A Content Analysis of Job Announcements 1996–2010

Archived job advertisements from the International Federation of Library Associations and Institutions (IFLA) LIBJOBS mailing list (1996–2010) were examined using content analysis. Findings suggest that distance learning (DL) skillsets as job qualifications emerged in the late 1990's and continue to be relevant today. Jobs with DL responsibilities are most prevalent in public services followed by administration. Positions focused on DL also emerged in the late 1990's though it is unclear whether demand for these positions continues to be as strong. “Distance Leaning Librarian” and “Distance Education Librarian” are the two most common job titles for librarians focused on DL responsibilities.

M‐learning in distance education libraries

PurposeThe purpose of this paper is to discover the perspectives of M‐Technologies in Distance Education Libraries. It proposes a model for providing e‐resources and other information services through mobile technology to its learners in Indira Gandhi National Open University, India.Design/methodology/approachIn this qualitative study data were gathered through questionnaire and interviews from Distance Learners of IGNOU to access the actual requirement of Distance Learners for various m‐library services in the present scenario. The study is guided conceptually by the perceived need for m‐libraries and a growing usage of mobiles in India.FindingsThe data suggest that M‐Libraries offer a unique opportunity for distance learners in different kinds of learning environment settings. The proposed m‐library services architecture suggests developing an M‐library web site at IGNOU Library to effectively facilitate m‐library services, hence strengthening the M‐Learning in Distance Education System.Originality/valueConsiderably less literature exists about the m‐libraries and its services in Distance Education. This study will be of interest to distance education library and information professionals who wish to obtain a better understanding of M‐Libraries scenario and practices.

A distance education librarian becomes a distance education student: Switching roles

A distance education librarian becomes a distance education student: Switching roles

Spatial Metaphors and Distance Learning Library Services: Why “Where” Makes a Difference

ABSTRACT A close analysis of spatial metaphors used in distance education, such as “distant” education and “extended” courses, shows how these metaphors affect the design and goals of distance education library services. While some metaphors emphasize the possibilities of growth and communication, other metaphors continue to emphasize the isolation of distance learners. Distance librarians can reduce students’ confusion and forge new concepts about distance library services with thoughtful choices of metaphors.

Assessment Planning for Distance Education Library Services: Strategic Roadmaps for Determining and Reporting Organizational Performance and Value

ABSTRACT Through a review of the literature, the author sought to identify what assessment planning practices exist in libraries, how the assessment planning process works in libraries, and what components constitute a library assessment plan. The findings suggest that, while libraries determine and report a great many aspects of organizational performance, general assessment planning (which encompasses total organizational impact and value) is not frequently used or integrated into the library's comprehensive strategic planning process, and it does not always effectively cover the scope of the assessment activities and information needed by organizational leaders and administrators to develop effective strategic plans and decisions. This lack of integration creates disconnects between the library's ability to determine and report organizational value and the library's need to provide accountability evidence to stakeholders and use the performance measurement results effectively in executing strategic planning and decision making. Using the findings of the review, the author proposes an alternative set of assessment planning components and focus areas.

Librarian Like a Rock Star: Using Your Personal Brand to Promote Your Services and Reach Distant Users

ABSTRACT The business world has been using corporate branding and relationship marketing to build customer loyalty and satisfaction. In recent decades, individuals have applied the tenets of branding to themselves to create the idea of personal branding—marketing yourself as your own brand. By thinking in terms of personal branding and relationship marketing, distance education librarians can more effectively reach out to remote students and build long term relationships that are beneficial to both students and librarians.