Distance Learning: Information Access and Services for Virtual Users

Citation

Yeates, R. (2004), "Distance Learning: Information Access and Services for Virtual Users", Program: electronic library and information systems, Vol. 38 No. 1, pp. 74-75. https://doi.org/10.1108/00330330410519215

This is a collection of nine short essays by US authors, most suited to newcomers to the field. They cover some important issues surrounding how best to use the Web for library instruction and service provision as part of a distance learning provision strategy.

Jorgensen provides a good introduction to some of the pedagogical issues surrounding the use of asynchronous learning networks and the now widely recognised shift of teaching roles from “sage on the stage” to “guide on the side”. Garnsey puts a rather dated case for teaching information literacy. Her review may not be a good guide to current best practice but may well reflect the status quo in many institutions, and the issues and conclusions are still relevant. Cannon looks rather superficially at virtual reference tools and comes to some very basic hyper‐linking conclusions. Subramanian provides a useful, succinct overview of the history of co‐operation in libraries, current US practice and areas of opportunity. Kinder argues that every service needs a dedicated co‐ordinator for Web‐based library instruction, even if a team of others make major contributions, but the evidence of beneficial outcomes is rather lacking. Germain and Bobish proffer good advice on building a Web site for library instruction, but do not address in detail why students would use it or where the main competition for eyeballs lies. Walsh provides useful long‐term experiences of developing information literacy via the Web at Ulster County Community College, which offers courses through the SUNY Learning Network. Cultural aspects of innovation are often considered more important than technical ones, so Salvatore’s look at the implications of culture in distance education is relevant. She uses an interesting and quite detailed informal analysis of discourse at a midwestern university in four classes to show the importance of building a community and establishing identity and a clear group culture. Finally, Heller‐Ross discusses the use of citation analysis as a method of assessing outcomes of Web‐based library instruction.

The main problem with this work is that it is not a coherent exploration of the topic, but rather a random collection of thoughts by practitioners. Nowhere are key concepts such as “distance learning” defined once for the whole work (or wider use). Whilst this is natural for a serial, for a presumably durable monograph it seems less acceptable. Even the last chapter of the book is still discussing what distance learning is instead of building on previous contributions. This gets extremely irritating, since each author introduces the same material in an equally brief way without adding much value.

The most disappointing aspect of the book is the lack of overall conclusions and recommendations that would save practitioners management time or point developers and researchers in particular directions. Advice from the individual authors is reasonably clear, and it is well‐founded in practical experience, but more editorial input would have been beneficial, difficult though this is to achieve. As it stands, the work is attractively brief, raises some important issues and is indexed for reference, although an entry like “viagra” is of little apparent use in this context and smacks of thoughtless computer‐assisted full‐text indexing.

The bibliographical information contained within this work is almost as fascinating as the content. Text on the cover and in the opening and closing pages does a good job of selling the work to those coming across it casually in a campus bookshop. We are told, that it is “an essential overview of the state‐of‐the‐art in distance learning!” and that it “addresses the challenge of providing Web‐based library instructional materials in a time of ever‐changing technologies”, a far more accurate description. We also learn from the included review excerpts that there is much food for thought for novices in the field, whether these are library and information staff, academics or educational institution administrators. This much, even with the order form for further copies included, is not that unusual perhaps. However, the full list of monographic “separates”, which are simultaneous publications in hard‐ and paper‐back of special issues of The Reference Librarian journal is rare, although this is clearly one of many from this publisher. Rare also is the inclusion of a full list of indexing, abstracting and Web site/Internet coverage. All of this is, of course, explained in the work, mainly for the benefit of librarians. The almost ten pages of “blurb” therefore raise expectations too highly for a 140‐page work. By all means scan it for ideas on the relatively sparsely documented field of Web‐based library instruction as part of distance learning courses, if you have free access, but this may not be worth ordering as a special monograph, and you might find better value in more solid textbooks, on the one hand, and more current, or more UK‐focused, practitioner magazines on the other.