Serving Utah’s Online and Distance Learners Carol Hansen – Weber State University Sally Patrick – Emporia/SLIM, WSU & Eccles Eve Tallman – Grand County Public ULA May 9, 2003

Welcome and Introductions Carol Hansen Weber State Sally Patrick Emporia/SLIM, Weber State and Eccles Eve Tallman Grand County Public Library Participants…

Purpose of Session To provide public and academic librarians with an opportunity to brainstorm and share ideas on how we can best work together To plan and implement effective library services that best meet the needs of online and distance learners Short presentations followed by group discussion and brainstorming session Outcomes will include action items for each of us!

ACRL Guidelines Newly revised Handout provided What these mean for Academic libraries Students and faculty Public libraries

Issues and Perspectives for Academic Libraries Issues and impacts Growing student body Online may be on campus, or not Needs More staff, this is an “add on” most places Perspectives equitable vs. equivalent Planning and documentation Better communication among libraries equals better services for faculty and students. ACRL Guidelines help!

Services for Online and Distance Faculty and Students

Perspectives of a Successful Virtual Learning Environment Opportunities & Responsibilities For students For faculty User centered mindset Information literacy a goal for all Equivalent services to achieve equivalent results Distance education is a valid professional specialization-not an add on

Issues Equitable access and resources Diversity of users in distributed environment Tailored content development in virtual environment Overcoming technological challenges Strategic planning for how to service & budget for distance learners Including faculty, staff, students, administration & stakeholders

Needs Educating the faculty AND the students Access & support from technology and electronic resources & services More personalized services Proactive planning and promotion LOTS of communication & collaboration among: Supporting administrations & libraries Computing personnel Faculty Stakeholders including crucial public libraries

Distance Learners and Public Libraries

Distance Learners and Public Libraries - Issues Are students well educated about libraries and research? Is the public librarian the student’s only point of contact for information? Are public library staff and resources used to unfair advantage? How can public librarians reach & teach remote learners more effectively?

Public Library - Impacts Students in remote communities may be more comfortable using publics Scheduling burden for proctors Students taking online examinations tie up computers for hours Off-campus programs contract with local libraries Heavy burden on ILL and acquisitions for texts

Public Library - Needs Policies regarding proctors and impact on staff PR campaign to attract distance learners to library resources Accountability for information literacy in post-secondary education Outreach by academic library community

Public Library - Perspectives Students are “under the radar” of public library staff Students are unfamiliar with PIONEER or other resources Students are not required or encouraged to use the library by professors Students try to access on-campus database but give up if unsuccessful Standards in off campus services vary widely between schools

Small Group Discussion Get into groups of 3-4 Mix it up! Make sure there are more than one type of library represented in your group (public and academic) Select a recorder and a presenter

Small Group Discussion How can public and academic librarians best work together to meet the needs of distance learners? What are the biggest problems? How do you plan for meeting the needs of this group at your institution? What are the opportunities, what are the barriers? What has worked well for your library? For your patrons (students or faculty)? If you could set two goals/action items to better meet the needs distance learners, what would they be?

Group Presentations Each group will present one or two ideas or actions

Action Items and Next Steps Possible future steps for ULA UALC Utah System of Higher Education Board of Regents Other local areas…

In Conclusion Thanks for your participation We hope this opportunity to brainstorm with other librarians has helped you to Broaden your perspective and Set new goals for improving, library services for online and distance learners!

Handouts… Go to Click on Standards and Guidelines