The old experiences of academic/ research libraries are just that; old experiences. Digging through a card catalog and trudging up and down stairs to find dusty dated books and dog eared journals are going by the wayside. What are our new expectations and responsibilities as gatekeepers of information?
As we examine the intersection of acquiring of information and disbursement the importance of academic libraries deserves its spot in the sun. The role of the academic library has two important areas. Engaging the role of all libraries is the need to organize information and share with those in search of assistance. However, the academic library tends to be more specialized in meeting the needs of its patrons. When we think of “academic libraries” are we thinking only of the library at our college or university we are most familiar visiting? Or are we thinking of the niche needs of the students and faculty who come for guidance and assistance?
To best appreciate the potential needs one must first appreciate the different types of academic libraries. There are the academic libraries found in either two year (community / junior college) or four year programs, undergraduate and graduate libraries as well as departmental libraries. Another aspect to recognize is whether or not the academic library is a research library or part of a research institution.
Currently the role of the academic library has posited itself in the ultimate location of futuristic convergence. The academic library takes the information that has been acquired and created by a limited few and creates a space where it can spread to those who are just learning (the soon to be experts). Where however do the responsibilities lie when this meeting of analog and digital expert and novice intersect? As librarians our role is to disseminate information but how do we extend this information beyond the research student to the public at large?
According to an essay published in 2007 reflecting a Roundtable on Technology and Change brought together by the Association of College and Research Libraries the responsibility is three fold:
There are three essential actions libraries must take to achieve the necessary transformation and remain vital forces on campus in the years ahead:
· First, libraries must evolve from institutions perceived primarily as the domain of the book to institutions that users clearly perceive as providing pathways to high-quality information in a variety of media and information sources.
· Second, the culture of libraries and their staff must proceed beyond a mindset primarily of ownership and control to one that seeks to provide service and guidance in more useful ways, helping users find and use information that may be available through a range of providers, including libraries themselves, in electronic format.
· Third, libraries must assert their evolving roles in more active ways, both in the context of their institutions and in the increasingly competitive markets for information dissemination and retrieval. Libraries must descend from what many have regarded as an increasingly isolated perch of presumed privilege and enter the contentious race to advance in the market for information services—what one participant in our roundtable termed “taking it to the streets.”
With this evolution of information we must also appreciate that the nature of post secondary education is changing as well. The break neck speed of new technology has not only changed our ways gathering information but also the ways in which distance learning can be achieved have changed as well. More and more colleges and universities are able to provide classes and entire programs where a student never sets foot in a classroom or has to leave the comfort of their home or coffee shop in order to access their libraries information?
The Association of Colleges and Research Libraries in 2006 compiled a list of ten assumptions about the future of academic libraries. One of the most interesting was number 8,” 8. Distance learning will be an increasingly more common option in higher education, and will coexist but not threaten the traditional bricks-and-mortar model. Throughout higher education, technology has made possible the rapid proliferation of online instruction. The “just-in-time” model of imbedding library tutorials into Web-based courses complements traditional “just-in-case” library instruction, and may surpass it in the future. Libraries will want to continue to develop products and services that scale, i.e. are easily replicated, in an increasingly resource-stretched environment.”
With the explosion of technology what are the roles of the future academic librarian?
How do we address issues involving distance learning and access?
What are the advantages and disadvantages of remote access to library resources?
Works Cited
Abram, S., Siess, J. A., & Lorig, J. (2007). Out Front with Stephen Abram A Guide for Information Leaders. Chicago: American Library Association.
Dority, G. (2006). Rethinking Information Work A Career Guide for Librarieans and Other Information Professionals. West Port, Connecticut: Libraries Unlimited.
Mullins, J. L., Allen, F. R., & Hufford, J. R. (2007, April). Association of Colleges and Research Libraries. Retrieved Jnauary 23, 2008, from American Library Association: http://www.ala.org/ala/acrl/acrlpubs/crlnews/backissues2007/april07/tenassumptions.cfm
Wegner, G. (2007, February 13). Association of Colleges and Research Libraries. Retrieved January 23, 2008, from American Library Association: http://www.ala.org/ala/acrl/acrlissues/future/changingroles.cfm
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24 comments:
I believe one of the roles of future academic librarians, is the role of being a student. As technology continues to evolve, academic librarians must stay ahead of the up and coming future scholars. How can we, as academic libraries provide information to these students, if we are not abreast of the emerging technology? Universities and colleges should invest in the continuing education of its librarians. Institutions should also conduct surveys to get a grade on how well their libraries provide services. These results should be shared with future students as a means of recruitment. It should be used as a way of promoting the institutions commitment to producing successful scholars.
One of the ways colleges and universities can address issues involving distance learning and access is to keep up with technology. Not only, do we need to keep up with new technology, we must invest in servers that can accommodate multiple users. These servers need to be expandable and upgradable without replacing an entire server, if at all possible. All academic librarians should have some knowledge of how to guide students through accessing the remote library, when connection problems occur from home.
One advantage of remote access is that it allows students the comfort and convenience of not having to physically come to the library. However, at the same time these students miss out on receiving all of the services the library has to offer. The disadvantage of remote access for universities is the ability to keep restricted users out of the system and being able to authenticate allowed users for efficient use.
According to a master’s paper compiled by Molynda Cahall (University of North Carolina-Chapel Hill, 2002):
“Over the past several years, university libraries have changed dramatically in how they deliver information remotely to faculty, staff, and students. With advances in computer technology and the rise of the Internet, electronic indexes and databases with full-text articles have become available via the World Wide Web. Book publishers have also entered the digital world by making selected textbooks and reference materials available online through subscription services. As more published materials are offered in electronic format and with the ongoing advancement of networking and computer technology, accessing library resources from off-campus locations is now easier than ever. Or is it?
Due to strict licensure agreements, libraries have the tough responsibility of ensuring that only those who qualify under the terms of agreement have access to their electronic resources from outside the physical library building. Consequently, libraries must have a built-in mechanism for governing the use of their restricted electronic resources to ensure that only persons who are affiliated with the university are able to connect to them. University libraries have accepted this responsibility through deploying methods to electronically verify the identity of their remote users and to authorize various levels of service, depending upon user affiliation with the university. When the methods work, verification, authorization, and access are almost effortless for users. When they do not, however, the results can be frustrating for both users and library staff alike.”
In conclusion, academic librarians must be ahead of everyone else, wearing many hats. Good Job H!
Sorry for the multiple posts. I keep noticing little mistakes in my comments and wanting to fix them. I think I got it this time.
I definitely think that the ways that academic librarians meet students’ needs will continue to change as distance learning becomes more and more prevalent. Academic librarians will still need to help connect students with information, but in a different manner.
They still need to work on collection development, but these collections will now be increasingly accessed through OPACs. As Stephen Abram puts it: “A well-stocked library makes the information and research assets of the enterprise discoverable.” In regards to distance education he states that “a link to the OPAC from within e-learning courses, distance education activities, and learning portals and commons is essential.” It will be up to academic librarians to make sure the OPAC is available to provide this service to distance learners.
There are also many other suggestions that Abram makes that I think will lead academic libraries to successfully aide distance learners. For instance, he talks about making sure content is visible, dealing with licensing issues, providing collection development services to e-learning developers and regulating access to online materials. These are all important ways that academic librarians can help students take advantage of their services even if they never set foot in the physical library.
Works Cited
Abram, Stephen. "Twenty ways for all librarians to be successful with e-learning." Information Outlook December 2004: 42.
I cannot see any disadvantage to distance learning except that one may miss out on the college experience. After a certain age, this no longer matters. The availability of online classes may be the determing factor as to whether one can further his or her education. With the growing availabilty of these classes, the academic librarian's job remains the same- to ensure quality and easy accessibility to all information to all students. Easier said than done but an undertaking to be embraced. Abrams says that "if libraries are not integrated into the new blended learning environment, then we will lose relevance to the mainstream of society and education".
Abram, S.,Siess,J.A.,and Lorig,J.
(2007)Out Front With Stephen Abram A Guide for Information Leaders.(p.145)
Remote access to library resources is crucial to the development of distance learning for off-campus, non-traditional communities. I often wonder what happens to those individuals who live in rural parts of the country and are separated from their libraries by hundreds of miles or those families who live without access to the internet and live in communities without libraries.
The advantages of remote access to library resources is that a person who lives on the Santee Sioux Reservation in Niobrara Nebraska can access a full range of library services by visiting the Sinte Gleska University Virtual Library website. This service provides what one would expect by visiting a regular library, except the entire experience in on the internet. One can browse by subject, course, article, Native American Collection and even links to the South Dakota State Library. This is an effective resource only if the user has access to the internet.
The disadvantage of remote access to library resource is that the user does not have the direct reference assistance that a librarian offers. If the distant learner does not have effective information seeking strategies then he or she may not retrieve the highest quality of education from that library service, which means that the user must be instilled with information literacy skills.
As more and more off-campus learners begin to use the distance learning library services, librarians will have to transition their roles even more to ensure that their academic support reaches the user regardless of where the “classroom” is located.
Roby,
I thought your comments about the advantages of remote acees to rural communities were interesting. I didn't really go over those ideas as helping people who were so limited in their access abilities by distance. The ability for people to hhave remote access from just about anywhere will I agree offer possibilities that were completely unimaginable just a few years ago. The ability to do offsite research will be an amazing opportunity for everyone. There is that unfortunate aspect that you mention about the inability to work face to face with a professional researcher, but does that mean that technology will have to open up a way for us to aid people from farther away?
Anne,
I think the necesstiy for librarians/ libraries to be able to change and shift with the, "blended learning enviroment" is intergral to our development in careers. But as Roby explained that face to face contact does count for something. In a class room it is important but in a situation where someone needs assistance I feel like the ability to read expressions lets you know exactly how much you're helping the person you're working with. Perhaps I am overestimating the value of seeing people who you are trying to communicate with but it just feels as though the one on one contact is something that will need to be addressed as time goes by.
I think it’s important to ponder the nature of rural or small libraries in general. I worry that these facilities could be ignored or neglected for study. Also, I wonder what effects their funding or lack of trained staff has on public access. Reading your blog got me thinking about just how far a librarian can reach through electronic information services. The role of the academic librarian and all librarians ventures into the realm of becoming a community leader. This profession is so valuable to the community at large on so many levels.
I love the idea of “taking it to the streets.” Reminds me of my hero Walt Whitman bicycling through the streets, yelling poems and “sounding off his barbaric yulp,” in order to get poems into the hands of people.
Distance learning through academic libraries seems to be an ever growing concern. There are so many people now requesting college material be available through online resources, for a number of reasons. Like others have stated, it could be due to lack of resources in a rural community, immobility due to physical restraints, or simply a working mother who wishes to continue her education despite scheduling conflicts. Whatever the reasons may be, libraries, especially academic, are being held to much higher standards in order to provide the same information in a new way.
The ALA website contains an extensive list of ACRL (Association of College and Research Libraries) guidelines for just this purpose. The site specifies that, "Special funding arrangements, proactive planning, and promotion are necessary to deliver equivalent library services and to achieve equivalent results in teaching and learning, and generally to maintain quality in distance learning programs." To provide distance learning resources is a complicated, active process. The technology, information, and standards are always updating. This involves time and money, and is absolutely imperative to the survival of libraries. "Taking it to the streets" is a perfect way of putting it. For so many years, libraries have been a constant service available to anyone who cares to take advantage. In order to compete in this day and age, however, it is important for libraries to take a proactive stance, figuring out what the clientele expects and what will keep them coming. It broadens the information landscape, hopefully creating more jobs within the field. It allows for many more opportunities.
As far as keeping up on the technology and resources, much research would be necessary. Trial and error would be pricey, but that's essentially what it comes down to. If one gets too ahead of the curve, the technology might be over the heads of many users, and therefore, ignored. But if it is behind the times, users may neglect the resources due to lack of satisfaction. If users are requesting distance learning resources, and they are not provided accurately, users may not be willing to compensate and actually visit the library instead, meaning libraries would be out patrons.
At this point, I wonder if academic libraries may be better off than public libraries as far as online resources go, due to funding issues.
I suppose that I'd place a few more demands on distance learners than might be popular. Yes—the academic librarian must make resources more accessible to distance learners. But should we reasonably expect that distance learners would get more accessibility than students who live on campus? That is, resources are limited, even for well-funded university libraries. So for instance, not every single license that a university can afford will permit that the journal is available electronically.
Of course, the librarian must ensure that the library site/catalog is as user-friendly as possible. Neither the distance user nor the onsite learner should be sucked into some electronic rabbit hole in which he isn't finding his needed resources. If the library doesn't collect what the student needs, the Web site should make it clear that the library doesn't have it, and should list the steps needed to do an ILL or to contact a librarian directly to arrange for some other means of accessing the needed material. One example: adding "Ask a Librarian" buttons (if the librarian doesn't already have them), among other things. See #10 on Stephen Abram's excerpted list in "Twenty ways for all librarians to be successful with e-learning." (Abram, 2007)
Also, it's unrealistic for a distance learner to expect that she should never have to step foot on campus. Even effective online courses expect students to meet face-to-face for two or three sessions. And as Abram points out, the "ideal learning approach will likely be blended—a combination of face-to-face, one-on-one, reading, and virtual learning…" Abram (2007). p. 92.
Work Cited
Abram, S., Siess, J. A., & Lorig, J. (2007). Out front with Stephen Abram: a guide for information leaders. Chicago, IL: American Library Association.
As noted in the post, distance learning is one innovation that academic libraries are being challenged to adapt to. I found an article published in the Library Journal that outlined the approach the University of Rhode Island (URI) has taken - that of the "embedded librarian." The embedded librarian is a real librarian who has been added as a T.A. of sorts to online (or distance learning) classes. That librarian helps with information literacy by giving overviews of research strategies to the students, pointing them towards the right subject encyclopedias, etc., as well as providing traditional reference help as needed. Similarly, the URI has also begun to offer virtual reference through chat clients (like AIM), which according to the article had become more and more popular within only three months of its implementation.
There is undoubtedly a lot more to catching up with technology than these two approaches, but both seem like excellent and relatively low cost ways to benefit students in distance learning classes.
Ramsay, K. and Kinnie, J.. (2006, April). THE EMBEDDED LIBRARIAN. Library Journal, 131(6), 34-35. (Document ID: 1018935241).
Dr. Hunt,
I forgot to post my citation with my response to H's post. It is listed below.
Cahall, Molynda. (2002, July). Authentification and Access Issues for Electronic Library Resources at The University of North Carolina-Chapel Hill. Retrieved January 25, 2007, from UNC School of Information and Library Science: www.ils.unc.edu/MSpapers/2275.pdf
In reading "out Front with Stephan Abram" I was struck by his comments on looking into the future as a librarian. I think as future librarians either in an academic setting or in a public library setting, we have a choice to make. We can either choose to embrace the technology and the forward direction that the rest of society is going in, which will ultimately allow greater access to everyone including those in rural/less populated areas. Or we can choose to push technology to the side and try to cling to old fashioned ways.
I believe that it is in the best interest of libraries and universities to advance with technology and allow greater access to their resources.
Abram, S.,Siess,J.A.,and Lorig,J.
(2007)Out Front With Stephen Abram A Guide for Information Leaders.(pp.136-139)
Although I agree with many of the comments above about the benefits of remote learning (particularly the comment on the value inherent in reaching remote populations), and enjoy the convenience of remote access to information myself, I believe still that there are some serious downsides to remote learning. Some studies indicate that remote students, or e-students, do not fair as well as traditional students on tests. Carnevale (2002). In my experience, remote learners are less likely than mixed or on-campus learners to gain knowledge about the full spectrum of resources available to them at a library, and suffer accordingly.
As has already been noted, because of licensing requirements and the related issue of cost, some materials are simply not available to remote learners, and this is not likely to change anytime soon. Due in part to necessity, but also because librarians do not want to “drown” students in information, remote learners are guided towards and given access to only that information that a librarian thinks the majority of users will need. Moreover, on-line information is provide in a format that the librarian believes most users will appreciate—it is true that this selection process occurs also in the library itself, but the smaller pool of available information on-line, and the more limited avenues for accessing the information magnify the selection effect. Abram (2007). P. 170. I realize that it is a necessary and valuable service to present useful information to students, uncluttered by useless data, but I also believe that standardized access to information can lead to less creativity and originality in the student’s work product, and in the education environment.
Furthermore, a remote learner’s more limited access to information is often compounded by less immediate feedback on the availability of resources, as well as on how to use various search tools, from librarians, fellow students, and also professors—who, in addition to not being able to interact face-to-face in class with the remote student, may have a higher class size due to the format, and not be able to give as much individualized feedback as is possible in smaller classes.
Taken together these negatives make it more likely that a true remote learner will rely heavily on those few resources with which the learner is familiar, and not learn about new resources and research methods that might yield interesting results. But the world is moving towards remote learning and working remotely. Remote learning is convenient and it provides greater access to information for some than would otherwise be possible. Schools would be remiss to not encourage familiarity with the medium. For all these reasons, I agree with Abram that, when possible, a blended learning environment is preferable. Abram (2007). p. 92.
Work Cited
Abram, S., Siess, J. A., & Lorig, J. (2007). Out front with Stephen Abram: a guide for information leaders. Chicago, IL: American Library Association.
Carnevale, D. (2002, February 25). Online students don't fare as well as classroom counterparts, study finds. The Chronicle of Higher Education. Retrieved January 27, 2008 from http://chronicle.com/free/2002/02/2002022501u.htm
I agree that Academic Libraries will play a big part in facilitiating distance learning. However, I do not see it happening only in the ways that have so far been named. So far references to 'services' has centered around technological advances and access to information. While these services are no doubt important, what will be even more valuable will be the ways in which academic libraries develope ways to provide human services and education on how to effectively use the other technological services it is providing.
In my undergrad at the University of Michigan I was fortunate enough to have one of my professors schedule an information session at the library. In this session I learned how to use different features the library provided that several other members of my class (even up to my senior year) were not even aware of. Even in a face to face learning environment you can not take for granted that everyone knows what services are available or that they will know how to use them. With technologies advancing so quickly, and with socioeconomic diversity it must be taken into account that some people will not have the same background and knowledge of the technology to use it as successfully in distance learning as others.
It will be the job of the academic library and the academic institution as a whole to find new ways to meet the needs of the students. In an article, "Issues In Distance Learning," it warns against focusing just on the technology itself. The focus should be on the needs of the student. I feel this point is rather important because as a psychology major in my undergrad, I have learned that people learn differently and that the retention of information can depend on many factors. In fact,this article sites a study by MIllbank (2004) where real-time interactivity like audio and video increased retention by 20%. Some would say that this is a call to increase technology to the point where audio and video instruction via the internet is the norm. However, I see this as a reason to put more effort into finding ways to provide human services and assistance remotely to future distance learners.
Sorry, forgot my citation...
Sherry, L. (1996). Issues in Distance Learning. International Journal of Educational Telecommunications, 1 (4), 337-365.
Retrieved January 29, 2008
http://carbon.cudenver.edu/~lsherry/pubs/issues.html
For all its technological innovations, distance education isn't new. In 1840, Sir Isaac Pitman, a London educator, challenged country dwellers to translate Bible verses into shorthand and ship results to his city office for grading. That makes him the likely founder of distance education, according to Michael Lambert, executive director of the Distance Education and Training Council, a national accrediting body for distance education programs.
But even Pitman may not have been entirely original, Lambert says: Norwegians reportedly shipped assignments to and from far-flung villages almost 1,000 years ago.
Online education — also known as "distance learning" — has become an increasingly convenient way to get a college education, especially for students with jobs and families to support. Nearly 3.5 million students enrolled in online classes during the fall of 2006-07, according to the 2007 Sloan Survey of Online Learning, which surveyed more than 2,500 schools and released results last month. Over the past five years, the survey found, online enrollments have grown by an annual average of 21.5%.
To enable the initiation of an academic professional specialization in distance learning
library services, schools of library and information science should include in their curricula, courses and course units in this growing area of specialization within librarianship.
Very nice presentation H.!
Jeffrey MacDonald(2007, nov. 27 ) “Distance learning’ get’s its close-up” Retrieved January 28, 2008, from USA Today
Perhaps I'm the only one, but I still think of academic libraries as serving the greater population. Of course, their primary focus is and should be their students and faculty, but I'm sure I'm not the only one who has visited the university library of a school I do not attend. Academic libraries still serve the public, though not in the same way that public libraries do. They are repositories of specialized knowledge that are can be put to use to serve the society at large in the same way that their institutions play a role in our public life. No one checks for a student ID at the doors (at least not at any academic library I've been to) and anyone is free to make use of the collection, with some restrictions. I believe that the attitude of ownership that was described in the post is basically on its way out, along with the stereotype of the shhh-ing librarian. Academic librarians are evolving from gate-keepers to guides at the same time that information science is transforming itself.
I think it's really fascinating how the acceptability and reputability of distance learning has evolved. It used to be that getting a degree over the internet and or through correspondence classes was like saying that you got it in a cracker jack box. There was little accountability and no real way to assess the standards of such courses. Now, we have all kinds of tools that make distance learning useful and rigorous, as we're all demonstrating on this blog.
Academic libraries are faced with difficult challenges in this culture that undervalues education. Funding is harder to come by than ever, this can be seen in chronic tuition hikes across Michigan. Ideally I would like academic libraries to be free of such monetary concerns and compete for prestige in the "marketplace of ideas", rather than for survival in the "freemarket". However, the issues raised in this essay highlight the fact that, as LIS students, we must base our skills as broadly as possible in our respective fields. The lesson is that libraries have to justify their existance or refine themselves for the sake of their patrons, regardless of specialization. Today's devil is in the digital details.
Anissa,
I whole heartedly agree about the need for librarians to continue to develop resources as they continue with their careers. Ti seems as though a good number of people once they have achieved a certain level or position feel that they no longer have to work or research to stay current. This cannot happen when yur job is to give information. I also love the idea of the surveys to encourage scholarship and recruitment.
You are right about the advantages and disadvantages of remote login in terms of servicing students and faculty. Hopefully as technology keeps moving forward this will continue to help librarians in adressing the needs of those who seek their services.
Nicole,
Your stating that there may be a point where the technology is just too advanced to serve a need is something that I think we have all struggled with at some point. When getting excited about the possibilities it is easy to forget just how many services that now seem commonplace but were, "scary and difficult" not that long ago. With every new advancement there also has to be training in order to learn how to use the opportunities. Each shift may not always leave someone behind but its easy to see how a few could fall by the wayside which is an unfortunate reality that I think we all have to try to avoid.
Yashmyn,
The idea that you just might be able to gain all your resources without going to the academic library seems a reasonable possibility. I know someone who is in a program that lives here but is enrolled in a program that is in Washington D.C. She has never met with a class mate and when she does have a resource that she cannot find goes to her public library. She has two small children so the public library's children's reading room is more convenient for her. But this kind of situation is the exact quandry that I mean. If her class is completely online and there are those who live in completely different states why wouldn't all the resources for their research be made available through the school remote login? Do we create 800- numbers for students that we know live far away to contact librarians if they attend our colleges and universities and need our resources?
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