Karen Wetzel and I have co-chaired the LITA Distance Learning Interest Group for some time now. This was Karen’s final conference as a co-chair, and she left on a high note: our DLIG program.
I love this topic, and enjoyed finally meeting with our amazing speakers, so I’m posting my notes here.
Here are my notes:
Keynote
Kim Duckett, Librarian for Digital Technologies and Learning, North Carolina State University Libraries
- Talked about how her whole career revolves around these issues, and shared her ideas.
- There is a blurring between “distance learning” and “traditional learning”
- How libraries are creators of online learning
- Asked how many in the room considered DL (about half), how many had DL in their title (a few), how many public librarians who deal with DL (one)
- Talked about variety: solo, as part of a team, etc
- It crosses a lot: collections, instruction, etc. some asynchronous work, some synchronous
- Impossible for one person to do all these things… too many disciplines, too many needs
- Becomes harder to know who distance learners are. Many on-campus students still use distance resources.
- Teach some classes half in person, half online
- More people are expressing interests in technology to enhance their teaching or their own learning.
- Our definitions of learning might begin to change, too.
- We’re developing more digital resources, relying more on e-reserves, virtual reference becoming ubiquitous, integration of library resources into blackboard is a HOTT topic right now, etc.
- Showed a SLOAN Consortium stat from Online Nation: almost 3.5 million students taking at least one online course in 2006, nearly 10% increase from previous year
- Recommended reading The ECAR Study of Undergraduate Students and Information Technology
- Lines between DL and traditional are blurring. Still need to meet special needs of Distance Learning Students in order to make the library as relevant for DL as for traditional students.
- A very valuable question is “where are you?” What county, country? Etc?
- Also, where are you online? Facebook? Netvibes? etc.
- Pointed out that where might also not be as important. A web savvy student in Dubai might be less remote than the student who doesn’t know how to use computers down the street.
- Pointed out that we’re seeing more and more “Blended Librarians,” a concept developed by Steven Bell and John Shank
- Blended Librarian: traditional skill set, information technologist’s hardware/software, instructional or educations design
- Showed the evolution of her title since 2004, now “distance” isn’t part of it, but still does this work.
- BL: design effective learning experience, leveraging learning tech, staying informed for colleagus, copyright, learning management systems, partnership with others on campus, creating asynchronous learning experiences for users.
- Her strong opinion: Focus on distance learning leads to better library experiences for all.
- Can change it to: Focus on distance and online learning leads to better library experiences for all.
- Many services and tools arise from distance learning work and then can be applied to all students. Showed her experience: virtual reference, IM between students and librarians, synchronous online, EZProxy, screencasting, embedded librarians, etc.
- Distance learning is a place that fosters innovation.
- How do you define DL? Some places it’s just if you’re enrolled in one of those classes. Others it’s if you’re away.
- She generated a lot of Q&A on the topic, with good discussion.
Perspectives of a Solo Distance Learning Librarian
Chad Haefele, Reference Librarian, University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill
- Speaking on his experience at University of Alabama in Huntsville as as interim head of distance learning services
- Supported 20+ distance learning students
- Some issues: his dept was isolated, away from specialists, paper-based system, limited time available for students, lack of knowledge transference, not included in course development process. Since some of students were part of a for-profit institution, those students had higher copyright costs
- Some solutions: relocated to circ since they were staffed more hours and could handle basic questions, passed out basic questions to specialists, digitized day-to-day tasks, ILL remained separate (for billing, etc), expanded coverage hours, employed local students, and formed closer relationships with other universities.
- Outcome: ILL turnaround time reduces, happier student, began integrating with course development.
- Lessons learned: Talk to the students!
- Lessons learned: Form relationships with faculty! They can recommend people use your services.
- Lessons learned: Walling off a distance learning department is a bad idea! Pointed out a specialist is still important.
- Lessons learned: Growth in online education requires more specialist involved! Especially as there are more and more online graduate programs. Also will need more librarians to help with more students.
- Lessons learned: Formalize procedures! Documentation is important. What if you go on vacation? Get hit by a bus? It also helps you improve your services.
- Lessons learned: Use technology where possible! Good for automating the mundane day-to-day work that you do. Free up time for student interaction. You can also leverage what other people have done (widgets, etc).
- Chad then moved to a discussion with the audience on the future:
- Just getting by day-to-day won’t be enough.
- Isolation doesn’t work! & will work less and less as time goes on. The audience really engaged in this topic!
- All librarians will be distance learning librarians (in some aspect).
- The drive for increased personalization will confilct with increased enrollment. More and more IM means you have to interact with more students with the same staff.
- Increased involvement in course development. Or so he hopes!
- Librarians will need to be continually educated on copyright issues. Copyright law is becoming more complicated all the time. Someone suggested The Stanford Copyright & Fair Use Center.
- Decentralized services will become the norm. Thinks the job title is doomed, that distance librarians will become more integrated into the library as a whole over time.
- He turned it to the audience asking what they thought about the future. People resonated, said we have to be more responsive.
- Someone pointed out that it’s market driven: education is becoming a commodity, and administration sees money to be made there. With such an increase we all have to be educated on the issues.
- We have to take on new skill sets or learn to work with people with those skill sets.
Distance Learning & Library Outreach
Samantha Hines, Assistant Professor, Distance Education Coordinator and Social Sciences Librarian, University of Montana
- Said her talk might be more philosophical than the previous two.
- “Rather than thinking of our users as remote, we should instead recognize that we are remote from our users.” –Anne Lipow
- Moving from library as place to library as services.
- Outreach is to meet users where they are.
- Librarians and libraries were primary users of internet early on for students.
- Asked how many people provide internet for patrons (everyone), the public (most hands), and then had a conversation about how and when this service began.
- She then asked the same questions about distance learning. Interesting discussion! Someone talked about cassette tapes!
- She pointed out the digital divide. She asked how many of us have fast internet at home. Most raised their hands. Then she asked how many of our users have it.
- Asked what the librarian’s role will be at a time when all research can be done remotely.
- Then asked if this is the future we all see. Several head nods. But one person pointed out that library as place is still an important concept and information commons continue to be important. Someone else said that we’ll need to define library as place on the web.
- Someone in the audience pointed out that graduate students, particularly SLIS students, need tech training to be ready for distance learning. They don’t think they need it!
- Samantha switched gears to our changing services.
- Our user expectations are changing.
- Reference via email (all hands up), chat (most hands up). Asked about other services for patrons. One said small group session in elluminate. In-depth one-on-one sessions.
- Howard Carter pointed out that within librarianship, most people fear being overwhelmed with users, but asked how many really are overwhelmed by a role-out. It doesn’t normally happen.
- Someone else said librarians are the best managers in the world. We do more and more with less and less.
- Asked about remote access to serials/books, audio for download, and what others are offering.
- Some good audience discussion about making content available to people who have a disability.
- The (In)Visible Librarian: point of need shifting from physical building to online realm. We’re used to being bit invisible. No one understands exactly what we do, but what we do is key to helping people navigate through the online interfaces.
- Concluded asking if anyone has ever answered questions on Yahoo Answers or Ask us Now. Not many!
- Talked about OCLC study that said the library brand is “books” and said we need to move to thinking of libraries as a service and marketing ourselves as such.
- It’s less about users at a distance and more about serving our users.
The program is still going on, we’re just in a break now, so if you want to check it out we’re in the Paradise Pier!
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