The British Library and E-Learning
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03_brindley_052639 (jk-t) 17/3/05 3:03 pm Page 13 The British Library and E-Learning Lynne Brindley Introduction The British Library is a major international research library, a national cultural institution, an essential resource for science, technology and innovation, and a key component of the UK library system. Figure 1 gives an overview of our five key audience groups (researchers; business; libraries; education; public) and a summary of the services we offer each group. As you can see, we are responsible for providing services across a wide spectrum of needs. As a knowledge institution, the support of learning through our collections and services is a core element of our role, and everyone who uses the Library’s collections and services is in Lynne Brindley has been the Chief some sense a learner, whether: Executive of The British Library since 2000. Since her appoint- • the researcher in a pharmaceutical company who orders a ment, Lynne has led a major journal article from our collection to learn about a new scien- strategic repositioning and mod- tific development ernisation programme to ensure • the businessman who comes to look at market research reports that the BL continues to provide on our electronic databases to help him write his business plan relevant services to users in the • the schoolchild who visits our public exhibition galleries and is 21st century, and that the library inspired by the historic documents on display. is recognized for its contribution to research, innovation and Advances in technology are helping us to improve access and culture. Lynne came to the BL service provision to all our audience groups — electronic article from the University of Leeds delivery; virtual exhibitions online; improved online catalogues where she was Pro-Vice- and searching facilities, etc. In some sense, all of these could be Chancellor and University Librar- said to be examples of ‘e-learning’. ian. She previously held positions as Librarian and Director of Infor- mation Services at the London School of Economics, Principal Consultant at KPMG, and Pro- Vice-Chancellor and Director of Information Services at Aston University. She may be contacted at: The British Library, 96 Euston Road, London NW1 2DB, UK. Tel. +44 (0)20 7412 7262. E-mail: [email protected]. Figure 1. Our audiences and the services we offer them. Copyright © 2005 International Federation of Library Associations & Institutions (www.ifla.org). IFLA Journal 35(1): 13–18. ISSN: 0340-0352. DOI: 10.1177/0340035205052639 13 03_brindley_052639 (jk-t) 17/3/05 3:03 pm Page 14 Lynne Brindley I would like to focus on e-learning in relation to support, but we might want to help learners to our educational programme. This programme is negotiate and make meaning from the informa- designed to support the young learner (second- tion available on our own learning pages. ary level upwards) and the independent adult Flexible study — in practical terms, e-learning learner. enables provision which is oriented to the learner, online/offline, distance/campus, con- tinuous/interrupted. What Do We Mean When We Talk Tools for teachers — online learning can also About E-Learning? bring customizable resources closer to teachers and lecturers. For example, the BL’s 21st Century Citizen website provides down- The Internet and electronic resources are loadable task sheets and resources for use in opening up new kinds of learning opportunities the classroom. and new models of learning. There are many different forms, ranging from ‘formal’ e-learning closely tied in to school curriculum or university What is our Overall Approach to courses, to more informal learning such as Learning at the British Library? lifelong learners or hobbyists using the Internet to explore topics of interest. Our mission is to: What Does E-Learning Offer Us That • Be a centre of excellence in source-based and Isn’t Possible With Traditional investigative learning, driving curriculum innovation and supporting creative teaching. Textbook-only Learning? • Inspire students to progress in order to make full and creative use of the British Library’s Individualized learning — technology can enable research resources. a more personalized learning experience to • Help transform the e-learning landscape by help support independent learning — for providing digital images, texts and sounds example, students can elect when to take a test supported by innovative pedagogy. on materials they have been studying to • Be a great place for a group visit, with progress at their own pace, or gather resources engaging displays and with sessions led by related to their own interests to build up a professional cultural educators challenging personal collection of learning materials. The learners to think big and think differently BL’s Collect Britain (which I will describe in about ‘the world’s knowledge’ that is con- more detail later) encourages users to collect tained in our collections. and build their own set of favourite resources from the images and texts on the site. Our expertise at the BL in providing support for Group learning — online learning can incorpo- research informs our e-learning strategy. Our rate discussion forums or spaces for groups to high-level aim is to be a centre for excellence in share their learning experiences. At the BL, research and source-based learning. We feel that our learning site features spaces for groups to this is where we can bring our particular knowl- share their research projects in progress, edge and resources to bear and provide some- perhaps exploring new avenues in response to thing different and valuable to learners. questions from other learners visiting the site. We also have an online teachers forum, which The unique and richly diverse materials in our includes teaching resources, information collections are something that learners cannot about using the library and online discussions. access elsewhere. We are building our online Such group areas can help learners in develop- learning programmes around this unique content ing communication and team skills. (for example historic documents or sound Virtual learning environments — online learning recordings). Building on the diversity of materi- can include virtual learning environments, als in our collections, a common thread running such as e-conferences or access to experts. through our e-learning activities is to inspire Learner support — e-learning can also incorporate thinking about diversity and cultural exchange. advice, guidance, planning. For example, in the UK, the People’s Network is planning a We are using primary sources as the starting National Enquiry Service. At the BL we would point for debate, for individual interpretation need to avoid replicating other kinds of learner and for further research. 14 03_brindley_052639 (jk-t) 17/3/05 3:03 pm Page 15 The British Library and E-Learning To draw our e-learning programmes back to our sound recordings, including photographs, manu- core identity of a research library, our main scripts, paintings, Victorian ephemera, sound focus is on developing research skills through recordings, maps and newspapers, building a individual research. A focus on self-directed rich picture of the UK’s regional history. For learning is a good fit with the key nature of example, a recent addition to the site has been research, and information literacy, relevant to recordings of dialects from northern England, the BL as a research library. Generic skills that made in the 1950s and today, charting the enable learners to think critically, deal with com- changes in the regional dialect. These can be plexity, identify problems, interpret images, texts enjoyed by academics researching language and sounds, and acknowledge differences of change or by the casual browser. interpretation, surround the engagement with primary resources associated with research Visitors to the site can use the search facility to libraries. By focusing on these core skills, our look for resources relating to a particular place learning materials will be relevant to both young or topic (and results can then be sorted by title, and adult learners. date, genre or collection). Visitors can also explore the resources which have been specially We have a rich collection of e-resources for selected and grouped thematically, including: students, teachers and lifelong learners, which includes an archive of 1000 pages of curriculum Special collections — including 19th century resources – texts, images, sound and maps – to landscape engravings, London street maps, or support the exploration of curriculum topics rare early wax cylinder recordings of song, such as English and History. music and speech from five continents Themed tours — on subjects including ‘Lost Last year we launched a new online learning Gardens’ and ‘the East End of London’. For resource — 21st Century Citizen — to support the example, maps, drawings and eye-witness Citizenship curriculum (www.bl.uk/learning). accounts chart the growth of the East End, The activities encourage an enquiry-based from the villages and green fields where 17th approach to learning and are based on themes century diarist Samuel Pepys took country such as: British origins and movement; walks, to the expansion of the docks and the Language and identity; Democracy and docu- social deprivations of 19th-century industrial- ments; Families; Utopia; Crime and community. ization. The digital images are accompanied by commentary setting them in context and Students are asked to consider a range of his- you can take part in online quizzes to test torical evidence, linked to topical editorials. For your knowledge at the end of each tour. example, in exploring language and identity, Virtual exhibitions — or you can take a tour students can study source extracts such as pam- around one of our virtual exhibitions, such as phlets, adverts and recordings of dialects, to the ‘Literary Landscapes’ exhibition. Contem- explore the role of language in citizenship as porary views and maps are used to bring to well as their own attitudes to the ways others life the topographical backgrounds to works write and speak.