In the Commonwealth

_________ THE COMMONWEALTH OfLEARNING LIBRARY SERVICES TO DISTANCE LEARNERS IN THE COMMONWEALTH II 0E:Io Edited by Elizabeth F. Watson & Neela Jagannathan LIBRARY SERVICES TO DISTANCE LEARNERS IN THE COMMONWEALTH A Reader Edited by Elizabeth F. Watson and Neela Jagannathan Consuhing Editor: Jeniphier R. Carnegie THE COMMONWEALTH of LEARNING Vancouver © 1997 by The Commonwealth ofLearning CIP Library services to distance learners in the Commonwealth: a reader. / Edited by Elizabeth F. Watson and Neela Jagannathan. Consulting editor: Jeniphier R. Carnegie. Vancouver: The Commonwealth of Learning, 1996. p. illus. cm. ISBN 1-895369-47-9 1. Distance education - Library resources. 2. Distance education - Library resources - Commonwealth countries. I. Watson, Elizabeth F. II. Jagannathan, Neela. III. Carnegie, Jeniphier R. IV. The Commonwealth of Learning. LC5800. Z675. Graphics: Paul S. Gibbs, Learning Resource Centre, The University of the West Indies, Barbados. Typesetting: E.J. Consultancy Services Inc., Barbados. Published by The Commonwealth of Learning, 1285 West Broadway, #600, Vancouver, BC V6H 3X8, Canada. Tel: (604) 775-8200, Fax: (604) 775-8210, Telex: 04507508 COMLEARN, E-mail: [email protected] 11 CONTENTS Acknowledgements V Preface Vi Foreword Vii Introduction 1 Michael Wooliscroft Distance librarianship: a perspective 9 Elizabeth F. Watson The distance learner, the librarian and the course development team 41 Janet Jenkins Reaching the remote student 45 Margaret Appleton Library services to distance learners: research and operational developments in a U.K. and European context 55 Peter Brophy, Deborah Goodall and Peter M. Wynne Distance learners and library use in western Canada: the findings of an inter-university survey 61 Alexander L. Slade Library services for the University of the West Indies distance students 71 Beverley A. Steele The University of South Africa’s library services to distance learners 83 S.H. Behrens and L.M Grobler Serving learners in a technical-vocational distance education programme: issues for CAST in Jamaica 93 Terrence Bobb-Semple Library services to distance learners at Massey University: some management issues 101 Celia Bockett, Lucy Marsden and Joan Pitchforth A library service to distance learners: what should the library provide9 109 Anthony K Cavanagh and Joan Tucker Initiating the first steps: the use of technology to provide library services to distance learners in the Commonwealth Caribbean 123 Linda Claudia de Four 111 Rendering equitable library services to distance learners in India: problems and prospects 135 Neela Jagannathan Library support — the missing link in support services at the secondary level for the distance learner in English-speaking Africa 155 Magnus John Providing support services for the external B.Ed. distance learners programme at the University of Nairobi 165 Judith W. Kamau Information technology and libraries in distance education: present and future prospects for India... 175 Uma Kanjilal Overcoming the tyranny of distance 183 David Meacham and Margaret H. Macpherson Library services for the Open University of Tanzania: experiences of the first year 193 Geoffrey R. V. Mmari Library and information science through distance education: the IGNOU experience 199 R. Satyanarayana Library services to students at a distance: a case study of the University of Otago Library, Dunedin, New Zealand 213 Hayley Solomon Open library information for off-campus students: the Australian scenario 221 Marie-Thérèse Van Dyk Factors affecting the provision of library services to distance learners: the Commonwealth Caribbean experience 231 Elizabeth F. Watson A bout the contributors 241 iv ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS The editors wish to thank all those who have contributed to the publication of this reader. While it is impossible to single out all the many individuals whose efforts have led to the fruition of this work, special mention must be made of the authors whose work we have had the privilege of editing; our consulting editor, who led us in the right direction; the staff of the Learning Resource Centre of the Cave Hill Campus of the University of the West Indies and colleagues around the Commonwealth and beyond who willingly made comments and recommendations that have been useful. We are particularly delighted that events in South Africa in 1994 enabled us to include a submission from that country. To The Commonwealth of Learning who had the faith to support this work, in particular Dr. Dennis Irvine and Mr. John Steward, who provided assistance, support and direction in times of need, we are indeed grateful. Without the help of the Commonwealth of Learning and its staff the idea of the reader would not have become a reality. efw ni V PREFACE The growth of distance learning and distance education systems around the world presents many new and exciting challenges for library and information providers. Enabling distance learners to have ready access to library and information services gives rise to a variety of concerns, issues, responses and developments making the provision of these services quite unique. The purpose of this reader is to provide its audience with an opportunity to become acquainted with distance librarianship as it is operated in a number of countries around the Commonwealth. It does not aim to be comprehensive in coverage. Rather, its intent is to reduce the information gap that currently exists in this sector of the profession as practised in the Commonwealth. Contributors include library and distance educators, practising distance librarians, university and library administrators. They offer an abundance of opinions and describe a variety of practices, operations and circumstances. The selection of articles was made on a call for papers basis. Invitations were sent to librarians and university administrators at institutions listed in the 1994-95 Association of Commonwealth Universities Yearbook. In addition, librarians personally known to the editors were also specially invited to submit articles. The invitation to South Africa was made as soon as the situation made such an overture possible and we are pleased to be able to include an article from that country. The response rate was encouragingly high, approximately 70%. All of the articles received were accepted. However, in order to ensure uniformity of presentation the editorial process was lengthy. The order of presentation is as follows: contributions of a general nature, reports on research studies and finally, country or region specific articles. We believe that library school students, library educators and administrators, distance librarians and educators as well as distance education administrators and planners will find this reader of considerable value. It is intended to serve as a source of information on practices as they exist and does not pretend to be a textbook or treatise on the principles of distance librarianship. It is our fervent hope that this reader will achieve its basic goal and that it will introduce persons to and stimulate them to think about a professional specialisation which we ourselves view with great passion. efw ni vi FOREWORD The Commonwealth of Learning (COL) is an international organisation which functions as a technical and professional agency to foster and support the use of distance education methodologies as an effective and versatile means of addressing the problems ofhuman resource development within the Commonwealth. Since its inception in 1988 COL has employed a number of strategies to encourage countries, educational institutions and professional associations to adopt alternative and more flexible approaches to the delivery of education and training. These approaches have ranged in complexity from the use of self-instructional print-based materials only to the delivery of courses and programmes through videoconferencing. The underlying factor governing all of this has been the recognition of the need to assist institutions to acquire the capability to develop and deliver relevant courses and programmes by distance. One of the many functions of COL, as contained in the Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) under which it was established, is to undertake and support evaluation and applied research in distance education. This aspect of COL’s mandate has been interpreted broadly. It has included, for instance, studies on the role and expansion of distance education at the University of the South Pacific (1990) and the University of the West Indies (1991). These have focussed on issues of policy and in each case have provided a framework for the further development of delivery of distance education programmes within the institutions. COL has also commissioned work on the environment and environmental education, leading to the development of a curriculum guide and related documents in support of in-service primary teacher education. On a smaller scale it has investigated barriers faced by Pacific women in distance education, surveyed critically the use of radio as an educational medium in the Caribbean, and commissioned a study on library services to distance learners. This last study was undertaken by Ms. E. Watson, Librarian at the Learning Resource Centre of The University of the West Indies, Cave Hill campus, and one of the editors of this volume. The study on library services to distance learners also impinges on another important function mandated for COL in the MOU. This is to assist in the development of local support services to students. Many institutions and

Load more