There is the story of the shoe manufacturer who sent his two sons to the Mediterranean to scout out new markets." One wired back: "No point in staying on. No one here wears shoes." The other son wired back: "Terrific opportunities. Thousands still without shoes." Who do you think eventually took over the business? The moral of this story is that entrepreneurs have a tendency to create their own opportunities.
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In August of 1997, a group of public service librarians at the University of Texas at El Paso (including the Associate University Librarian for Public Services) held a series of meetings with staff from the University's Office of Technology Planning and Distance Learning. The purpose of these meetings was to begin developing the library services that would support the proposed distance education program at UT El Paso. This program was designed to support parts of a master plan for the University of Texas System. This article documents the methods, procedures, concepts, and resources that were utilized to develop library services in support of distance education.
Background
UT Master Plan
In 1996, the University of Texas System hired Andersen Consulting to conduct a study on information technology within the System. The study, which took six months to complete, resulted in a set of information technology strategic initiatives among and between component institutions. The Chancellor organized a Master Plan Organization (MPO) that would address the recommendations by the consulting firm.
The main recommendation was that the UT System "should create a unit of UT System Administration with the vision of establishing a state-of-the-art worldwide presence for the University of Texas System components (The University of Texas TeleCampus)." Another recommendation was that "The UT TeleCampus should facilitate high quality distance education student services that are equal to those provided by component institutions for on-campus students."
The report from the MPO included statements and recommendations about student support services. Learning resources were mentioned among the other traditional academic services. Part of the statement reads as follows:
"A critical part of any university learning experience is library access, and the distance education experience is no different. However, this access has proven to be one of the more difficult distance education problems to date. The UT System components have an advantage over some other university systems in that they have already made great strides in providing on- line library services. In the future, a distance education student admitted to a component campus will have access to the composite library resources of the UT System. Through a student's local public library or high school and UTCat, students will be able to identify and download original documents through the Internet. For documents that are unavailable electronically, fax machines and the U.S. Mail will provide delivery of needed materials. Over time, however, more must be done to provide on-line, asynchronous library access." (Master Plan)
Distance Learning at UTEP
The Office of Technology Planning and Distance Learning made its vision public in a document titled "Distance Learning At the University of Texas at El Paso: Yesterday, Today and Tomorrow: A Strategic Business Development Plan, 1996-1999." It is in this document that UTEP described its market niche as follows:
The "Business Plan" also summarized the achievements of the Office for Technology Planning and Distance Learning during its first year on campus. These included: 1) development of policies and procedures for the coordination of distance learning resources; 2) creation of a Web presence; 3) outreach to academic colleges and departments; 4) cultivation of key educational and community institutions and organizations; and 5) upgrading and expanding the availability and use of distance learning facilities at UTEP.
The University plans to begin offering its first set of courses during the Spring of 1998. It would deliver these to Ft. Bliss (an Army base located in El Paso), the Universidad Autonoma de Ciudad Juarez (UACJ) northern Mexico university consortium and the school districts of the region. It also planned to develop and pilot-test course offerings in partnership with the new UT- TeleCampus. Courses in nursing, business, education, the liberal arts, engineering, and the sciences and technical areas would be offered. (Distance Learning..., 1997)
Strategic Goals for Library
At the same time that strategic initiatives were being developed for distance education, the UTEP Library was undergoing strategic planning. Among the Library's strategic initiatives, six statements were developed that would affect support for distance learning. These statements had to do with support for distance education, support for instruction, and on-line access. These are the strategic statements that relate to distance education:
Information Services Team
The implementation of new electronic products and services became critical to the support of distance learning. In the early summer of 1997, the Library Director asked a group of department heads the following question: "Which individual or what unit in this library can I go to when I receive another ad or announcement about a new electronic product? How do we ensure that new developments in electronic products or services do not fall through the cracks at this library?" Some of the librarians present at that meeting were of the opinion that an individual should be named to oversee the important function of coordinating the review of new products and services. Other librarians thought that a team approach would be more appropriate. After some discussion and even some debate, the team approach was adopted and an Information Services Team was formed. It consisted of The Electronic Resources Coordination Librarian, who would be the team leader, and a representative from each of the following units: Library Systems, Public Services, Technical Services, plus subject specialists (as needed). This approach was influenced by an article written by Carolyn M. Gray on a systems concept for information delivery (Gray, 1995).
Standards for Library Services to Distance Learners
There are important academic accreditation and library standards considerations in planning library services for distance education. At UTEP, we knew that we had to conform to Southern Association for Colleges and Schools (SACS) accreditation standards that cover off- campus programs. The SACS states in section 5.22.-a, which deals with services, that "Each institution must ensure that all students and faculty members have access to a broad range of learning resources to support its purpose and programs at both primary and distance learning sites." (Southern Association..., 1996)
In terms of library standards, the UTEP Library also conforms to ACRL's Guidelines for Extended Campus Library Services. The guidelines state that:
"The parent institution is responsible for providing support which addresses the information needs of its extended campus programs. This support should provide library service to the extended campus community equitable with that provided to the on-campus community. The library has primary responsibility for identifying, developing, coordinating, and providing library resources and services which address the information needs of the extended campus community." (ACRL,1990)
http://ecuvax.cis.ecu.edu/~lbshouse/guide.htm
The Guidelines address the issues of management, finances, personnel, facilities, resources and services. These guidelines should be considered in the development of resources and services in support of distance education programs.
Needs Assessment
The team's main concern during initial meetings was to identify distance education sites, review the curriculum, and study demographic information related to the client population. The initial sites included Fort Bliss, Region XIX Education Service Center, and several high schools in the region. All together six sites were identified (see Appendix A). Syllabi for each of the seven proposed classes were forwarded to members of the Library's Distance Education Task Force, which was made up of the Associate University Librarian for Public Services, the Head of the Reference Department, the Head of Inter-Library Loans, and the Chair of the newly created Information Services Team. Information on the characteristics of the potential client population was provided by the office of Technology Planning and Distance Learning.
Each of the seven initial classes would be limited to ten students. That would add to a total of seventy potential distance education students and seven faculty. Most of these faculty also taught on-campus. The potential distance education students were described as working professionals and military personnel. Most of them would probably be part-time students.
Needs identified during this phase of the planning process were used to develop library services, such as user instruction, on-line access to products and services, document delivery, and distance reference service.
Briefing the Library Staff
All of the professional staff and some of the para-professionals were briefed about distance education curricular developments and perceived needs for library services. A session was held for that purpose on Friday, October 31, 1997, in the facilities of Technology Planning and Distance Learning, located in the brand new Undergraduate Learning Center. Dr. Henry Ingle, Associate Vice President for Technology Planning and Distance Learning presented a profile of distance learning and multimedia at UTEP. Those present were also briefed on the current working linkages with distance learning, courseware initiatives, such as The Borderlands Encyclopedia, and most importantly, library products and services that had been developed to support distance learning.
Existing Services
Many of the resources that would be useful for users at distance learning sites had already been developed or were in the development stage. These services included access to an on-line catalog, access to bibliographic databases, reference, and instruction. Obviously, existing services needed to be augmented or expended in order to serve the needs of distance learners.
During this planning period, Fall of 1997, our library was in the middle of migrating to an integrated and windows-based OPAC (On-line Public Access Catalog). This system, purchased from Innovative Interfaces, Inc., provides easy access to UTEP's complete library catalog via the Web. It couldn't have been more timely!
Since the new OPAC would be compatible with Z39.50 technology, it will be easy to provide access to other electronic resources. The Library plans to offer access to on-line databases that it already subscribes to, all one-hundred and fifty of them, in addition to OPAC's from other academic libraries in the region. These resources will be available from access points at each of the distance learning sites. The on-line catalog and a fourth of the databases will be accessible from home computers. The Library also plan to provide access to a core collection of journals in electronic format.
The Reference Services Department was ready to answer reference queries by telephone, fax, e-mail, or the Web. The library's webpage included the names and e-mail addresses of all librarians and their subject specialties. Bibliographic instruction was already being offered to all entering students and new faculty. It covered the basic elements of conducting research in an academic library and the use of electronic resources. The UTEP Library's Instruction Committee began planning the development ofinstructional modules that would be accessible via the web. In the meantime, a handout was written with information on how to access the OPAC and other resources, as well as services.
Interlibrary loan requests could already be made through the Internet when we started this project. Users could also mail or fax their requests. Plans were made, however, to provide a way that users could order ILL requests from the webpage.
Developing and Implementing new Services
Most of the services that librarians wanted to provide distance learning clients were already in place or at some level of development. The services developed in support of distance education included: Web accessible OPAC, Web accessible databases, books and articles by mail, reference, and instruction. One service that was brand new was UTEP Library Express, which provides books and articles by mail. When the service was proposed and discussed with the Head and staff of Access Services, the response was a set of viable questions and recommendations:
In order to respond appropriately to all of these questions, a meeting was held between the Associate University Librarian for Public Services, the Head of Access Services and the ILL Supervisor.
Answers to Questions by the Staff
Services Developed
The result of months of planning and negotiating between and among units was a set of services that would support the learning/teaching activities of students and faculty at distance learning sites. The initial list of products and services and a brief description of each are as follows:
On December 5, 1997, an orientation was given to faculty who would be teaching distance education courses. After they were informed about resources and programs in support of distance learning, the Associate University Librarian unveiled the services that had been developed in support of distance education. Initial responses to the new services were positive.
The faculty were given a handout with useful information regarding the new services. The handout included a description of products and services, webpage addresses to the OPAC and on- line databases, as well as the names of contact persons, phone numbers and e-mail addresses. (see Appendix B). They were also advised that instruction sessions would be available to all classes.
Proposal Writing: Project L-WIN
The planing team wanted to provide access to its on-line resources and a core collection of journals in electronic format. It was acknowledged that many students at the distance learning sites did not have access to computers or the Internet. A significant number of these students are of Hispanic ancestry, modest economic means, and first generation university attendees. As a result many of these students are unable to easily access library resources that may be available electronically. The local libraries to which these students have access are fairly small and most do not have Internet access. It became apparent that a WAN (Wide Area Network) would be needed to provide distance students and faculty with needed resources.
Members of the team set out to write a grant proposal to fund the proposed WAN. The proposal requested funding for the following objectives:
Conclusions
The experience at the UTEP Library suggests that library resources and services in support of distance education programs should be planned, implemented and tested well in advance of the start of such programs. New services and resources should be based on institutional and library missions, goals and objectives. Accreditation requirements and library standards or guidelines must be taken into consideration. The unique characteristics and needs of students, faculty, and staff at distance sites should also be considered in planning new services.
Many of the resources required to implement new services in support of distance learning may already be available or at some level of development. Policies and procedures need to be reviewed and revised and some resources re-allocated and/or increased. After careful planning, provisions should be made on a library's budget for facilities, personnel, as well as resources and services that are to be provided to distance learners.
In the case of the UTEP Library, much of the needed technology and library resources in electronic formats are already readily available, making provision of library services to distance learners a much easier undertaking. Nevertheless, continuing institutional support is needed to make this a successful project.
Services developed for distance learners may also be of benefit to on-campus students and faculty. For example, the staff at the UTEP Library is considering offering UTEP Library Express to the rest of the campus, after it is pilot tested it with distance learners. It is expected that a core collection of journals in electronic format will be a great asset, not only to distance learners, but to all students, faculty and staff in general, since these will be accessible from many sites throughout the region, and possibly from patrons' homes.
Recommendations
The main recommendations for anyone planning new library services for distance learners relate to the need for communication and coordination. Keep everyone involved in developing new library services in support of distance education informed and involved in the project from the very beginning and all the way to the point of implementation. It is the only way to coordinate and mediate between demand, needs, and resources. Set up a task force responsible for planning and implementing the new services. It is always a good idea to inventory available resources and budget for needed resources, so that they may be acquired within a reasonable amount of time. Also, do not forget that external funds may be available.
Be careful to check with vendors and negotiate the required licenses for providing off- campus access to electronic resources. All staff and faculty must adhere to copyright laws when using published materials.
In terms of facilities, remember that agreements can be negotiated with libraries located at or near distance learning sites. Check with other academic libraries to see what new services they have developed. Why re-invent the wheel?
The main thing that distance learners need is information about available resources and services, policies and procedures. Make these readily available and provide instruction to all incoming and returning students, as well as faculty.
Monitor the implementation stage of new services very carefully and evaluate them on a regular basis. Provide additional resources where needed and be careful not to overload existing resources, and that includes staff. In the end, distance learners should feel satisfied to receive access to quality materials and services in support of their educational endeavors.
References
Association of College and Research Libraries. Task Force to Review the Guidelines for Extended Campus Library Services. "ACRL Guidelines for Extended Campus Library Services." College & Research Libraries News 51, no. 4 (1990): 353-355.
Technology Planning and Distance Learning, Office of the Provost and Vice President for Academic Affairs, University of Texas at El Paso. Distance Learning at the University of Texas at El Paso: Yesterday, Today and Tomorrow. A Strategic Business Development Plan, 1996-1999. El Paso: University of Texas at El Paso, August, 1997.
Gray, Carolyn M. "Systems Thinking in Information Services Delivery." Journal of Library Administration 29, no. 3-4 (1995): 25-43.
The University of Texas System. Master Plan: UT Telecampus. Austin: The University of Texas, 1996.
Southern Association of Colleges and Schools. Commission on Colleges. Criteria for Accreditation. Atlanta: The Commission, 1996.
Distance Learning Sites:
Library Services For Distance Education
UTEP Library
Fall, 1997
Access Services
On-line Catalog: Faculty and students at distance education sites are able to access the UTEP Library catalog via the Web. The web address is:
On-line databases: Several journal indexes and abstracting services are also available via the Web. These useful databases may be accessed through the UTEP Library's webpage:
http://www.utep.edu/~library/ref/remote.html
Contact person: Lisa Weber
Phone: 747-5039
e-mail: lweber@utep.edu
UTEP Library Express: Faculty and students involved in distance education classes are able to request books and articles from the UTEP Library by mail. Simply mail or fax the form provided for this purpose to our ILL Unit. The address, fax number and e-mail address for our ILL Unit are:
ILL Unit
UTEP Library
500 Wiggins Rd.
El Paso, TX 79968
Fax: 915-747-5327
e-mail: ill@utep.edu
Contact Person: Estela Reyes
Information and Research Services
Reference Services: Librarians are ready to answer reference questions submitted by phone, mail, fax, or e-mail. Professional librarians are also available to assist faculty with information needed to develop lists of readings and/or syllabi.
Reference Department
UTEP Library
El Paso, TX 79968
Phone: 747-5643
Fax: 915-747-5327
e-mail: ljastrze@utep.edu
Contact Person: Luke Jastrzebski, Head, Reference Department
Instruction on the use of Library and Information Services
Librarians will provide faculty and students at distance education sites with the instruction needed to effectively utilize the library and information resources available. Faculty and students may attend scheduled sessions or arrange for an appointment.
For further information, contact the Reference Department
Phone: 747-6716
e-mail: lfernand.utep.edu
Contact Person: Lilia Fernandez
Suggestions and Recommendations
To make suggestions or recommendations about any of these services, please contact the Associate University Librarian for Public Services:
Cesar Caballero
UTEP Library
El Paso, TX 79968
Phone: 747-6719
e-mail: ccaballe@utep.edu
Cesar Caballero
University of Texas at El Paso
E-mail: cCaballe@libr.utep.edu
Cesar Caballero is Associate University Librarian for Public Services University of Texas at El Paso, El Paso, TX , where he also coordinates distance education initiatives. He is currently completing a doctoral degree in Higher Education Administration at Texas Tech University.
Henry T. Ingle
University of Texas at El Paso
E-mail: htingle@utep.edu
Dr. Henry T. Ingle is Professor of Communication and Associate Vice President for Technology Planning and Distance Learning, University of Texas at El Paso. His research and professional work focuses on the application of new media and information technology across home, school and work settings, with specialization in the use of these media in minority and multicultural population settings. Dr. Ingle has received numerous awards, including two Fulbright Fellowships to Spain and Peru in the areas of information technology and telecommunications.
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The Journal of Library Services for Distance Education <http://www.westga.edu
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State University of West Georgia - Carrollton, Georgia Vol. I, No. 2 - June 1998 - ISSN: 1096-2123 |