Higher education in Florida has responded to the convergence of technological development, economic forces, and political scrutiny with an increased dependence on distance learning, or the delivery of programs, courses, or parts of courses to students not physically present on campus. For example, the School of Information Studies at Florida State University (until last year the School of Library and Information Science) now delivers their graduate program to students at a number of remote locations. Similar programs throughout Florida's universities and community colleges are now ubiquitous as email, and more are anticipated.

While it is especially difficult to imagine a successful library/information studies program without the availability of extensive library resources and services, it is clear that distance learning in all content areas will require library support and careful planning. Distance learning presents complex challenges and opportunities, for educators and information providers; the breadth and depth of the issue is reflected in a recent issue of The Journal of the American Society for Information Science (JASIS, 1996) devoted to what the editors called "distance independent education."

By whatever name, the trend is clear, and it is clear that these new distance learners have library and information needs. To meet those needs, Florida recently initiated an ambitious and systematic program planned through the cooperative efforts of its libraries. This paper will describe the nature and background of that effort: The Florida Distance Learning Library Initiative (FDLLI), its component parts, and current status. The experience of libraries in Florida offers a large scale model that may enlighten others facing similar issues.

The Florida Distance Learning Library Initiative is a cooperative effort of the Community College System, the State University System, and the public libraries of Florida through the collaboration of the State Library of Florida. Its purpose is to provide cost-effective, expanded access to library services in support of distance learning. Five components have been funded: access to electronic resources, reference and referral services, library instruction, borrowing privileges, and document delivery, with the bulk of that funding going to electronic resources at this time. Course reserve services and access to library equipment and services are two additional components to be added later.

The project already provides enhanced electronic access to higher education students and to public library users in Florida. It also provides both a process and a path for developing an infrastructure to provide distance learning library services and support over the next five years. The development of the project might have been predicted by the development of library services for higher education in the state.

Background

Higher education library services in Florida have long been both cooperative and automated. The state university system is served by the LUIS online library system and the community college system by the LINCC system. The Distance Learning Library Initiative builds on the existing strengths, experience, and expertise of the groups providing these systems, the Florida Center for Library Automation and the College Center for Library Automation. In addition, it incorporates the breadth of the user base of the public libraries of the state, represented in the Initiative by the State Library of Florida. Public libraries are considered partners in the distance learning effort, serving students with no home computer access or living at considerable distances from campus. Contrary to "barriers between academic and public libraries," as anticipated in a recent article in the Journal of Library Service for Distance Education (Cavanagh, 1997), Florida builds on a strong cooperative base among its libraries.

The library cooperative effort emerged from other state distance education efforts. In 1996, the state legislature formed the Florida Distance Learning Network, which in turn created and funded the Florida Public Post-Secondary Institute on Distance Learning to coordinate the development of the distance learning program and infrastructure. The Institute was charged with developing an overall online student support services system that would include registration, advising, financial aid, fee payments, and records management. Library services were recognized as one component of these integrated information services, and a Library Subcommittee was formed to outline a plan to provide library services to support distance learning. This committee drafted the vision outlined in the Final Report Of The Library Subcommittee Of The Florida Institute On Public Postsecondary Distance Learning (1996) that has led to the multi-dimensional Florida Distance Learning Library Initiative.

Five Initial Components:

1. Electronic resources
   Information resources are increasingly available electronically: library catalogs, periodical indices, and full text periodical articles, for example, can all be delivered electronically. Some are only available electronically. Mere electronic availability doesn't assure value, as the Internet has made evident to those who understand information selection and evaluation issues. Proprietary databases, leased not bought, were selected to provide valuable and consistent content that could be delivered to local libraries and the homes of students and faculty. The program already provides a wide range of databases on a wide variety of content areas rather than targeting the collection toward specific course needs. The need for a broad and diversified range of interdisciplinary resources was identified to support specific research projects and more general inquiry, acknowledging the increasing trend toward interdisciplinary courses. Non-student public library patrons will benefit from the breadth of these databases as well, an added bonus for all libraries.

2. Reference and Referral Services
   Guiding students in their use of these and other materials is another essential component. The distant learner needs more than information, a need heightened if the learner is without access to onsite assistance. Reference and referral services are one anticipated need. The services planned will make the skills of the reference librarian available over distance to guide students in the use of libraries, location of materials, and the research process. Assistance may be provided in person, over the phone, through email and regular mail. The program will include a statewide toll-free telephone number for library assistance and referral.

3. Library User Training
   Complementing the reference and referral services component is library user training. The increasing importance of formal and informal training in information retrieval and use is built into the program plan. The goal of library user training in the FDLLI is to build independent information users, rather than provide mere source location skills or traditional bibliographic instruction. A variety of formats and methods have been discussed. Non-interactive training will be provided through print documents, the World Wide Web, video, audio, and closed circuit television. Interactive training is also anticipated through the same formats and additionally through multimedia tutorials, video conferencing, and on-site coursework.

4. Borrowing Privileges
   FDLLI does not rely on electronic resources alone. The ability to borrow materials from a nearby academic library and take them home for extended study is a necessary complement to electronic resources, since many materials are not available electronically and many may be out of print or prohibitively expensive. These materials supplement textbooks and enrich the educational experience. At this time, most academic libraries in Florida allow on site use; borrowing privileges will expand this limited access for more convenient extended use.

5. Document Delivery
   Complementing extended borrowing privileges is a document delivery component. In the FDLLI, document delivery refers to the physical delivery of materials between libraries or from libraries to users, rather than the library-to-library limitations implied by more traditional interlibrary loan. Again the goal is to make the broadest selection of resources available to learners throughout the state and take cost-effective advantage of shared resources.

Current status

Implementation of the program has already begun and will continue in planned phases. The progress described today will be outpaced tomorrow; current status reports can be found on the Distance Learning Library Initiative website (http://http://www.dos.state.fl.us/dlli/), developed to provide current official information. The project itself is considered a prototype. It is funded on a nonrecurring basis for the first two years to build an infrastructure. If the project is successful, recurring funds will be required for future years.

Access to electronic resources is the most active and visible of the components at this time. The databases offered by OCLC's FirstSearch became available on July 1, 1997. Both the terminal and web versions of the community colleges' and state universities' systems provide these extensive databases to borrowers with a validated user ID. Full text Encyclopedia Britannica Online will be available soon. Public library access will follow. Library staff training in the use of these databases has started. Based on a train-the-trainer model, participants in these programs will in turn train others of their colleagues in the eight Florida regional subdivisions.

Site selection for a Reference/Referral center is expected soon. Planning for library user training will proceed when that site is selected. A pilot project will be designed to deliver documents electronically, as well as a plan for statewide courier delivery of printed material. The other components are in more initial planning stages, each progressing through the efforts of study and working groups reporting to the Initiative's steering committee.

The efforts and involvement of the participants of these groups should allay the "fear that off-campus library service programs as after-thought will continue to plague librarians" (Adams, 1997). The Florida Distance Learning Library Initiative's commitment to providing quality library services to the distance learner in Florida is not an after-thought. While the exigencies of modern higher education and the emergence of technological capabilities have converged to create new distance education needs, the Initiative has responded with an exciting vision for meeting those needs.

The vision will become reality over the next five years. Acknowledging that success will require "continuous development, evaluation, and revision of services to meet the changing needs of distance learning programs," (Report, p.1) it remains to be seen if the programs will mirror established traditional delivery of library services or if they will expand those horizons in response to the vision, to testing, to research, and to revision. Through this initiative Florida has begun a systematic, planned, multi-faceted approach that builds on the existing strengths and cooperation of Florida's libraries.

References

Adams, Chris. "The Future of Library Services for Distance Education" Journal of Library Services for Distance Education 1, no. 1 (August 1997). [Available at http://www.westga.edu/library/jlsde/jlsde1.1.html]

Cavanagh, Tony. "Library Services for Off Campus Students: at the Crossroads?" Journal of Library Services for Distance Education 1, no. 1 (August 1997). [Available at http://www.westga.edu/library/jlsde/jlsde1.1.html]

Final Report Of The Library Subcommittee Of The Florida Institute On Public Postsecondary Distance Learning, 1997. [Available at http://www.dos.state.fl.us/dlli/report.html]

"Perspectives on Distance Independent Education." The Journal if the American Society for Information Science 47 (November):11.

Tracey Burdick
E-mail: tracings@yahoo.com