Delivering Library Services at a Distance: A Case Study at the University of Washington

INTRODUCTION

Distance learning has become a buzzword for educational programming in many institutions of higher learning in recent years. The need to provide access to post-secondary coursework at a distance has been identified as top priority for many universities and colleges. The driving force behind this has to do with the increased demand for access to higher education, the rising cost of colleges, the growth of information technology, and competition among private enterprises in the ever-increasing commercialization of the education market (Green). Despite the onrush by academic planners to mount distance learning programs, collegiate libraries have been minimally impacted until recently. Libraries are just beginning to recognize the special demands and problems of this newly-emerging group of learners. Given that university libraries are traditionally set up for on-campus use, libraries are necessarily faced with the challenge of restructuring and re-orienting their services to accommodate off-campus users as well.

There are comparatively few accounts in the literature which systematically describe the delivery of library services to distance learning programs. As a modest contribution to the subject, this article attempts at an overall examination of the practices, problems and lessons of implementing a library delivery system to a distance learning site by presenting a case study of the Social Work Library at the University of Washington (UW) in Seattle, which participated in a pilot project for distance learning in the Olympic Peninsula under the direction of the School of Social Work at UW. (The Social Work Library is a branch of the Health Sciences Libraries under the UW Libraries system. The School of Social Work at the UW is a regional center for social work education and research and is ranked among the top social work programs in the country.)

BACKGROUND

In 1995, the School of Social Work was one of the few departments selected to develop a distance learning program for its university. The rationale behind the program was to offer Native Americans living in the Olympic Peninsula an opportunity to obtain advanced degrees in social work in order to meet the huge demand for social service providers within that region's under-served populations. The following year, the Social Work school began a distance learning pilot project on the Olympic Peninsula at Peninsula State College in Port Angeles, Washington. The pilot project was to test the feasibility of mounting a full-scale graduate social work program at a remote site.

Course Description
The Social Work school offered two required foundational courses in the Summer/Fall of 1996 and Spring of 1997: SW 502/503 Human Behavior and the Social Environment and SW 504 Cultural Diversity and Social Justice. Two instructors, a regular faculty member and a doctoral student, were assigned to each course, which was structured around on-site meetings at the distance learning facility at Peninsula College, off-site audio-conferencing, videotapes and email communication. The distance learning program emphasized independent study and group work. Students were handed a study guide with instructions on how the course would progress, and a list of contacts for additional assistance.

From the beginning, the program utilized low-tech media which not only determined the design but the efficiency rate of library services. Face-to-face instruction was largely supplemented by phone conferencing and email. Computer access was confined to email and text-based searching on the campus network, UWIN (University Washington Information Navigator-UWIN). While the Peninsula College Library served as the central site for access to library services and materials, the UW Social Work Library functioned as the primary coordinator and provider of informational services and resources.

PRACTICES

The Social Work Library's involvement in the project was first prompted by the request from course instructors to make materials available at the distance learning site, including resources from the Seattle campus. In response the library made a calculated decision to offer a full-range of informational services to the project. The library seized the opportunity to experiment with distance learning on a small-scale in order to develop and establish baseline services for future distance programs.

The Role of the Library
The Social Work Library had few local models to guide its planning of library services. Within the UW system, services to distance learners were limited, irregular, or one-time only. The Health Sciences Library provided the most workable model, since it already offered a wide variety of services to medical students across the Northwest through the Washington, Wyoming, Alaska, Montana and Idaho Rural Telemedicine Network (WWAMI) (See: http://www.fammed.washington.edu/telemed/ and http://healthlinks.washington.edu/tmed/dl.html ) However, the Social Work Library needed a more targeted approach and thus served as an organizational test case. The role of the library evolved over the course of the project, as it concentrated on the management of three key tasks:

The first task involved initiating contact with participating parties, collecting information about the program and academic courses, and assessing the basic needs of instructors and students. Studies have shown that instructors and students alike lack basic awareness of library services and therefore expect to have to cope with limited access to library resources (Butler). Recognizing this problem became critical for planning services. The library not only had to identify the needs of faculty and students but had to promote and inform its users of the kinds of materials and services available. While faculty and students shared concerns over access to readings and library materials, the latter were also concerned about access to catalogs and databases, reference assistance, and extended library hours.

The second task entailed the planning and implementation of library activities. The Social Work Library was involved in all stages of the distance learning project. The library planned research assignments with instructors, obtained and delivered course materials, set up policies and procedures for various services (e.g., document delivery), made site visits to the distance learning facility, trained and instructed staff and students, provided reference and consultation, and assessed service outcomes. There was also the behind-the-scenes work of processing and handling library materials, which required that new policies and procedures be established for library acquisition, cataloging, circulation, displaying materials online and handling materials off-site.

The third task involved coordinating with such distance learning partners as the UW Extension/Distance Learning Office (DLO), the Peninsula College Library, and UW Computing and Communications (C&C). C&C provided the computer terminal and installed the live network. The DLO provided course support, student services, and funding for the pilot classes. The library worked with DLO to integrate library materials into course content and used the office as the central site for contact between the various parties. The Social Work Library also worked closely and extensively with the library staff at Peninsula College to merge activities. For example, reserve UW library materials were linked to the Peninsula Library circulation system and students were given library checkout cards. A computer terminal was installed in the Peninsula Library's public access area for student access to email accounts and library resources. Library rooms and facilities were used for telephone conferencing, group meetings, and videotape viewing. The Peninsula Library was also scheduled to open on Saturdays for reference service.

Library Services
Four services were identified as critical in supporting a distance learning program:

Establishing a collection of materials
The Social Work Library and DLO funded a small collection of reserve materials purchased especially for the social work courses. The library, which retained ownership of the materials, ordered and processed them as an off-site collection with a long-term checkout to distance learning. The materials were then sent to Peninsula College Library for housing and circulation.

Providing document services
Through the Social Work Library's document delivery system, books and journal articles could be requested and delivered to the students. Initially, the cost of document services was fully subsidized in order to make it possible to assess actual costs. Students were allowed a reasonable number of requests for source materials, which were made via email, fax, or phone with a turnaround time of 24-48 hours or longer, depending upon location and material type. Materials were then delivered by UPS or faxed to a student's home address.

Teaching about library resources and technology
The Social Work Library offered two days of orientation at Peninsula. It provided useful library instructions to students and gave hands-on demonstrations to the Peninsula library staff and social work faculty. Instruction focused on using the computer and locating library resources. Topics covered logging-in to the computer, using email, searching computer databases, requesting documents, and accessing reserve materials. A library information packet was produced and distributed to students and library staff for reference and referral.

Answering reference and information questions
Reference assistance was available by phone or email. User questions ranged from the topical, to general resource queries (e.g., videotapes access), and to technical issues (e.g., how to connect to UWIN), with many questions concerning access to library resources from home (connecting and installing software).

Funding & Costs
The pilot courses were offered as self-sustaining tuition courses administered by the DLO for the Social Work school. During the pilot phase of the project, the Office absorbed all course production costs—faculty salaries, course materials (course paks and study guides), instructional videotaping, computer costs, Peninsula College staff and classroom facilities, and other administrative services—with the understanding that the Social Work school would eventually assume the costs in its distance learning budget.

Library service expenses were paid through the Social Work Library budget in order to establish a baseline estimate for library services in general, and to serve as a model for future budgetary planning. For the pilot courses, the library subsidized the full cost of document services and partial cost of reserve materials; thereafter, only reserve materials were covered. Library costs not factored into the project derived from services on-demand that involved librarian hours and travel time, reference and instructional fees, production and copy costs for information packets and handouts, and other hidden costs such as processing and circulation.

Assessment & Evaluation
Three evaluation tools were used to measure the outcome of library services. The user survey and focus group interviews assessed the use of library resources and the level of satisfaction with library services. The third, a questionnaire for the Peninsula Library staff, inquired about library use by distance learners. A computer use survey was also done to determine student access and level of computer experience.

The findings were as follows:

1. Students used a number of different libraries for their coursework: the campus library, distance site library, and public libraries.

2. Students identified the four top services as: reference, document delivery, computer access, and reserves

3. Students rated the services of various libraries as either good or adequate, and were pleased with access to library resources, impressed with quick response time of document services, and approved of subsidized document delivery

4. What students found most troublesome was: difficulty getting connected, slow computers, and inability to search databases efficiently

5. Students desired additional services, such as research counseling, increased library hours, and duplicate materials at other libraries

6. Most students had access to a computer and described themselves as either a beginning or average user.

PROBLEMS AND SUCCESSES

Technical Resources
The distance learning project did not plan for full availability of technical resources, such as computer access and electronic equipment, which as a result led to problems in access and communication. Only one computer, which many complained as being "too slow," was available at the site, and terminal use was limited to the hours when the library was open. Students shared one computer account that allowed access to email and campus resources, but limited use to one person at a time. With only a single account, faculty-student communication became more difficult and email access an unexpected challenge. There were persistent questions on whether remote access could be obtained through other means, such as the public library, modem pool dialing, or a local ISP. There were no standard services such as fax machines, toll-free 1-800 numbers, or access to the Peninsula computer lab.

Library Materials
The cost and management of library materials posed another problem. There were serious questions about the purchase, ownership, copyright, and duplication of materials. The library needed to determine its fair share of financial support to the project as well as those of the Social Work school and DLO. There were no clear guidelines as to which unit was responsible for purchasing needed materials. While the cost of reference and reserve materials was proportionately shared among the parties, other costs, including document delivery, were fully subsidized by the library. Because the library was not responsible for student texts and audiovisuals, the DLO assumed the cost and handling of coursepaks and videotapes. However, all other materials that were acquired, processed, and cataloged by the library came under library ownership and management. One unanticipated cost was the duplication of materials at different library sites in Seattle and Tacoma, since a number of the students lived far from the distance site and wanted materials closer to home.

Policies and Practices
Like any venture into new territory, distance learning requires enormous time and manpower to establish and implement new policies and guidelines that best accommodate faculty/student needs. Without known standard procedures and practices, many things were addressed and carried out on-demand. Some of the new policies, created as needed, focused on the types and availability of library services and on identifying funding sources, service provider(s) and targeted users. Procedural development often involved the daunting task of listing every aspect of library services and modifying standard practices in order to accommodate distance learning. For example: how will materials be circulated, how will fines be charged for late or missing materials, what are the procedures for requesting documents?

Customizing Library Resources
Academic courses have different research requirements and therefore demand varying levels of library use. In the two pilot social work courses offered at the Peninsula site, SW 502/503 had required research assignments that relied heavily on library resources and services, while SW 504 had no such requirements and thus received only introductory instruction and a single follow-up. This customizing of library resources to classes was both time-consuming and costly. The library recognized that for any future programs, it would have to anticipate the demands of the curriculum in order to plan for how library staff resources could most judiciously be applied.

Distance Learners
The library, which had planned for centralized access to distance learning facilities and resources at Peninsula College, was unprepared for dealing with this geographically-mixed student body. The library had to balance its own limited resources with student demands for wider availability of library resources. In the end, the library made arrangements to provide students from Seattle and Tacoma with duplicate materials and services at those cities' campuses. Students also requested for services at their resident county or city library, but no arrangement existed between UW and local community centers.

Document Services
Quick access to materials and subsidized library services were the most popular aspects of the library delivery system. Students were impressed by the quick response and delivery time of materials and were pleased with having access to library resources via the catalog and databases on the campus network.

Information Assistance
Students frequently commented that information assistance was excellent, timely, and efficient. Questions directed to the Library were generally topic-related, resource-directed and/or technical, and were easily addressed via phone or email. While individual consultation and instruction were offered to students, the library information packet served as a useful reference source, especially when no direct assistance was available.

Library Information Packet
Students found the information packet to be extremely useful. The packet, which was distribute early in the course, detailed library instructions, procedures, and forms; provided valuable information on available library resources, services, and service referrals; and contained resource listings and important program contacts.

LESSONS LEARNED

The experience of the Social Work Library offers some valuable insights and practical lessons:

1. The library must have a clear sense of the extent and nature of its involvement in any distance learning program. This means addressing the following questions: what type of distance learning program is being offered, what is the library's mandate for delivering services and what types of services, and what kinds of support should the library expect?

2. A master plan for distance learning must be developed and in place early on and should include cost breakdown, identification of essential support services, numerical projections of distance learning programs, classes and student enrollees, configuration of library units and delivery services, etc. The plan should also determine whether the programs and services should be centralized or decentralized, what kind of reporting structure should be set up, and the protocols for service delivery.

3. Working closely with the distance learning office, other librarians, course instructors and users is crucial to the development and delivery of library services.

4. The library must work with the distance learning site staff to coordinate activities and services efficiently and to provide training and support. The library's success is naturally dependent on the level and availability of distance learning personnel, materials, and equipment.

5. The library should identify key library services which must be offered to distance learning: e.g., instruction, reference, document delivery, reserve, circulation, etc.

6. The library should begin to migrate toward electronic formats for many of its resources; that is, increase online databases and full-text resources, develop electronic reserves, and design web pages for academic courses (e.g., course syllabi, readings, etc.).

7. The library should work with the computing offices to assess student computer needs and site accessibility. Ideally, computer labs with sufficient numbers of computers should be made available to distance learners at the outset of any program.

8. Standard services, such as individual email accounts, 1-800 phone numbers, and fax machine, should also be available to students.

9. The library should take the lead in coordinating services between the distance learning office, the distance learning site, the computing offices, and other classroom support services.

10. The library should track the costs and resources involved in mounting a distance delivery system, and from that, determine its goals and direction for future program planning.

11. Distance learning students need to be educated to have realistic expectations of the library resources available to them, and should be encouraged to develop strategies for independently seeking and obtaining resources.

12. Because distance learning is a decentralized form of access to higher education, its very success is dependent upon wide community support and cooperation. This implies that the library's own distance delivery system must include the active participation of libraries at all levels—universities, community colleges, schools, public libraries, etc.—in order to insure the efficient delivery of information and services to a dispersed student population.

CONCLUSION

Academic libraries venturing into distance learning must seriously consider the enormous cost and manpower involved in setting up a distance delivery system. In the case of the UW Social Work Library, extensive time, energy and financial resources went into tailoring library resources to support just a few off-campus classes. Rarely do classes on-campus receive that kind of special attention. At times, the cost to the library seemed to outweigh the benefits to distance students, particularly when it cut into a library budget that could be earmarked to services on-campus. Of course, library expenditures are but a reflection of the huge financial investment in facilities, personnel, course development/delivery, and all other infrastructural elements required to support a full distance learning program. However commendable its goal to provide education for the wider public, distance learning is neither a simple nor inexpensive proposition. For academic libraries caught between serving students on-campus and off, the need to meet the demands of all users equally, efficiently and cost-effectively requires a general mapping of library resources to fit curriculum needs, the establishment of new guidelines and cost-saving strategies for delivering services, and the restructuring of the delivery system to include full-text access via computer networks.

References

Butler, J. (1997). "From the margins to the mainstream: developing library support for distance learning." Library Line: An Occasional Newsletter of the University of Minnesota Libraries -- Twin Cities, 8, no. 4 (1997): 1-4.

Green, K. C. (1997). "Think twice -- and businesslike -- about distance education". AAHE Bulletin, 50, no. 2 (1997): 3-6.

Angela Lee
Social Work Library, University of Washington
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