Library Support for Distance Learning Programs: A Distributed Model

Service Models

The distributed model, in use at the Feinberg Library of Plattsburgh State University of New York since 1994, was developed so that a medium-sized college library could offer an extensive array of off-campus library services with limited additional staff. Barton Lessin (1991) had identified five possible models for providing library services and Gloria Lebowitz (1997) has published another more recent review. The majority of published models for off-campus library services describe a separate division of the library or the continuing education office that was set up for the sole purpose of providing library services for a large distance-learning program. This can work well for large programs that need separate accounting and staff, or where significant resources can be devoted to off-campus services. But smaller programs or libraries that cannot hire additional full-time staff may find these models difficult to follow.

It is certainly possible to develop library services that are integrated with existing on-campus libraries. An integrated approach provides flexibility for program growth, encourages the development of broad staff expertise, and contributes to the essential institutionalization of the distance-learning program as a whole on the academic campus. Equally importantly, this distributed model brings all staff into the detailed work of meeting the research and information needs of distance-learning students which makes it possible for smaller libraries to support distance-learning programs. In the simplest terms, the model requires the appointment of one or more distance-learning librarians (full or part-time), with planning and coordination responsibilities for all the distributed work. The remainder of this article describes the application of the model at Feinberg Library, Plattsburgh State University of New York.

Feinberg Library houses more than 300,000 volumes, subscribes to 1,438 periodicals, and is staffed by 15 professionals and 18 classified library support staff. The library is part of the Division of Library & Information Services (LIS), which also includes instructional technology coordination, computing support services, computing systems, media support, and network operations. Faculty and staff in the LIS division are organized in programmatic groups such as the Patron Services Group, which work on broad information issues, while operational units such as Circulation, carry out daily activities. The college has an extensive data network which links many library and Internet-based applications with the whole college community, including faculty offices, computing labs, and student dormitories.

Plattsburgh State University is located in the northeast corner of New York State, about 20 miles from the U.S.-Canada border. The city of Plattsburgh (which surrounds the college) is on the western shore of Lake Champlain, near the Adirondack Mountains. One of the S.U.N.Y. system's best colleges for the broad-based professional preparation of students, Plattsburgh offers nearly 60 major fields of study, with a student population of about 5,500.

Telenursing Program Description

Plattsburgh began its Telenursing Education Program in 1994 with a five-year, one million-dollar grant from the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services. The program is a distance-learning baccalaureate completion program for Associate Degree and Diploma RN's. Classes are offered using a real-time, two-way interactive, compressed video/audio system (PictureTel), through e-mail distribution/discussion lists, and on the World Wide Web. The program has graduated over 70 students, has a usual semester enrollment of 140, with many students taking two or more classes. Students primarily attend classes in groups, but work more independently in the e-mail and Internet courses. Between four and six courses are offered each semester at the five distance site classrooms, all located at other SUNY two or four year colleges within this rural area of upstate New York.

The colleges participating in the Telenursing program are: Adirondack Community College, Canton College of Technology & Potsdam College (Canton hosts the library collection in nursing while Potsdam hosts the classroom), Fulton-Montgomery Community College, Jefferson Community College, and North Country Community College.

Organizationally, the Telenursing program is part of the Office of Lifelong Learning, which offers many other courses and degree programs. Over 300 education and management students take Plattsburgh classes at one of the Telenursing site campuses, but with local instructors or traveling Plattsburgh faculty. These students receive library services jointly from Plattsburgh and their site library. While they are students at a distance, they have not historically been considered distance-learning students by the college.

A library services component was built into the Telenursing grant proposal and funding was provided for a part-time (75%) outreach librarian who would establish library services and facilitate collaborations with librarians at Feinberg Library and at each distance site. Grant funds were also provided for core nursing book collections at each site library, electronic access to the Nursing and Allied Health (CINAHL) database, and delivery of research materials not available from the site library collections. A computer, printer, and fax were placed at each site for student and faculty use. Plattsburgh negotiated an agreement with each local college that includes classroom use and library access. The program hires a site adjunct instructor or technical assistant to supervise nursing clinical work, manage the distance learning equipment, and demonstrate basic e-mail commands.

Library Services Required for Distance Learners

The challenge of distance-learning comes from the fact that until very recently most library collections (books, journals and media) were selected for on-campus use, and most library services (instructional classes, print reserve services, research indexes or databases and physical library tours) were designed for on-campus programs. These collections and services are often not well suited to the needs of distance-learning students.

Distance-learning students require access to the full range of library services; from reference assistance and bibliographic instruction to interlibrary loan, course reserves, circulation, and information network connections. Library research and information literacy remain essential components of the academic learning experience. Providing access takes funding, planning, and a lot of work from library staff. There are numerous resources available for librarians ready to plan a library service program for distance-learners, including guidelines and suggested items for consideration.

The Distance Learning Section of ACRL has recently (1998) published a revision of their library service guidelines (http://www.ala.org/acrl/guides/distlrng.html). These guidelines state that the parent institution, through the library, is responsible for ensuring that distance-learning students have library support services that fully address the information needs of the extended campus community. The Consortium for Educational Technology for University Systems (CETUS) has published a discussion series document (1997) on library and information services for distance learners. Central Michigan University sponsors a biannual conference on Off-Campus Library Services, and publishes the conference proceedings (recent dates include 1995,1998).

One of the first classes taken by most Plattsburgh Telenursing students is NUR 350, Theoretical Foundations of Nursing. The course covers many important concepts related to professional nursing such as the legal-ethical aspects, decision-making in nursing, and transcultural nursing issues. Students must research a concept/topic that they have seen in their previous nursing practice and compare the theoretical literature on that topic to the real clinical situation. Library services required by students for successful completion of this course include: bibliographic instruction on refining topics and searching the library catalog and research databases, and reference assistance as they research their topics. Additional services include: circulation of library resources, possible interlibrary loan of books or journal articles, instruction and guides for Internet research, research evaluation tips, and access to resources for proper citation of references. Delivery of these services requires that the library recognize these needs and implement strategies to meet them. The library must provide a librarian instructor to collaborate with the teaching faculty and offer course-related instruction, whether in the teleconferencing class session or as a video or World Wide Web pages. Librarians and computing professionals must collaborate to allow remote access to the catalog and research databases, staff must make arrangements for circulation and interlibrary loan requests and delivery to distance learners, and the library must create and distribute guides and research tips for distance learners. The scope and complexity of services that distance learners need access to depends on the academic requirements of the courses and degree programs. The scope of services that the originating institution offers should provide on and off-campus students with equivalent opportunities for academic success.

The Distributed Model

Feinberg Library was committed to library support for the Telenursing Education Program, but had neither space, funds, nor the desire for a separate and duplicative off-campus services office. The Outreach Information Services Librarian was hired to plan and implement off-campus library services. Librarians at each distance site played a significant role in shaping the library services component of the program, as did the Telenursing faculty. Services were developed with the following guiding principles; that the institution offering the distance-learning course is responsible for library services, that on and off-campus services must be equitable, and that services should be integrated into the on-campus academic library.

Provision of library services for distance-learning programs is a complex activity. It involves all library resources and requires coordination among library staff, other teaching faculty, the distance-learning program directors, and affiliated or local site librarians. Core activities (bibliographic instruction, collection development, and reference services) demand librarian attention, as does the work of policy development and service evaluation. One outreach librarian could not provide excellent library services without additional staff assistance. Similarly, a library services program could not be integrated into the on-campus library if services were provided by a separate staff. The distributed model was developed by necessity as well as principle.

The integration of staff and distribution of work as outlined in the model ensured that emerging technologies and learning applications could be simultaneously studied and incorporated in both on and off-campus environments. Projects could easily be piloted for off-campus students and later expanded to include on-campus students because the same staff would be responsible for providing the services. The role of the librarian would be to articulate issues, plan and evaluate services, coordinate library-wide staff efforts, and assist in policy and procedure modifications. The library services offered to distance learners would come from the Feinberg Library as a whole.

Application of the Model at Plattsburgh

Once the framework of the distributed model was developed, existing on-campus library policies and procedures were examined from an off-campus users perspective. The Outreach Librarian and other library staff proposed possible adaptations, which were reviewed by department heads and the library faculty, then forwarded to the Library Director (now Dean of Library & Information Services). The classified/clerical staff, who work directly with student information requests, proposed many of the best ideas. While alternate or modified policies were clearly needed in most areas, all library services were adapted for the distance-learning program and could be performed by existing staff within their daily workflow.

The program focuses on three key service areas. Access is provided to an expansive array of electronic and print resources, including OCLC's FirstSearch databases, CARL Uncover, SilverPlatter's CINAHL and ERIC databases, subject specific Internet resource pages, and all of the Feinberg Library's books, journals, and government documents. Information literacy instruction and assistance is provided through librarian site visits, a one-credit library research course, a printed student guide to library services, in-class demonstrations and research tips, and telephone and e-mail reference services. Course curriculum enrichment is the third area of focus for the library services program. Curriculum enrichment and integration necessarily precedes and improves collaborations by library and telenursing faculty to offer students research activities that advance their academic subject mastery and their ability to apply new information to their work. The Outreach Librarian works closely with library staff at the distance sites through regular communication and on-site meetings each semester. The distance site library staff are essential partners in prioritizing services and act as the initial contact for most distance student research questions. Students generally use their distance site libraries first and then electronically connect to Feinberg Library for further research or additional reference assistance.

In this integrated workflow model, distance student interlibrary loan requests are processed and delivered by the Interlibrary Loan/Document Delivery staff. Distance site core book collection acquisitions are handled by Acquisitions staff, and circulation and course reserves are managed by Patron Services staff. Instructional and reference services are designed and offered by the library faculty; with front-line reference provided by the participating site librarians. Each department made changes that reflected the unique concerns of distance- learning students with regard to library access and collection use.

The Outreach Librarian initially carried out some tasks i.e., reserves, review of interlibrary loan requests, documentation for remote users, and basic computing support as the shape of the program developed. This was important to ensure critical evaluation of services at the beginning of the program. It also provided maximum flexibility to quickly change a procedure or instructional guide in response to student or site librarian feedback, without disrupting other library staff work too frequently. As the Outreach Librarian was assured that services and procedures were meeting the needs of the program, they were integrated into routine workflow of the appropriate library department.

Distance-learning faculty and students search the same library catalogs and journal indexes, from their home computers or distance site libraries, as on-campus students. But where on-campus students must come to the library to retrieve and check out books, and make their own photocopies from journals and reference books, distance- learning students are provided with photocopies and book loans that are mailed to their homes. Distance-learning students have the responsibility of identifying themselves on any request forms and when calling or e-mailing for assistance, thus allowing Feinberg Library staff to identify and sort their requests to ensure rapid delivery of needed resources. Staff need to take extra steps to fulfill the promise of equivalent library services for student academic research. Since delivery time will add a few days to Interlibrary Loan (ILL) requests, the ILL staff instituted a policy of requesting that DOCLINE lending libraries or document suppliers mail photocopies directly to students whenever possible. This policy reduced turnaround time by an average of four days and was easily implemented.

Acquisitions staff set up separate billing accounts for the Telenursing Core Book Collection, but continued to use standard vendors and procedures to order materials. Books are not processed or cataloged by Feinberg Library staff. Instead, they are shipped to the distance site libraries (sometimes directly from the publisher or vendor) for processing and addition to their book collections. While the original core site book collections have been updated, online reference sources and a fast ILL service have led to the decision not to invest in additional acquisitions at this time.

Course reserve materials were initially gathered by the Outreach Librarian and mailed to the distance site libraries. Site library staff placed them on reserve following their standard procedures. As this became routine and all participants were comfortable with the process, the task was folded into the regular operating structure of the library's Patron Services staff. In 1996, when the library began an Electronic Reserve Pilot for Distance-Learning, the Outreach Librarian again became involved with the details of the reserve process. As Electronic Reserve solidifies it too will be operationalized as a routine service handled by the Patron Services reserve staff.

Library faculty teach a required one-credit course, "LIB101 Introduction to Library Research" previously described by Carla List (1995). The Division of Library & Information Services offers many research and computing workshops each semester. While the Outreach Librarian has been assigned to teach the distance-learning section of LIB101, the Instruction Services Group is responsible for overall instruction efforts, including efforts to reach distance-learning students. Similarly, traditional reference services are offered by all library faculty at the reference desk and by phone and E-mail. Any distance-learning student may contact the librarian on duty to request assistance. The Outreach Librarian updates and distributes a student guidebook on library services and introduces issues of importance to distance learners at faculty meetings and group discussions. Because of this, all librarians are familiar with off-campus access issues and have developed more expertise in handling the types of questions all faculty and students will be asking in the new electronic environment.

Advantages for On-Campus Services

Many academic libraries are now offering their traditional students the kinds of services that were previously limited to off-campus students if available at all. Online catalogs, full-text databases, and online journals have made it possible for students in dormitory rooms and students at remote sites to have access to the same resources and take the same courses. Working with remote users often requires different skills and approaches. The lessons learned by librarians providing off-campus services are becoming more valuable to their on-campus colleagues. When library services for distance learners are designed as an integral part of a library operation, these lessons can be more easily shared.

In addition, many of the issues that were once of concern only to library staff working on distance learning services, such as remote user access and user authentication, are now the concerns of many library staff, administrators, and network managers. New services (research databases, electronic reserves, full-text reference sources) have become available, and more students and faculty have computers and are demanding networked library and Internet access. Ideas and expertise that might have been applied only to distance-learning programs in the past now provide solutions to on-campus library and network access questions. At Plattsburgh, this meant that: the experience of both librarians and computing staff with the requirements for remote access to databases for the Telenursing students helped in planning for local remote access; and documentation originally developed for distance learning use was easily identified and modified for on-campus student use. Of course this sharing worked in both directions.

In a few instances, projects piloted to accommodate the needs of distance learners have been expanded to serve all library users. The Electronic Reserve Pilot began in 1996 as a way to provide 24-hour access to course reserves for distance learners. Nancy Schiller (1996) published information about the pilot in her article describing SUNY Buffalo's electronic reserves. The project was funded initially by SUNY Office of Educational Technology as a collaborative project with SUNY'S Buffalo and Binghamton and was expanded in the fall of 1997 to three on-campus courses. The interlibrary loan "direct from the lender" shipping policy worked so successfully to reduce turnaround time and library staff handling and re-mailing of materials, that all requests filled through the National Library of Medicine's DOCLINE system are shipped directly to the patrons. In these cases, the integration of distance library services has allowed the library to closely observe the results of pilots and innovative procedures for distance learners, and quickly adapt the most successful changes.

Conclusion

Library services for distance-learning programs can and need to be provided by academic institutions offering distance-learning courses. Librarians have several service models to choose from, and will always refine and improve these models for use in their own libraries. The advantages of an integrated and distributed model include the focus provided by the designated librarian and the diversity of ideas and skills provided by the participation of all other library faculty and staff. The structure creates opportunities to pilot and adopt innovative approaches and test new procedures on a smaller patron group, while quickly responding to new options and patron concerns. These can be distinct advantages in this new and still unsettled academic world of distance-learning.

Libraries are changing rapidly as they strive to bring access to electronic resources, seamless document delivery systems, and information literacy skills to their academic communities. The new electronic information environment is pushing many libraries to re-think their services and re-engineer their organizations. Libraries are merging with computing and technology centers to facilitate the use of information and technology at their institutions. Distance-learning programs may provide opportunities for institutions to grow and for librarians to broaden their role in the teaching/learning process. Electronic resources seem to have enticed more students and faculty into the library's virtual spaces, where they are demanding virtual service and instruction.

Online courses are offered to both on-campus and distance-learning students, on-campus faculty are creating World Wide Web pages with course materials, and e-mail is ubiquitous. The lines between on and off-campus students and courses are indeed blurring as technology is incorporated into all aspects of education. In this environment it makes sense to take advantage of this blurring and melding to improve library services for all students and faculty. The Distributed Model of library support for distance-learning programs is one way to do this.

References

"Guidelines for Extended Academic Library Services: A Draft," College & Research Library News 58 (February 1997): 98.

Jacob, Carol, comp., The Seventh Off-Campus Library Services Conference Proceedings. ( Mount Pleasant, MI: Central Michigan University Press, 1995). The Eighth Off-Campus Library Services Conference Proceedings, 1998.

Koha, Kay, Peterson's Distance Learning 1997 (Princeton, NJ: Petersons, 1996), p. v.

Lebowitz, Gloria, "Library Services to Distance Students: An Equity Issue," Journal of Academic Librarianship 23 (July 1997): 303.

Lessin, Barton M., "Library Models for the Delivery of Support Services to Off-Campus Academic Programs," Library Trends 39 (Spring 1991): 405.

List, Carla. "Branching Out: A Required Library Research Course Targets Disciplines and Programs," The Reference Librarian 51/51 (1995): 385.

Schiller, Nancy, "World Wide Web Library Support for Distance Learning at the State University of New York at Buffalo," MC Journal: The Journal of Academic Media Librarianship 4 (Summer 1996): 425-437. Available online: http://wings.buffalo.edu/publications/mcjrnl/v4n1/schiller.html

Stallings, Dees , "The Virtual University Is Inevitable: But Will the Model Be Non-Profit or Profit? A Speculative Commentary on the Emerging Education Environment," Journal of Academic Librarianship 23 (July 1997): 271.

Trustees of California State University, "CETUS Discussion Series: Information Resources and Library Services for Distance Learners: A Framework for Quality," (Consortium for Educational Technology for University Systems, 1997). Available online: http://www.cetus.org.

Holly Heller-Ross
Plattsburgh State University Of New York
E-mail: HELLERHB@SPLAVA.CC.PLATTSBURGH.EDU