Libraries without Walls 5: The Distributed Delivery of Library and Information Services

Citation

Ole Pors, N. (2005), "Libraries without Walls 5: The Distributed Delivery of Library and Information Services", Journal of Documentation, Vol. 61 No. 3, pp. 449-451. https://doi.org/10.1108/00220410510598616

The papers in the book are a result of the 5^th Libraries without Walls Conference held in 2003. There are 24 papers addressing four themes. The themes are: the integration of library services and virtual learning environment. The relationship between user needs, information skills and information literacies. Usability and accessibility of digital library services and at last designing the information environment: National and institutional perspectives. The book includes a very useful index and it is due to the printing and the quality of the paper a very nice book to read and handle.

It is less than ten years ago that the first libraries without walls appeared. At that time the title was very future oriented. Now, services to customers that never enter a physical library have become a permanent reality.

The topics addressed in the book are all very timely and librarians worldwide are still struggling with the problems and solutions. Unfortunately, it is not possible to mention all the valuable contributions in the book.

As one would expect, the introduction written by the editors place all the papers in the context of the conference themes and discuss the perspectives of the single paper in relation to delivery of information services to users primarily outside the physical library. The introduction forms a very concise reading guide.

The keynote paper by Peter Brophy puts the whole conference in a both practical and theoretical perspective discussing the conference themes in relation to professional developments and theoretical developments. As an example, he put forward a very pertinent question about librarians’ perception of the learning process and its consequences for the delivery of services. Brophy also touches on the very pertinent question concerned with the change in user needs and user behaviour in relation to the information overload we all are confronted with.

Most of the papers report initiatives and experiences from single libraries and in a few cases national initiatives and projects. These papers are a valuable source for inspiration for librarians and it is also a source for academics struggling with modelling pertinent features and traits of the new learning environment, the new user behaviour and the possible roles of the delivery of information in a digital context.

Being partners in virtual learning environments have important implications for libraries and librarians judged from the papers. First of all, the libraries obviously needs to integrate a continually program of staff development into its administrative practice and at the same time libraries have to become more than sleeping and silent partners in the educational process taking place. It is also a question about marketing services and of course marketing the worth and necessity of the services.

Some papers give good ideas and perspectives on the library's role in the delivery of information services to students. It is evident from the papers under this theme that students are not necessarily hostile towards information skills. With the use of communication and customisation it is possible to engage students in the process of acquiring different sets of information skills and reflect on the consequences of these skills in different areas of work and life.

Some of the papers report on the situation in the developing world and especially two papers on the African situation contrast the issues with the situation in the so‐called developed world. There is no doubt that dedicated professionals can make a difference but it is also evident that it will be hard and long uphill battle.

A few papers do not report initiatives and possible solutions in the professional world but takes a more conceptual view of the new developments and challenges. SirjeVirkus gives an excellent overview of information literacy and learning in one of the longer papers in the book. It is a very fine paper giving a comprehensive overview of approaches and important texts in the area of information literacy. The author also indicates that it could be a problem that librarians have coined a concept nearly no one else use or are able to interpret. One of the more interesting discussions in the paper is the problem rising from the many different theoretical orientations in the academic world and the transformation of that into a suitable practice in libraries. For example, there do not exist consensus about learning and the process of learning. It is very important for librarians to be aware of the different interpretations in the domain when new services are set up.

Andrew Cox and Anne Morris present another conceptual oriented paper. It is concerned with one of the new buzzwords and concepts called communities of practice. Communities of practice are an interesting concept because of the vital role information plays in the social and often virtual setting of the community. Some of the key elements in the theories of communities of practices are tested in a case study of a listserv that has been in existence for more than ten years. One could call this paper a small‐scale study but it stands out in its careful discussion and analy6tical distance to concepts and the authors applies the discussion to a current phenomenon and uses this discussion to substantiate the concept and delineate its content.

It has been a very rewarding experience to read the book. It is very well edited and it does not contain one paper one could classify as boring or without perspectives. The book gives inspiration to both professionals working in the field and to researchers investigating the fast changing information environment.