Libraries without Walls 4 : The Delivery of Library Services to Distant Users

Citation

Hannabuss, S. (2003), "Libraries without Walls 4 : The Delivery of Library Services to Distant Users", Library Review, Vol. 52 No. 1, pp. 45-46. https://doi.org/10.1108/00242530310457059

This is the fourth in a series of conference proceedings – the first in 1995 (edited by Ann Irving and Geoff Butters, 1997), the second in 1998 (edited by Brophy, Fisher and Clarke, 1998), and the third in 2000 (edited by Brophy, Fisher and Clarke, 2000), all from Library Association Publishing, which, under its new CILIP name, Facet Publishing, comes out with the fourth. The conference was held on Lesvos in Greece and has some Greek contributions. It is mainly a collection of case studies on virtual learning environments, picking up on online enquiry services and content development for remote users. It represents the initiatives of academic institutions, the support role of libraries, and the challenges and practicalities of integrating resources for e‐learning design and delivery. Along with that there are wider national initiatives, notably JISC/DNER, the British Library Zetoc (Z30.50 protocol projects), and national (policy) programmes such as the Danish Electronic Research Library 1996‐project and the consortial HEAL‐Link (Hellenic Academic Library Link) in Greece, and a couple of pieces on public libraries (including the promising PULMAN Europe‐wide project).

The adage/slogan/caption “libraries without walls” has, then, moved from being an anticipatory concept to an actuality, mainly in the forms indicated. Virtual learning environments (VLEs) lie rightly at the centre of the collection, as case studies from various academic institutions testify – the OU Online Personal Academic Library (OPAL) scheme with its use of virtual assistants or conversational bots, the University of Leicester’s scheme with an emphasis on interactive chat, Edge Hill College of HE with an adaptation of WebCT from Canada, interactive TV for teaching library research at MMU, and distributed bibliographic databases at the University of Southern California USC. Such case studies offer interesting examples of how people are doing things, the challenges they are facing, the fit with learning and curricular design, and management issues (identifying needs, selecting software, evaluating use).

There are also papers emerging from research on remote learning provision, such as the INSPIRAL project on portals from the University of Strathclyde’s Centre for Digital Library Research, and CERLIM’s own DEvISE (search engines) and NoVA (access by visually handicapped users) projects. Brophy is director of CERLIM and professor at MMU’s department of information and communication, where Fisher is reader, and Clarke is research associate at CERLIM. There are some 30 contributors, mainly European and US. The sector‐wide and national perspectives of JISC/DNER and RDN themselves are captured methodically, will be useful for any reader unaware of their activities, and point to the programmes and projects (such as digital imaging and subject‐specific portals) likely to feature large in the short‐term future. Fisher’s critique of DNER provides an insight into key principles of access and guide and content for such systems, and alerts us to interesting cross‐overs between schemes like SOSIG and EEVL and BIDS. Two technical chapters on Z39.50 interoperability remind us how managing the projects depends on getting the technology right, and what goes into server configuration and distributed searching.

It looks like having been an interesting conference, not all chapters necessary for the proceedings, but a snapshot of several key trends in its field in early 2001, and highlighting integration, content, access, and collaboration. Of particular interest to people wanting a quick recap on UK and US experience of VLEs, and less so for others wanting an insight into the project management side (cited Web sites take you further) and integration into e‐learning design. A sound student text too for places where these things are studied (there is currently no paperback). For the average professional reader, inter‐library loan and read the bits you need.