The Eleventh Off‐campus Library Services Conference Proceedings

Citation

Evans, H. (2006), "The Eleventh Off‐campus Library Services Conference Proceedings", Library Management, Vol. 27 No. 4/5, pp. 309-309. https://doi.org/10.1108/01435120610668269

This collection of papers presented at a conference held in Scottsdale, Arizona in May 2004, has been co‐published simultaneously as Journal of Library Administration, Volume 41, Numbers 1/2 and 3/4. In the words of its editor, the contributed papers “describe many problems and solutions to issues facing librarians providing service to faculty and students who do not have access to a traditional library.”

Each paper discusses an aspect of the library's role in providing distance learning from universities and colleges. Among the broad range of topics addressed are delivery to Native American students, simultaneous instruction to on‐campus and distance students via video conferencing, assessing students' research skills and attitudes, the potential of chat services to provide off‐campus students with reference support equal to on‐campus students, and an evaluation of remote authentication methods.

Some papers, such as Nancy E. Black's “Blessing or curse? Distance delivery to students with invisible disabilities” refer heavily to American and Canadian legislative frameworks. They do, however, contain discussion of research findings and practical techniques that could be applied to the Australian setting.

Two common themes running through the collection of papers are the importance of collaborative effort in delivering successful distance learning services, and the need to analyse user needs and the continuing effectiveness of such services. Papers highlight the need for strong collaboration between libraries and students, faculty, student administration, information technology departments, community leaders and many others.

Several papers detail usage and attitudinal surveys and focus group techniques that have been used to create distance learning services for specific groups or to improve existing services. Most are supported by extensive lists of references. In this sense, perhaps the papers can be said to represent some examples of evidence‐based librarianship in action. The contributors have critically assessed the degree of effectiveness of their current services and users' needs, and examined current literature concerning the way their user groups learn. They have then used this evidence to “build a better mouse‐trap”.

While each of the papers is concerned with university or college library services, there are some that would be of as much interest to librarians outside educational institutions. One example is Brian L. Mikesell's discussion of proxy servers and user authentication; another is Reiten and Fritts' paper on the impact of distance learning on library services experience on practitioners' career paths.

The contributed papers also contain practical advice for those who may be interested in how to design a questionnaire, set objectives, conduct a focus group, run a pilot program or develop a marketing plan. The level of sophistication of this advice varies, as the contributors come from institutions of various sizes, and with varied budgets for distance services.

This volume is clearly of most relevance to librarians in large or small educational settings. However, there are rewards for any current or aspiring distance services librarians prepared to dip into its pages. To quote the editor once again, “the presentation of ideas and solutions to further promote service to distance information users … reflect the vitality of the profession, and will provide yet another platform for additional growth.”