Distance Learning and Digital Libraries: The UP Open University Experience

Abstract

Libraries have enjoyed a long and colorful history in their efforts to deliver information services to patrons outside the library. Since librarysupport is an integral part of quality education and a vital service that should be available to all students whether on-campus or off-campus, librarians have sought to provide services to distance learners that are equivalent to those available to on-campus learners. This aspiration is grounded in the philosophical frameworks of the Canadian Library Association’s Guidelines for Library Support of Distance and Distributed Learning in Canada and the Association of College and Research Libraries Guidelines for Distance Learning Library Services, which recognized that distance learners frequently do not have direct access to the full range of library services and materials. In this situation, the goal of equity makes it necessary that librarians provide services that are more “personalized” – tailored to the needs of the online learners – than those provided on campus. This paper tackles several issues on online library support such as: access to library resources and services, the interaction of library to its users and other information providers and how these library resources and services can be delivered to online learners. In addition, the experience of the UP Open University library was described through its mission-vision, collection status, infrastructure, online services and delivery in the light of points mentioned.