Libraries Without Walls 5: The Distributed Delivery of Library and Information Services(5 Libraries Without Walls)

Distributed learning is now in the mainstream of educational practice. Learning is routinely delivered to citizens in their locality, at home or at work as well as in more formal settings in educational institutions. Supporting such endeavours, professional librarians have moved from the theoretical 'library without walls' of little more than a decade ago to widespread implementation across the world. Information and communications technologies (ICTs) are now almost universally exploited by libraries to deliver their services, utilizing the world wide web as the medium of choice, so that more and more users are accessing services remotely. As a result libraries have broken down the barriers of physical location and take for granted that their services will be delivered to their clients wherever they may be. Ever more sophisticated applications are being launched to meet escalating demand from users. This edited collection is drawn from the fifth Libraries Without Walls Conference, held in 2003, which addressed the key strategic issues arising from international, regional and cross-sectoral approaches to the provision of library services to distant users. It is recognized as the premier resource for all needing to keep updated on distance learner and virtual library issues. These state-of-the-art papers will enable library managers and information professionals in all sectors to keep abreast of the latest developments in this vital area. The book will also assist educational specialists and course developers in increasing their understanding of the role and importance of information in the learning process.

Table of Contents:
1. Introduction - Peter Brophy, Shelagh Fisher and Jenny Craven 2. Keynote paper: beyond the mainstream of library services - Peter Brophy THEME 1: THE INTEGRATION OF LIBRARY SERVICES AND VIRTUAL LEARNING ENVIRONMENTS 3. Staff without walls: developing library and information staff for e-learning - Coral Black and Sue Roberts 4. Supporting information-based networks in higher education - Jan Kooistra, Kees Hopstaken, Maurits Ertsen and Nijs Lagerweij 5. Library services and virtual learning: the DEViL project - Non Scantlebury and Liz Stevenson 6. Virtual learning and teaching resources: the library as a collaborator - A. Anneli Ahtola 7. Virtual learning environments and Greek academic libraries - Emmanouel Garoufallou, Rania Siatri and Dick Hartley THEME 2: THE RELATIONSHIP BETWEEN USER NEEDS, INFORMATION SKILLS AND INFORMATION LITERACIES 8. Embedding information skills in the subject-based curriculum - Kay Moore 9. Ways to engage widening participation students - Lynne Rutter and Penny Dale 10. Information literacy and learning - Sirje Virkus 11. Information literacy - who needs it? - Gill Needham THEME 3: USABILITY AND ACCESSIBILITY OF DIGITAL LIBRARY SERVICES 12. An incremental usability and accessibility evaluation framework for digital libraries - Neil King, Terry Hoi-Yan Ma, Panayiotis Zaphiris, Helen Petrie and Fraser Hamilton 13. Overcoming barriers to library use by Nigerian professionals - Oluwatoyin O. Kolawole 14. Digital library services at the Italian National Health Institute library - Franco Toni 15. The information-deprived continent: can we do something? - Marie Botha 16. Optimizing resource discovery service interfaces: the Library of Texas challenge - William E. Moen, Kathleen R. Murray and Irene Lopatovska THEME 4: DESIGNING THE INFORMATION ENVIRONMENT: NATIONAL AND INSTITUTIONAL PERSPECTIVES 17. Supporting learning, teaching and research at Manchester Metropolitan University - Caroline Williams 18. Disintermediation via web services in Portuguese public libraries - Maria Carla Proenca and Jose Miguel Baptista Nunes 19. Denmark's electronic research library: from national project to permanent activity - Bo Ohrstrom 20. Research resources and the academic researcher - Margaret Wallis and Julie Carpenter THEME 5: THE CREATION OF DIGITAL RESOURCES BY USER COMMUNITIES 21. Cultural Objects in Networked Environments (COINE) - Michelle Kelly and Geoff Butters 22. The DAEDALUS project: an open archiving initiative - Susan Ashworth and William Nixon 23. Librarians in digital communities of practice - Andrew Cox and Anne Morris 24. X4L: Exchange for Learning - Susan Eales and Andrew Comrie.

About the Author :
Peter Brophy BSc HonFCLIP FCLIP FRSA ILTM is Professor of Information Management in the Department of Information and Communications, Manchester Metropolitan University, and Director of the Centre for Research in Library and Information Management (CERLIM). Shelagh Fisher is BA MPhil Reader in the Department of Information and Communications, Manchester Metropolitan University. Jenny Craven MA MCLIP is Research Associate at CERLIM, Manchester Metropolitan University.

Review :
"...a well-written and timely book, of interest to many LIS workers and with a good international flavour which will illuminate and inspire many LIS practitioners in this country." - New Library World "...The papers included here serve as helpful stand-alone case studies and discourse in delivering services to the distributed learning communities. But by being brought together they interweave; ideas sparked by reading one paper are further provoked and challenged by reading another, resulting in a cumulative effect which leaves the reader with a critical overview of the contemporary issues and practice" - Ariadne