Libraries and Online Teaching and Learning |
Lynn Copeland, Elaine Fairey, Todd M. Mundle
VOL. 12, No. 1/2, 289-293
According to legend, the Dream Catcher works its magic while you sleep. The intricate weavings of the web act to filter out and entrap bad dreams that disappear with the morning light. The centre opening in a Dream Catcher allows the good dreams to pass through to the individual sleeping beneath it. Simon Fraser University Library Web services are designed to be the dream catcher for SFU students’ access to the Web.
Introduction Traditionally, libraries have been unable to offer distance education students the rich level of support available to on-campus users. The service constraints imposed by distance were partially rectified through the inclusion of significant portions of library materials, references, and even readings into course packages (even though doing so limited the student’s opportunity to discover his or her own materials) and by providing telephone reference and postal delivery of materials. The advent of the World Wide Web and he incorporation of library services onto the Web provide an opportunity for the first time to integrate library activities directly into the distance education experience. Simon Fraser University (SFU) Library Web Services, known as the KIOSK 1 (Figure 1), provide comparable services for on- and off-campus students.
Available in both image and text-based format, SFU Library’s KIOSK is designed to provide access to all resources of interest to students and faculty, both on and off campus (Figure 2). In order to provide the most effective access, the principles followed in its design are:
To achieve the most effective access, we have developed a straightforward, consistent “look and feel” to our Web pages. Information is organized by subject and course. Wherever feasible, electronic resources are purchased in formats that allow online access from any workstation in the library and through dialup modems with both text and graphical interfaces. Rather than physically restrict the use of CD-ROMs to specific workstations or the access to online databases to machines within the Library, we have chosen online authentication as a means of complying with restrictive licence agreements. In part supported by the B.C. Government’s Innovation Funds, the Electronic Library Network, and the Council of Prairie and Pacific University Libraries consortia, SFU Library systems development has focused on developing modular software tools that can provide straight-forward consistent searching, holdings display, and online requesting from a variety of sources.
Given the unorganized profusion of information available via the Internet, SFU Library concluded that its fundamental role of acquiring, organizing, and explaining information is crucial in enabling students to make effective use of available resources. Fortunately, the World Wide Web has not only increased the amount of accessible information, it has also enabled librarians to expand their assistance to distance as well as on-campus users.
After investigating alternative online methods to support instruction and research, SFU Library charged its reference librarians with the task of developing SUBJECT RESOURCE web pages to collocate tools and materials pertinent to each discipline and to provide links to relevant databases, Web sites, SFU Library Guides, and other electronic resources. Subject resource pages are arranged by Faculty and Department in order to integrate effectively with lectures, assignments, or course pages developed by instructors. For example, BUS 442: Introduction to Market Research outlines major market research areas and information sources, and HIST 101: Canada to Confederation provides explanatory text and Web links supplied by the course instructor and the History librarian. All subject pages provide a link to the SFU Library reference librarians and other online help such as online reference and feedback. More general online LIBRARY GUIDES such as How to Use the Library Web Catalogue or Term Paper Research provide help with writing term papers and using online services.
On-campus students can receive direct help from librarians at the Reference Desk. To partially emulate this in-person assistance, the KIOSK offers an electronic reference service called LIBASK, which allows users to e-mail questions to reference librarians. Distance users may receive an e-mail or telephone response. Although online information and access to LIBASK, feedback, and reference librarians’ e-mail addresses have greatly increased distance education students’ access to the Library and information resources, the Library is also exploring the potential of “real-time” reference assistance through Conference Rooms or Internet Chat to further improve service to distant learners.
SFU Library purchases online networked index/abstract databases where feasible because they can be searched to identify citations to journal articles and, in some cases, the full text of articles as well. Arranged both by subject and alphabetically, the DATABASE pages provide connections and online searching help; each database has context sensitive help screens as well. In order to simplify the complex process of obtaining materials identified in the online index/abstract databases, SFU has developed a holdings module linked to citations, which displays online full text if available or lists where the material can be obtained amongst SFU’s forty partner libraries and the Canadian Institute for Scientific and Technical Information (CISTI). It provides a link to a request form for materials not available in the SFU Library. This request form can also be used by distance education students to request materials at the SFU Library.
In addition, direct requesting for both books and articles in SFU’s collection is available through the SFU Library catalogue, and materials from the University of British Columbia (UBC) Library catalogue can also be requested directly. For materials where a location has not been identified, an online Interlibrary Loan form can be used. The Interlibrary Loan Department will track down materials worldwide. The latter two services are available for in-library pickup and for graduate distance education students. These options are limited because of the short loan period for books obtained from UBC or elsewhere via Interlibrary Loan.
In addition to the Web services already developed, SFU Library is exploring options such as fax delivery, e-mail delivery of articles received through ILL, and internet access to requested print journals, though the new copyright legislation and our Cancopy agreement will limit these options.
We are also exploring the following options:
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Lynn Copeland
Elaine Fairey
Todd M. Mundle
WAC Bennett Library
Simon Fraser University
8888 University Drive
Burnaby, BC, Canada, V5A 1S6
E-mail: copeland@sfu.ca
1. Other Web pages alluded to in the article are available through this page.
Lynn Copeland is currently Manager, Library Systems Data and Resource Sharing at Simon Fraser University. She was formerly Manager of the B.C. Electronic Library Network after working at University of British Columbia and other academic libraries. Lynn also chairs the public library-related Library Foundation of British Columbia.
Elaine Fairey is currently Acting Head, Belzberg Library, Simon Fraser University at Harbour Centre. In her previous positions as Business & Economics Librarian and Head of Interlibrary Loans at SFU, Elaine developed a strong interest in the provision of library services for off-campus users.
Todd M. Mundle is Head of Interlibrary Loans and Telebook (Library Services for Off-Campus Students) at Simon Fraser University. As Head of these two services, Todd brings a unique perspective to the solutions surrounding delivery of materials to off-campus users.
ISSN: 0830-0445