No abstract

Gapen (1993) states that the concept of remote access to the contents and services of libraries and other information resources provides the user technology that brings access to the resources of multiple libraries and information services. With the evolution of a variety of methods involved in distance education, the role of academic libraries has broadened to provide resources and services to these invisible but very tangible students. This chapter begins with a brief review of the history of distance education and the impact of this technology on higher education. The chapter also explores the role of libraries and librarians in providing the variety of services, resources, and technology necessary to support this steadily growing facet of academic institutions. Finally, the chapter will present a case illustration of how one university has incorporated its virtual library as a critical element in its distance learning educational initiatives.

Change has become a way of life for most organizations in the 21st century. In order to withstand profound change, an organisation must be flexible and incorporate the ability to adapt and respond to its external environment and its many stakeholders (Kanter, Stein, & Tick, 1992). At the same time, in an era of increasing fiscal constraints, new technologies, and an explosion of information, informatics plays an increasingly important and prominent role in society, in knowledge exchange, in communication, and in commerce between organizations. Accordingly, the most remarkable opportunities and challenges have emerged within academic libraries with regard to the incorporation of technology into daily functioning. Academic libraries only achieve real change when every person, from staff to administrator, is willing to examine functions, strategies, goals, and processes and to participate in free discussions of the critical issues. This chapter examines such a landmark shift in an organization’s operation and culture with the creation of a “virtual library” at an urban university. It will review the planning, development, and implementation process of the virtual library. It will also examine the barriers and successes within the organizational role of a multi-campus, autonomous university library system. The chapter will conclude with a discussion of future issues and opportunities for the role of technology in organizations and organizational change.

Historically, distance learning or distance education began as little more than “correspondence courses,” which promised an education in one’s own home as early as 1728 (Distance Learning, 2002). By the 1800s the concept of distance education could be found in England, Germany and Japan (ASHE Reader on Distance Education, 2002).

With the explosion of distance learning, academic libraries have had to change to meet the needs of their faculty, staff, and students. The ACRL (Association of College & Research Libraries) presented guidelines to help librarians manage these changes. The proliferation of articles on this topic points to the rapid acceptance of this form of education. This rapid expansion has offered interesting challenges such as providing equitable services for all students, and greater assistance to faculty in supporting their classes. How libraries respond to these challenges will impact the success or the failures of these programs.