Purpose – The present study was carried out to explore the concept of e-learning and to study the e-learning courses run by institutions/universities at the national and international level. The paper aims to discuss these issues. Design/methodology/approach – A survey method of research has been adopted for the present study. A total 23 universities that are running 89 LIS courses through e-learning methods have been examined for the current study. Findings – It is observed that a total of 23 universities are running e-learning programmes for LISc at Master's degree level, certificate level and bachelor's degree level. Most of the universities run short-term e-learning courses for LIS education and are using Moodle software. All the 23 universities are using Web 2.0 tools for information communication and dissemination. Research limitations/implications – This study will be a help to the students as well as faculty of library and information science to develop the e-learning model in their respective departments. Students will learn what e-learning courses are being run by various institutions in view of the technology, content and facilities provided by particular institutions. Practical implications – Those institutions that have not developed any e-learning programmes, after viewing this paper, will be able to understand the e-learning courses of LIS education. Originality/value – No similar studies have been carried out before.