EFFECTIVE LIBRARY SUPPORT FOR DISTANCE EDUCATION PROGRAMS; STRATEGIES FOR EQUALIZING ACCESS TO LIBRARY RESOURCES FOR ON-CAMPUS STUDENTS AND DISTANCE EDUCATION LEARNERS

PROJECT BODY:

EFFECTIVE LIBRARY SUPPORT FOR DISTANCE EDUCATION PROGRAMS; STRATEGIES FOR EQUALIZING ACCESS TO LIBRARY RESOURCES FOR ON-CAMPUS STUDENTS AND DISTANCE EDUCATION LEARNERS

Introduction Library resources and services are important component of any educational experience. The provision of quality library services to those who learn at a distance is undoubtedly one of the most exciting and challenging development that has occurred in modern librarianship (Watson, 1999). Distance education has impacted not only on the discipline of education, it has also affected services and profession that support distance learning and distance education. Distance education no doubt has revolutionised and democratised the delivery and accessibility of education, it has also affected services and professions that support distance learning and distance education. Distance learning according to Fulcher and Lock (1999) is basically about access to educational opportunities for learners who do not wish or are not able to attend programmes offered on-site. Distance education according to Watson (1992) is a method of study that is pursued by students who are physically separated from their tutors and institutions of instruction for the greater part of their study. United States Distance Learning Association (1998) defines distance education as the acquisition of knowledge and skills through mediated information and instruction, encompassing all technologies and other forms of learning at a distance. These two definitions of distance education have shown that provision of quality and up to date services to those who learn at a distance is a challenge to the library. One of the main goals of distance education programme is to make sure that the knowledge and skills acquired positively affect the behaviour of the students. Similarly, the California Distance Learning Project (CDLP) (2011) defines distance learning as an instructional delivery system that connects learners with educational resource, provides educational access to learners not enrolled in educational institutions and can augment the learning opportunities of current students. The implementation of DL is a process that uses available resources and will evolve to incorporate emerging technologies.  The provision of quality library services to distance learning students will continue to experience global change as long as the need to provide effective and quality services that meet the needs and aspiration of citizens, decision-makers and distance learners is a long standing goal of the information profession. Suffice to say that the use of

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