Library Services for Open and Distance Learning: The Third Annotated Bibliography - Hardcover

Kascus, Marie; SLADE, ALEXANDE L.

Hardcover

ISBN 10: 1563087456 ISBN 13: 9781563087455

Publisher: Libraries Unlimited, 2000

Synopsis

As the electronic era blurs the boundaries between conventional and distance education and between remote and in-person library users, the literature on library issues and distance learning has proliferated immensely. This work helps you keep abreast of the phenomenal changes taking place in the field of education and the issues they raise for libraries. Identifying and describing more than 750 works published since its precursor was completed in 1995, the book provides a comprehensive record of the current literature about distance and open learning in post-secondary education programs. The authors cover all types of materials from around the world, ranging from brief news items to major research reports and dissertations. In this edition, special emphasis is given to web-based distance education. Access is provided through four indexes-author, geographical, institution, and subject-and indexes are cumulative from the previous two bibliographies.

About this title

About the Authors

ALEXANDER L. SLADE is Head, Document Supply Services, University of Victoria Library, Victoria, British Columbia.

cus /f Marie /i A.

ALEXANDER L. SLADE is Head, Document Supply Services, University of Victoria Library, Victoria, British Columbia.

Reviews

Distance education is a hot topic in higher education and a major concern of libraries that serve students and faculty of academic institutions. Although many institutions have offered "off campus" instruction for decades or longer, the growth of the Internet has added a strong new impetus in the development of distance-education programs on a much grander scale. Here, the notion of "open learning" refers to "courses or planned learning experiences offered by non-traditional educational or training institutions," so it does not include unstructured independent learning by library users.This is the third in a number of bibliographies that have attempted to provide an inclusive listing of materials. The new title reflects changing emphasis and terminology. The first, ALA's Library Services for Off-Campus and Distance Education (1991), listed 535 documents spanning the period 1930 to early 1990. Library Unlimited's second edition (1996) listed 518 documents, most from 1990 through early 1995. This latest edition lists 764 documents, most from 1994 through mid-1999.All three bibliographies have included unpublished reports as well as published materials. Unpublished items are accompanied with acquisition information, if known. New to this third bibliography are online documents. "No attempt has been made to exclude material based on any evaluative criteria." No restrictions are mentioned as to language, but only English-language items were noted. Relevant documents were sought via both general and specialized indexing and abstracting services and databases, which are listed in the prefatory matter, plus a network of librarians from around the world. The classified arrangement of annotated entries facilitates browsing. The first chapter contains general bibliographies, literature reviews, and electronic resource arranged in alphabetical order by author. Succeeding chapters survey broad topics such as instruction and interlibrary cooperation and are subarranged by document type or subtopic. Within these divisions, documents are arranged by date of publication, then by author. Individual entries include standard citations plus a description of the content of the document, ranging from three lines to a half-page. Most signed annotations are clearly written and approximately one-third page in length.Additional access is provided through comprehensive indexes for authors, places, institutions, and subjects. All indexes include references not only to this third bibliography but to the first two bibliographies as well. Unfortunately, both the geographic and subject indexes suffer from enormous numbers of item references under many headings that lack sufficient specificity or subdivisions to effectively pinpoint particular types or categories of documents. Indexes with too many item references are hard to avoid when the overall topic of the bibliography is relatively narrow, as it is in this case. This problem is augmented by the additional references to the first two bibliographies. Solutions in future editions could include more detailed subdivision of main headings and more specific main headings. However, any solution would increase the size of the index, perhaps to an unacceptable level with respect to cost.This well-designed and carefully executed bibliography and its two predecessors are the definitive bibliographies for distance education. Would that every concern in librarianship (or even better, every topic of interest to anyone) had such dedicated bibliographers. They are to be commended, and all libraries and librarians dealing with distance education and learning should take advantage of their labors. RBB
Copyright © American Library Association. All rights reserved

With the explosive growth of distance learning comes an equally phenomenal expansion of literature concerning the changes now occurring in education and how they affect libraries. Updating the 1995 edition, this annotated bibliography identifies and describes more than 750 works (including brief news items, books, major research reports, and dissertations) published since 1995. Four indexesAauthor, geographical, institution, and subjectAare cumulative from the previous two editions.AWWW
Copyright 2000 Reed Business Information, Inc.

Edition details

• Publisher: Libraries Unlimited
• Publication date: 2000
• Language: English
• ISBN 10: 1563087456
• ISBN 13: 9781563087455
• Binding: Hardcover
• Edition number: 3
• Number of pages: 344