Distance Learning and Libraries

O'Leary, Mick. Distance Learning and Libraries.Online; Jul/Aug2000, Vol. 24 Issue 4, p94, 3p


This article explores the relationship established between distance learning and online libraries. Information on distance learning; Its advantages; Threat posed by distance learning to conventional educational and training institutions; Efforts made by online libraries to serve distance learners.

Distance learning is a very big trend, and is steadily and quickly growing. Distance learning--taking courses and training over the Internet and other media--is radically altering the ways in which all sorts of education are delivered. Today, a large majority of higher education institutions, from community colleges to universities, offer distance learning. There are by one estimate 6,000 courses online. In 1998, approximately 5% of college and university students took distance learning courses; by 2002, this share is expected to be 15%, and can only grow after that.

Business and corporate training is rapidly heading the same way. It's estimated that by 2003, 50% of corporate training will be distance learning, with tremendous cost implications. Corporate America spends $60 billion annually on employee training; since a distance learning course can be offered at one-half to one-third the cost of a conventional course, the potential savings represent very big bucks indeed.

Thus many of us are or will be involved in distance learning: students in college, graduate school, and professional school; knowledge workers in every private and public sector; educational institutions from the smallest college to the largest university; businesses that require or provide training, and, finally, libraries that serve any of these groups.

Distance learning has been around a long time. Mail correspondence schools--the ones you've seen on matchbooks and the back of comic books--date from the mid-19th century. Televised courses have been around for decades and are still very popular. Nevertheless, distance learning in these formats has a distinctly low-rent status. It's perceived as a last resort of dubious quality, for people who have no access to "real" education. The educational establishment itself, especially faculty, are ambivalent toward distance education, because it replaces and devalues face-to-face, classroom-based teaching.

Distance learners themselves demonstrate the ability to surmount these obstacles. Generally, their performance is not inferior to their classroom-based peers. This may be due to the character of distance learners themselves. As a rule, they are serious, disciplined, conscientious, and demanding. By necessity, they master not only the technology of their distance learning medium, but also the learning process itself.

distance learning will continue to grow. With a little tweaking, libraries can bring added value to this new class of customers, thereby helping themselves with yet another path to survival and prosperity in this digital age.