Beth Filar Williams

Fostering Library as a Place for Distance Students: Best Practices From Two Universities

The concept of library as a place is now in action in many academic libraries: from physical library spaces to Web presences. In the constantly growing market of online and distance learning, however, libraries must foster library as a place for students who may never set foot in the physical building. This article provides a profile of two universities serving two very different bodies of distance students as well as the challenges associated with these populations. These libraries work to provide services to distance students that cultivate the library as a place to go for learning, research, and support by focusing on six categories: access, environment, resources, instruction, availability at the point of need, and “being real.” Tangible examples and best practices are provided throughout. This article is based on a presentation given at the 15th National Conference of the Association of College and Research Libraries in Philadelphia in March 2011.

No money, no travel, no problem Sustainability through virtual – not only library – services and collaborations

Sustainability is often described as a healthy balance between the environment, economy and equality. Online learning can promote the three tiered concepts of sustainability through opening up opportunities for more people globally to connect without the need for a lot of money or ecological resources to travel. This article discusses the idea of sustainable library services and opportunities through the virtual world. The two authors also present a case study of their online-only virtual internship experiences to demonstrate firsthand the application of these ideas. Zusammenfassung: Nachhaltigkeit wird oft als ein gesundes Gleichgewicht zwischen Umwelt, Wirtschaft und Gleichstellung beschrieben. Online Learning kann diese drei verbundenen Konzepte der Nachhaltigkeit fördern. Hierdurch eröffnen sich neue Möglichkeiten für mehr Menschen, sich global miteinander zu vernetzen, ohne Einsatz von Geld oder ökologischen Ressourcen für Reisen. Der Beitrag diskutiert die Idee von nachhaltigen Bibliotheksservices und Möglichkeiten, die sich durch die virtuelle Welt ergeben. Die beiden Autorinnen präsentieren außerdem ihre Erfahrung eines rein virtuellen Praktikums, um die praktische Anwendung dieser Ideen zu verdeutlichen.  Beth Filar Williams: University of North Carolina, Greensboro, NC, USA, Mail: efwilli3@uncg.edu Annabelle Koester: DILL Master Programme, Oslo, Finland, Mail: annabelle.koester@web.de