Primary Research Group Inc. has published The Survey of Library Services
for Distance Learning Programs (ISBN: 1-57440-098-3). The Survey of
Library Services for Distance Learning Programs presents international
library benchmarking data from more than 100 college libraries concerning
their programs for serving their distance learning students. This 145
page report gives extensive data, broken out by size and type of college,
for public and private colleges, and for U.S. and Non-U.S. libraries.
Among the more than 500 tables of data presented is information about: use
of real time chat and virtual reference services for distance learners;
percentage of libraries that offer special classes for distance learners;
future plans to offer information literacy courses to distance learners;
policies on providing web pages, blogs or listservs that specifically
serve the needs of distance learners; number of interactive online
tutorials provided to distance learners; state of relations between the
library and distance learning instructors and data on many, many other
facets of distance learning librarianship.
Some of the reports many findings are that:
Exactly half of survey respondents offered special classes or
training programs for distance learners. Non-U.S. libraries were 20% more
likely than U.S. libraries to offer such classes.
Just over a third of the sample, 37%, offered any kind of formal
non-credit or credit course worth 1, 2, or 3 credits on the subject of
information literacy for either distance learners or traditional students.
The majority of the sample, over 72%, had a Web page on the
library Website dedicated to the needs of distance learners.
Private colleges reported almost 3 times the mean number of
interactive online tutorials as public colleges, as well as 3 times the
median.
Seven in 10 respondents did not keep track of distance learners'
usage of library-sponsored, posted or directed tutorials and guides to the
library's resources, compared to traditional students. Over 14% reported
that distance learners and traditional students used these tutorials and
guides to the same extent, while over 11% reported that distance learners
actually used these resources more than traditional students.
Over a third of the sample had an equivalent to the traditional
orientation program for new distance learners. Over 40% of U.S. libraries
and 16% of non-U.S. libraries had an orientation program for distance
learners.
Just over half of the sample, 53%, maintained agreements with
other libraries to offer services to the college's distance learners.
Colleges with a smaller number of students enrolled in distance
learning tended to be more likely to have reciprocal agreements to provide
library services to the distance learning students of other colleges. Over
90% of colleges with fewer than 250 FTE distance learners offered their
library access or services to students enrolled in other colleges'
distance learning programs, but just 47% of colleges with between 250 and
999 FTE distance learners reported the same, as did 63% of colleges with
between 1,000 and 2,000 FTE distance learners and over 55% of colleges
with over 2,000 FTE distance learners.
78% of colleges with over 2,000 FTE distance learners had a
liaison to the distance learning program, compared with 68.4% of colleges
with between 1,000 to 2,000 FTE distance learners and 71% of colleges with
fewer than 250 FTE distance learners.
Just over 11% of the sample had a specific disbursement or line
item in the library budget for distance learning programs.
The mean shipping costs accrued annually by sending physical
books, magazines and other educational materials to distance learners was
$2,048, with a median of $75 and maximum of $19,850.
Just over half of the sample, over 52%, reported that they had no
restrictions on the delivery of books, articles and other paper versions
of intellectual property to distance learners, meaning that they deliver
such materials even if the students live close to campus,
The vast majority of the sample, close to 89%, reported that the
cost of shipping library materials to distance learners was generally paid
for by the library
This 145 page reports presents a broad range of data about the
relationship between college libraries and distance learning programs.
Data is broken out for public and private colleges, by enrollment size and
by Carnegie Class, and other criteria, to allow for easier benchmarking.
For a complete table of contents, excerpts and other information, visit
our website at www.primaryresearch.com.
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