Offering students synchronous research and reference help can be a challenge for libraries that offer services at a distance. Virtual office hours can be a means of overcoming this challenge, allowing patrons the opportunity to seek timely point-of-need assistance. The author implemented a librarian-led virtual office hours pilot project at her…

The authors, library practitioners from either side of the Atlantic Ocean, embarked on a dialogue about the ethical challenges encountered in providing library services to distance learners. Unable to find an existing, appropriate ethical framework for their discussion, they agreed to devise their own, informed by relevant professional codes and…

This publication consists of a set of case studies of quality assurance practices in distance teaching universities. The case studies are particularly relevant at a time when universities in many parts of the world, both new and established distance teaching universities, are placing great emphasis on reviewing and revising what they do in…

This issue includes nine articles that address the problems of library services for off-campus higher education programs. Highlights include guidelines versus standards for library services; accreditation expectations; five program models; distance learning for library education; the public library role; and programs in Canada, the United Kingdom,…

This report presents the results of an on-site investigation of the provision of library services to distance education students in Canada, which was conducted to obtain information for use in developing a similar program for the off-campus higher education program offered by the National Institute for Higher Education (NIHED) in Ireland.…

This paper examines the research that has been conducted to date on the topic of library support for distance learning programs and identifies some priorities for future research. The two main types of studies prevalent in the literature on this topic are surveys of libraries and user studies. Research findings from the United States, United…

This report involved a survey of 199 postsecondary institutions in Canada to determine how many universities and colleges provide some type of library support for their off-campus and distance-education students; and to tabulate and compare the types of library support provided by those institutions. The report contains narrative, a series of 21…

Describes a survey of library personnel, faculty, and students that examined issues related to the role of libraries in the future design and delivery of distance education. Recommendations are made in the areas of program and course planning, services marketing, resource development, data access, technical communications, services and materials…

In 1988 a research team at The Ontario Institute for Studies in Education (OISE) completed a study entitled "Developing Partnerships" that documented and analyzed library-based information services for distance education students in Northern Ontario. (The project was funded as part of the Province of Ontario initiative called Contact…

Discusses issues and trends affecting Canadian academic libraries that were major themes at the 1996 Canadian Library Association annual conference in Halifax (Nova Scotia). Topics include government funding decreases; restructuring in education and library services; consortia; library cooperation and collaboration; computer networks; interlibrary…

The Developing Partnerships project is a 5-year program intended to develop distance education programs in institutions of higher education in Northern Ontario, to establish an extensive information network called Contact North/Contact Nord, and to conduct research into areas considered appropriate for quality distance education delivery. The…

The Rural Library Training Project has been undertaken to design and implement a basic training curriculum for the staff of rural school and public libraries in Alberta, Canada. The first phase, Planning and Analysis, began on December 1, 1984, and this official report covers activities to April 1, 1985. Phase One addressed the nature of the…

This report provides a summary of a survey of 42 Canadian university libraries conducted in 1984 which identified 20 libraries that were involved in providing services for off-campus and distance education students. Thirteen categories were established to classify the components of a comprehensive library service for such students in Canada. Data…

The purpose of the Rural Library Training Project was to design, implement, and evaluate a basic training curriculum for the staff of rural libraries in Alberta, Canada. This Phase Four Summative Report describes project activities carried out from April 1, 1986 through June 30, 1987. These activities included the completion of the field test, the…

This description of the Extended Campus Program offered at the University of Alberta that allows remote students to meet residency requirements for a Master of Education degree emphasizes the use of electronic communication to provide access to library resources, staff services, and computerized databases. Evaluations of the program are provided.…