Distance learning is becoming an increasingly popular way of studying, and most universities now provide courses using these methods. Today's students, though, are demanding high quality, consumer-focused and flexible courses and learning resources and active learner support. This means that providers of distance education need to reconsider key issues about their learner support systems, ensuring that this is delivered appropriately and effectively.
This book considers the changing needs and demands of distance education students. It draws together contributions from the UK, USA, Hong Kong, Australia, Japan, South Africa and Botswana, to offer an international perspective on:
*The challenges and opportunities of Information and Communication Technologies (ICT)
*Quality assurance, commercialisation and the learner as consumer
*The impact on learners of cultural differences on internationalised curricula
*The implications for learner support of a wider range of learners
This book should be read by all those involved in developing and delivering distance education courses.

Get the experts' perspective on the top journals of the 20th century! The Journals of the Century project gathered some of America's top subject expert librarians to determine the most influential journals in their respective fields. Thirty-two contributing authors-led by Editor Tony Stankus-reviewed journals from over 20 countries that have successfully shaped the evolution of their individual specialties worldwide. Their choices reflect the history of each discipline or profession, taking into account rivalries between universities, professional societies, for-profit and not-for-profit publishers, and even nation-states and international ideologies, in each journal's quest for reputational dominance. Each journal was judged using criteria such as longevity of publication, foresight in carving out its niche, ability to attract & sustain professional or academic affiliations, opinion leadership or agenda-setting power, and ongoing criticality to the study or practice of their field. Journals of the Century presents wholly independent reviewers; none are in the employ of any publisher, but each is fully credentialed and well published, and many are award-winners. The authors guide college and professional school librarians on limited budgets via an exposition of their analytical and critical winnowing process in determining the classic resources for their faculty, students, and working professional clientele. The chapters are logically grouped together in six clusters that reflect the commonly shared interests of library liaisons and the range of like-minded academic departments they typically serve. These clusters include: The Helping Professionals (chapters on social work, education, psychology, sociology, and library and information sciences) Music, Museums, and Methodists (chapters on visual arts, anthropology, archaeology, philosophy, and the American religious experience) Business and Law (chapters on business and economics, plus legal literature) War and Peace (chapters on modern history, political science and international relations, and military affairs) Physical Sciences and Engineering (chapters on mathematics and the physical sciences as well as engineering and computer science) Life, Health, and Agriculture (chapters on medicine and surgery, pharmacy, physical therapy and nutrition, agriculture, and veterinary medicine) Journals of the Century answers questions such as: Which university press leads in high-ranking titles in the helping professions? In what crime-fighting journal, ironically mentioned within the Music, Museums, and Methodists cluster, do anthropologists routinely publish? What two journals cover the biggest yearly expense of most working Americans and rankly highly within both chapters of the Business and Law cluster? What family of British publications has remained indispensable reading for political and military readers for over a century in the War and Peace Cluster? What society in the Physical Sciences and Engineering cluster publishes more journals than any other publisher in this book, covering topics from light bulbs and computers to MRIs and windmills? What one-word-titled journal has joined the venerable pair of Nature and Science as the most important reporters of world-class breakthroughs in basic biomedical science? and many, many more! Journals of the Century includes extensive commentaries on each cluster by the editor, with graphical representations by world regions and publishing sectors contributing to each chapter. ISSN numbers for print editions, and URL addresses for online editions are provided in a comprehensive title index. This unique book is an essential resource for serials librarians in academia, new reference librarians familiarizing themselves with classic titles, and collection evaluators and college accreditation examiners.

Become more versatile, competent, and resourceful with these practical suggestions Becoming a first-class reference librarian demands proficiency in a wide range of skills. Doing the Work of Reference offers sound advice for the full spectrum of your responsibilities. Though many aspects of a reference librarian's work are changing with astonishing speed, the classic principles in this volume will never go out of date. This comprehensive volume begins with hints for orienting yourself to a new job and concludes with ideas for serving the profession. On the way, Doing the Work of Reference covers such diverse topics as working with student assistants, offering reference services to remote users, and keeping up your professional development. In addition, you will find strategies for dealing with technological change--not high-tech information that will become obsolete before the ink is dry, but ways of approaching the process of change that will work today, next week, and ten years from now.Doing the Work of Reference will help you increase your competence in: getting along with other staff members marketing the library to users and faculty handling ephemeral materials keeping students'attention in library instruction courses maintaining good relations with faculty increasing your subject knowledge and much more This comprehensive guide is an essential handbook for librarians in the trenches. Whether you are a new librarian or a veteran at the reference desk, Doing the Work of Reference will help you burnish your skills.

Examine crucial issues for audiovisual cataloging-from a variety of perspectives!This vital book addresses both current and historic issues related to audiovisual materials and cataloging. It covers the current cataloging rules for sound recordings (popular music and nonmusic recordings), videorecordings (including DVDs), electronic resources (whether accessed locally or remotely), three-dimensional objects and realia, and kits. Three historical articles chronicle the history of audiovisual catalog in general, the history of cataloging computer files, and the history of The Thesaurus for Graphic Materials. A section on audiovisual materials and subject access issues includes a chapter which proposes form/genre terms for moving-image materials and a special library's creation and use of a new thesaurus and its availability to assist online catalog users. Finally, four contributions examine audiovisual materials and cataloging from the perspectives of different library types: school, public, academic, and special.The Audiovisual Cataloging Current provides case studies that show: how the National Library of Medicine produces, collects, and catalogs non-print materials the differences between the Moving Image Genre-Form Guide and Library of Congress Subject Headings, with recommendations for improving LCSH as a tool and an exhaustive list of LCSH terms how libraries and organized cataloging groups developed the Chapter 9 descriptive cataloging rules in AACR2 how the Westchester Library System created a user-friendly online catalog for audiovisual materials how the Illinois Fire Service Library improved firefighters'subject access to nonprint fire emergency materials how the National Library of Medicine promotes audiovisual formats and much more!

Produced by The University of South Carolina's School of Library and Information Science this is the authoritative annual compilation of research, best practices, and a review of literature in the fields of cultural heritage, imaging for museums and libraries, and digital humanities. The scope is international. The Annual will build on the commonality of interests between museums, archives and libraries, and scholarship in the arts and humanities. An editorial board will be comprised of four to seven scholars in the field to include but not limited to researchers and information professionals with previous work in the field of cultural heritage and informatics. Each issue will contain three major parts: * Original research articles * Literature reviews on the three main research areas in the field:, Social networking and cultural institutions, the value of culture, and open source resources * Overview of trends and technologies in the field The Annual Review is an essential overview and synthesis of this nascent and growing field.

Become more versatile, competent, and resourceful with these practical suggestions Becoming a first-class reference librarian demands proficiency in a wide range of skills. Doing the Work of Reference offers sound advice for the full spectrum of your responsibilities. Though many aspects of a reference librarian's work are changing with astonishing speed, the classic principles in this volume will never go out of date. This comprehensive volume begins with hints for orienting yourself to a new job and concludes with ideas for serving the profession. On the way, Doing the Work of Reference covers such diverse topics as working with student assistants, offering reference services to remote users, and keeping up your professional development. In addition, you will find strategies for dealing with technological change--not high-tech information that will become obsolete before the ink is dry, but ways of approaching the process of change that will work today, next week, and ten years from now.Doing the Work of Reference will help you increase your competence in: getting along with other staff members marketing the library to users and faculty handling ephemeral materials keeping students'attention in library instruction courses maintaining good relations with faculty increasing your subject knowledge and much more This comprehensive guide is an essential handbook for librarians in the trenches. Whether you are a new librarian or a veteran at the reference desk, Doing the Work of Reference will help you burnish your skills.

This book was written by Valerii Leonov, Director of the Academy of Sciences in St.Petersburg. In February 1988 the Academy of Sciences was hit by the worst library fire of the century. Using memoirs, documents, newspaper reports and the personal testimony of those involved, Leonov has meticulously reconstructed events surrounding the fire, the huge clean-up operation and the climate of mistrust and back-stabbing which developed amongst library staff in the wake of the disaster. These events culminated in an accusation of illegalities levelled at Leonov himself, a charge of which he has since been full exonerated.

Everything you need to know about technical services--in one handy volume!For library technicians working in technical services and students in library technology programs, Introduction to Technical Services for Library Technicians is a practical, how-to-do-it text that shows how to perform the behind-the-scenes tasks the job requires. This essential volume comes complete with a suggested reading list, helpful charts and tables, a look at trends and issues to consider, and review questions at the end of each chapter.From the Preface: "Budgetary constraints and the computerization of library functions and routines have changed the composition of library personnel forever. Library technicians are being hired to replace librarians in many library areas, particularly in technical services. What has not kept up with this trend are the training and education of library technicians, a necessary component of a successfully operating library."This book examines terminology, organization, and the practical aspects of the tasks that technical services workers deal with every day. Here's a sample of what is explored in Introduction to Technical Services for Library Technicians: computers and library automation bibliographic utilities and networks including OCLC, RLG, UTLAS, the Internet, and more library cooperation from the local to the international level acquisitions procedures, gifts, and exchanges copy cataloging, original cataloging, subject cataloging, and the MARC record government publications serials--ordering, cataloging, control, terminology, e-journals, and more preservation--treating damaged materials, book repair, good housekeeping practices, factors of deterioration, and more Intended primarily as a textbook for students in a two-year library technology program or one-year certificate program, this book will also serve very well as a general reference for library technicians or other staff members working in the technical services area.

Learn how electronic texts can save you money The new technologies that have revolutionized information storage and retrieval demand commensurate changes in librarianship. Research Collections and Digital Information explores the practical and theoretical impact of new information technologies on the libraries of today. It suggests new strategies for collecting, organizing, and accessing library materials and emphasizes the increasing importance of classification and bibliographic rigor in dealing with the riot of information available on the Internet. This helpful book provides a detailed case study of the advantages and disadvantages of an electronic text center. A thorough discussion of the possibilities of custom-tailored digital libraries includes information on the Alexandria Digital Earth Prototype, which offers geographers and other earth scientists electronic access to maps, aerial photographs, and texts. In addition, you will find proven guidelines for selecting ebooks and other electronic materials. Research Collections and Digital Information offers guidance on technology's impact on essential library services and concerns, including: budgets for library materials and staff copyright and licensing issues interlibrary loan vendor-library relations library buildings and equipment Research Collections and Digital Information provides a fascinating look into the practical ways that other librarians have risen to the challenges of this dramatic paradigm shift. It is an essential resource for library directors, collections managers, and students.

Safely guide your library into the new millennium Like so much else in the information professions, leadership styles are being forced to change to meet the demands of technological innovation. Leadership in the Library and Information Science Professions is among the first books to focus on this increasingly important job qualification. It offers practical advice for developing strong, flexible, and creative leadership skills in yourself and your staff.This fascinating volume stresses the leadership needed to manage change. The essential skills taught here will help you update library services at a reasonable pace while preserving valuable low-tech alternatives. As one chapter recommends, "Every librarian at every level should have ready an answer-multiple answers-to the ubiquitous questions: Why do we still need libraries when everything is on the Web? How can you justify an expanding budget in the Internet Age?"Leadership in the Library and Information Science Professions offers fresh ideas for developing and using leadership skills, including: recruiting tips for identifying potential leaders staff training and development restructuring the organization to encourage full staff participation budget strategies for successful leaders issues of gender and ethnic diversity evaluating and assessing leadershipLeadership in the Library and Information Science Professions is an essential resource for library administrators and staff. By developing your leadership skills and those of your staff, you can confidently face the hectic pace of change in the information sciences.

Ensure the success of your library's cooperative collection development plan! This solidly researched book brings a fresh perspective to the practical problems of library resource sharing. Creating New Strategies for Cooperative Collection Development offers shrewd advice and creative thinking on the political and administrative issues that often present obstacles. It will help you assess your library's situation, identify new opportunities, and find powerful new ways to perform the essential tasks of archiving, preservation, and digitization.By making wise use of new technologies, local libraries can offer international resources and services unimaginable just a few decades ago. Creating New Strategies for Cooperative Collection Development shares the experiences of successful consortia all over the world, including the US, Eastern Europe, the UK, the nations of the Pacific Rim, and South Asia. It examines the costs and benefits of regional, national, and international cooperatives and debates the varying uses of centered and decentralized models of resource sharing. Creating New Strategies for Cooperative Collection Development offers practical advice for overcoming specific obstacles, including: lengthy approval processes fixation on volume count instead of quality faculty and commercial resistance to reforming scholarly communications publishing monopolies and rising prices Creating New Strategies for Cooperative Collection Development defines the issues that need to be addressed by the library community to foster the advancement of cooperative collection development and suggests a series of steps that can be taken to ensure its future success and continued growth. It is an essential guide to the world of resource sharing.

The LCSH Century traces the 100-year history of the Library of Congress Subject Headings, from its beginning with the implementation of a dictionary catalog in 1898 to the present day. You will explore the most significant changes in LCSH policies and practices, including a summary of other contributions celebrating the centennial of the world's most popular library subject heading language.

Ensure the success of your library's cooperative collection development plan This solidly researched book brings a fresh perspective to the practical problems of library resource sharing. Creating New Strategies for Cooperative Collection Development offers shrewd advice and creative thinking on the political and administrative issues that often present obstacles. It will help you assess your library's situation, identify new opportunities, and find powerful new ways to perform the essential tasks of archiving, preservation, and digitization.By making wise use of new technologies, local libraries can offer international resources and services unimaginable just a few decades ago. Creating New Strategies for Cooperative Collection Development shares the experiences of successful consortia all over the world, including the US, Eastern Europe, the UK, the nations of the Pacific Rim, and South Asia. It examines the costs and benefits of regional, national, and international cooperatives and debates the varying uses of centered and decentralized models of resource sharing. Creating New Strategies for Cooperative Collection Development offers practical advice for overcoming specific obstacles, including: lengthy approval processes fixation on volume count instead of quality faculty and commercial resistance to reforming scholarly communications publishing monopolies and rising prices Creating New Strategies for Cooperative Collection Development defines the issues that need to be addressed by the library community to foster the advancement of cooperative collection development and suggests a series of steps that can be taken to ensure its future success and continued growth. It is an essential guide to the world of resource sharing.

The increasing prevalence of digital information systems and technologies compels libraries across the globe to update systems and provide users with a digital experience outside the confines of the structural library, providing useful benefits to the user while creating new areas of concern such as digital information preservation. Developing Sustainable Digital Libraries: Socio-Technical Perspectives presents a compilation of articles discussing the benefits and challenges of digital information and library digitization. Scholars from around the globe investigate web application development, techniques for digital conversion, composition of digital libraries, digital environments, and much more. This reference work proves valuable to the study and enhancement of digital information systems and technologies, and in assisting practitioners in the implementation and building of such systems and applications.

Software evolution is a time-consuming and costly process due to its complex architecture. Software designers need to produce software that is effective as well as durable. Durability and effectiveness of software are the foremost priorities and challenges for developers. This book comprises real-life case studies of durability issues and their solutions that bring to light loopholes and show how to fix them, to enhance durability. Existing literature on software durability tells us that the first step is to recognise the problem. It gives information about durability, risk, estimation, knowledge, and governance based on five main characteristics: dependability, trustworthiness, usability, security, and human trust. The book serves as a complete package to get acquainted with assurance and risk management from a software durability perspective. It enhances our understanding of the concept of durability, its multi-dimensional approach, threats and their types, risk, mitigation techniques, and suggestive measures. The book reviews the emerging trends in the software development process in the context of durability concepts such as automated code reviews, coding standards, and software durability standards and their testing, cost management solutions, low-code or no-code solutions, and durability assurance.

The LCSH Century traces the 100-year history of the Library of Congress Subject Headings, from its beginning with the implementation of a dictionary catalog in 1898 to the present day. You will explore the most significant changes in LCSH policies and practices, including a summary of other contributions celebrating the centennial of the world's most popular library subject heading language.

A collection of essays by over 40 experts, including leading writers Charles Handy and Don Tapscott, giving their personal vision of the future of information. Information here is given its widest meaning and includes such subjects as the Internet, electronic commerce, cybernetics, robotics, artificial intelligence, and even computers as fashion accessories. Information as a phenomenon pervades all areas of life and its evolution has consequences for everyone. Many of the papers have central themes such as the future of computer intelligence, library and information services, interactive Internet marketing, and networked learning in higher education. One paper links the technology enabling remote and online communication to the deconstruction of the corporation and the rise of flexible working. Professor Kevin Warwick writes about cybernetics and artificial intelligence, and describes an experiment involving a surgically implanted computer chip in his arm. Other papers deal with scholarly communication, smart houses and intelligent appliances. Two of the chapters are written as fiction, one by contemporary fantasy writer, Lise Leroux, who paints a menacing vision of human error in

Written by experts in the field, Collection Development: Preparing Today's Bibliographers for Tomorrow's Libraries offers librarians proven and effective suggestions on how to solve and alleviate common problems in order to make your library more efficient and beneficial to patrons. Discussing concerns about cooperative collection development, locally available data, managing personnel at varying career stages, vendors, selecting the right mix of resources, and serials collection management, this valuable guide gives you insight into the future of collection development and keeps you up-to-date on important technological advancements. For both beginners and professionals, Collection Development addresses your vexing questions that librarians continually face to assist you in creating a cost-effective and resourceful library.

Handling and archiving data should be done in a highly professional and quality-controlled manner. For academic and research libraries, it is required to know how to document data and support traceability, as well as to make it reusable and productive. However, these institutions have different requirements relating to the archiving and reusability of data. Therefore, a comprehensive source of information is required to understand data access and management within these organizations. Research Data Access and Management in Modern Libraries is a critical scholarly resource that delves into innovative data management strategies and strategy implementation in library settings and provides best practices to stakeholders using the latest tools and technology. It further explores concepts such as research data management, data access, data preservation, building document and data institutional repositories, applications of Web 2.0 tools, mobile technology applications in data access, and conducting information literacy programs. This book is ideal for librarians, information specialists, research scholars, students, IT managers, computer scientists, policymakers, educators, and academic administrators.

This guide examines the use of technology for sharing information, both within an organisation, and between companies and their clients and customers. It looks in particular at the use of push/ pull technologies for delivering current awareness services. The guide also discusses the pros and cons of the technology, particularly information overload, and suggests a number of ways of minimising the problems. The guide contains a useful list of books, reports, journals and other information sources. Contents: Introduction; Intranets; Extranets; Groupware; Case studies; Push/pull technologies; Information overload; Key players; Useful information sources; References; Further reading.

Discover ways to raise staff awareness regarding diversity Managing Multiculturalism and Diversity In the Library: Principals and Issues for Administrators is an academic guide to diversity issues such as affirmative action, career development of minorities in the library science profession, racism, and scholarship solutions to increase the diversity of people in the library and information science profession. From this manual, you will gain a deeper understanding of diversity and its implementation in your library. Scholarly and poignant, this book is recommended to academics, administrators, library professionals, and students who want to improve the diversity of libraries and the profession of library information science. In Managing Multiculturalism and Diversity In the Library, you will explore the continued need to keep diversity growing in our libraries as a learning tool to boost the creativity and broaden the knowledge base of libraries as a whole. This informative guide provides you with studies on the diversification efforts of Australia, Canada, China, and the United Kingdom, showing you how each nation differently defines diversity, yet values diversity with an agenda that accepts and encourages cultural differences. You will find suggestions on how to bring in the talents of traditionally excluded groups into your library and examine affirmative action and its dismantling from different angles. Managing Multiculturalism and Diversity In the Library illustrates the importance of cultural diversity in contrast to a melting pot that does not allow for distinct flavors. Some pertinent areas of diversity that you will read about are: raising staff awareness of diversity through training seminars a diversity program focused closely on your library s missions and strategic plans integrating diversity into every aspect of the library activities looking to colleges and universities as the leaders of cross-cultural understanding American Library Association and the diversity agendaManaging Multiculturalism and Diversity In the Library is an enlightening and helpful resource to foster multicultural understanding and to plan a diversity agenda that is right for your library organization. From this book, you will find many interesting and informative methods on creating a culturally pluralistic library.

Considers teleworking among LIS staff, as well as teleworkers as users of LIS services.Information and ideas about the types of information work that are suitable for teleworking. Management issues, case studies, Further reading and list of Internet resources.

Traditionally, research impact has been measured by counting citations, and citation-based indicators, such as impact factors. But in the last few years there has been increasing pressure on research and higher education institutions to move beyond citation metrics, and look instead at different forms of impact - at real world impact.Scholarly impact expert Elaine Lasda brings together a cast of innovative contributors from a variety of sectors to look at how impact is measured in ways that go beyond citations in peer-reviewed journal articles. With case studies from publishers, museums, scientific centers and government agencies, the contributors show how using a different mix of traditional bibliometrics, newer altmetrics, and other new measures can provide vital information to support the mission and vision of their organizations. For librarians and information professionals, it is becoming increasingly more important to be able to provide expertise on research impact, influence, productivity and prestige. This exciting new book shows readers how to clarify the importance and relevance of organizational research output, and therefore increase their professional value. With the growing sophistication of research impact analysis, the need for "impact metric literacy" is rising, and this book is a helpful tool for those looking to improve their understanding of research impact.

Introduces Intelligent IoT as applicable to key areas towards smart healthcare Discusses computational intelligence and IoT based optimizations of smart healthcare systems Explores effective management of healthcare systems using dedicated IoT based infrastructures Includes dedicated chapters on securing patient's confidential data Reviews diagnosis of critical diseases from medical imaging using advanced deep learning-based approaches