The potential of videoconferencing to enrich distance learning needs to be widely recognised as well as the technology embedded in curriculum delivery and in distance learning programmes. The argument is supported by reference to a wide range of case studies from the author's experiences over a period of six years as International Officer with the Western Education and Library Board in Northern Ireland, and to exemplars of good practice from other sources in different parts of the world. As videoconferencing becomes more widely available in schools and in public libraries, it is important that there is a new awareness of its vast potential in order to ensure that this technology is fully exploited for the benefit of learning communities.