The essay presents a quasi-case study of one academic librarian's experience as an embedded librarian in multiple online courses over a five-year period. Technology used included chat, email, and a librarian question-and-answer bulletin board inside an eCollege course management system, and a dedicated-use ElluminateLive! virtual training room for…

As technology continues to advance, libraries in Europe and America continue to improve upon their virtual reference services by employing new Web technologies and applying them to existing services. West African academic libraries have begun providing resources electronically to their users but still typically lag behind in the services they…

This paper discusses the LaGuardia Community College Library's launch of a fully-online one-credit research class. The authors discuss the process for creating the class, from the technical specifications to the pedagogical approach to the course content and delivery. The authors also discuss the challenges of providing a fully online class to…

Blended and embedded librarianship describe efforts by librarians to integrate information literacy more closely into courses, especially online. In this case study, online tutorials replace a librarian-taught research skills session for a course that has moved from face to face to online. Issues discussed include ways to integrate research skills…

This article compares three self-developed subject guides and one commercial online subject guide (LibGuides) to provide information to other institutions which have a plan or are in the process of developing a plan to implement similar services to support online, distance and traditional education. This is a comparison of the current subject…

The expectations placed on library instruction programs by the Association of College and Research Libraries are high. Many universities also include information literacy competencies as learning objectives to be assessed at the institutional level. With those standards in mind, it is becoming increasingly difficult to adequately educate students…

In order to reach distance students in times of financial uncertainty, librarians must be creative. While much has been written about Camtasia, Captivate and Jing tutorial software, Adobe Presenter, a Microsoft PowerPoint plug-in, has not been discussed. This article describes how our library team created multimedia tutorial projects at Idaho…

The study investigated the information seeking behaviour of two categories of distance learners in Botswana, comprising the cross-border students and those that registered with the University of Botswana. The return of 364 duly completed questionnaires recorded 70.1 percent response rate. Cross tabulation and chi-square were made to relate the…

This article focuses on the model used at the University of Kansas Medical Center to reach graduate students in the School of Nursing. Like many students returning for graduate degrees, distance students are balancing the demands of professional positions, graduate studies, and family life. Topics addressed include: point-of-need assistance,…

Tutorials and digital learning objects provide librarians a quick, concise mechanism for delivering information and training on a wide range of library topics. The semiotic theory promoted by Charles Sanders Peirce (Wiener, 1958) and Howard Smith (2005) contains implications for enhancing the effectiveness of library tutorials through the…

Dealing with unaffiliated distance learning students can be a daunting task for many public as well as academic librarians. This article will discuss strategies for providing reference to these students by gathering information on what services they are offered via their home institutions, and helping them navigate the often confusing landscape of…

This article reports on a content analysis of research articles focusing on library services in distance education published between 1999 and 2009. The study identified 472 articles on the topic and analyzed the citations, abstracts, and indexing to determine major topics, issues, and trends discussed; methodologies used; and major journals…

Information and Communication Technology (ICT) has become an integral tool in enhancing library services worldwide. This article looks at ways technology is utilized at Massey University to bridge the gap between distance students and traditional library services. There are a variety of software providers, formats and implementation practices…

The re-envisioning of libraries as information leaders in higher education requires an examination of the decisions made in the acquisition and adoption of library technology. The Critical Theory of Library Technology offers a framework for viewing technology decisions through a social, economic and political perspective. This paper uses the…

Murray State University (Kentucky) has been experimenting with various means of document delivery and research instruction for its online only and satellite campuses. These include ILLiad-based document delivery, Camtasia-to-UTube tutorials, a discipline-based service called Library on Blackboard, Eluminate and other virtual instructional methods.…