Bókasafnið - 01.04.1997, Page 24

SUMMARY
Library and Information Services to Distance Leamers
In January 1993 a group of students commenced their teacher education
as a distance leaming programm at Kennaraháskóli íslands (University
College of Education (UCE)) in Reykjavik. The distance learning mode
of the teacher education programme will from now on be offered at
regular intervals. As services to distance leamers are becoming a
permanent factor in the library’s activity it was felt necessary to discover
whether this group’s particular needs as regards library and information
services are met and, if not, to recommend changes and improvements
accordingly.
The main part of the article is an account of the outcome of a survey
which was made in the autumn of 1995 to discover this first group of
distance leamers’ library use and their evaluation of the services of the
UCE library. Findings from a literature search relevant to the subject and
the antecedents leading to the survey are discussed in the beginning of
the article followed by an account of the methodology used to obtain the
desired information. Interpreting the survey findings, the outcome of
interviews with a sample of students, members of the academic staff and
public librarians in order to achieve a better overall picture of the
situation, are then covered. Lastly the problems which the survey has
brought to light are discussed.
According to the outcome of the survey these specific distance
learners do prefer their own home libraries and the public libraries when
they look for materials for their projects, the library of the UCE comes
in the third place. The majority of the group does not search the UCE
library’s computer system. Lack of time and knowledge are blamed for
little library use. Nevertheless the group is satisfied with the service they
get at the UCE library. Some of the students asked for longer loan
periods and some would have liked more thorough library instruction
and training in literature search.
ÞS
BÓKAS AFN SFRÆÐIN G AR
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