7 : Integrating library resources into online instruction

[courseware, practical online instructing, reserves]

VLEs

The use in UK higher education of what the book calls courseware, but what are known in the UK as Virtual Learning Environments (VLEs), is growing, particularly with the main packages Blackboard and Web CT. Elearning courses using VLEs may be for on-campus or remote students, but clearly for the latter students access to electronic library resources is crucial and libraries are becoming involved in the planning of online courses to ensure there is appropriate library provision included. VLEs have the benefit that links to library resources can be introduced at appropriate points within course materials. Some institutions , like Leeds University [Emly] and Edge Hill College are also including information skills material. The INSPIRAL project looked at the links between VLEs and digital libraries and the Final Report notes some case studies of use.

Electronic short loan

Electronic short loan collections - electronic reserves in the US - are being developed to begin to bring to remote users the benefits of printed short loan collections, but are not yet as widespread as in the US. They are usually created by digitising documents that are not already available electronically and the main drawbacks are the time taken to get copyright clearance and sometimes the costs involved, since these are based on potential numbers of users. The HERON project has been developing a clearance and digitising service for UK higher education and has confronted many of the issues involved [Pickering]. Ebooks may become an important part of such collections.

Services may be presented as a specialist collection, such as Nottingham University's Electronic Short Loan service or digitised items may appear in a course reading list alongside other material.

Copyright

Copyright is increasingly complex, especially in the online environment, where it is easy to publish and copy material across international boundaries. Gadd surveys the questions raised on the lis-copyseek discussion list during 2000 and ,although most were concerned with printed material, a significant number dealt with electronic sources, such as ejournals, digitisation and database licences of relevance to remote users.

The main UK legislation is the Copyright, Designs and Patents Act 1988, but with many modifications in later Statutory Instruments - implementing the European Copyright Directive will be the next addition. However, electronic materials tend to be governed, less by general laws and principles of fair dealing, and more by licences for particular products that specify users and uses. (See the next chapter). In institutional contexts there are licencing schemes from organisations like the Copyright Licencing Agency that relate to a broad range of material and give subscribers defined rights - electronic resources may be part of these. Interest groups like the Library and Archive Copyright Alliance and EBLIDA, the European Bureau of Library, Information and Documentation Associations, argue for digital material to be treated in the same way as printed.

References

Cornish, G.P. Copyright: interpreting the law for libraries, archives and information services Library Association Publishing, Revised 3rd ed, 2001

Emly, M & Ryan, C Adding value to student learning: integrating the hybrid library into the virtual learning environment. The New Review of Information Networking 7, 2001, 225-235.

Gadd, E.& Gaston, R. Copyright questions asked in libraries Library management 22 (8/9) 2001, 387-394

JISC Senior Management Briefing Paper 5: Copyright

Pedley, P. Copyright for library and information service professionals. 2nd ed Aslib, 2000

Pickering, H & Hughes, J HERON's role in copyright clearance for digital course readings Assignation 19 (1) Oct 2001, 31-35