Date: 4-25-2001
To: UT System Distance Learning Contacts
From: Alexia Thompson-Young
Subject: Task force for distance learning library services

Dear Distance Learning Contacts:

Recently, you received a survey asking about the library services currently available at your institution for distance learners. In the past couple of days, you may have already seen a copy of this letter that was sent to your library director. Amidst this activity, we too are in the process of identifying existing library services that can be used by distance learners, and the task seems both easy and difficult. Easy, since distance learners can use our online full-text resources. Difficult, because online full-text resources are only a part of the library services that distance learners need.

Identifying existing services and planning for new services requires a group approach. We, Meredith Ault, UT TeleCampus Librarian, Jenifer Flaxbart, Communication Bibliographer and Off-Campus Library Services Coordinator, and I, have begun meeting with Rue Ramirez and Mark McFarland here at UT Austin's Digital Library Services Division (DLSD). By no means do we have authority over distance learning library services at UT Austin; rather we aim to facilitate services in appropriate departments, such as Inter-Library Service, and to provide a forum for discussing issues and concerns with distance learning support. Even with as few as three meetings, we feel that we have developed a framework from which to consider our support services. Therefore, we hope to bring together such a group for us all, a distance learning support task force.

We propose a task force meeting on August 15th for the distance learning contacts. This meeting would be held in Austin, following the 2001 UT System Information Technology and Distance Education (ITDE) Conference. By looking to each other for ideas, and by sharing feedback and resources, each of our initiatives to serve distance learners will continue to grow and improve.

To promote our communication we have a web page, OffCamp, at the address below. OffCamp is intended to reflect our ideas, concerns, and projects. Joined with our web page we also have a new OFFCAMP email list. The OFFCAMP email list will drive the effectiveness of the OffCamp web pages and our support task force. We invite you and others working in your libraries who are interested, and who play a role in providing services to distance learners, to join this email list and to visit our web pages.

In order to start on the same page, we have posted some definitions of distance learning terms on the OffCamp web pages. Our first term, distance learners, is defined as individuals who are enrolled library users who are acquiring knowledge and skills through mediated information and instruction. Feel free to suggest additions, changes, and amendments to these terms.

Welcome. http://www.lib.utsystem.edu/offcamp/index.html

Please email me any questions you may have.
Thank you,
Lexie

Alexia Thompson-Young
Distance Learning Librarian
Digital Library Services Division
University of Texas at Austin