Assessing Academic Library Services to Distance Learners: A Literature Review of Perspectives from Librarians, Students, and Faculty

Abstract

Many academic libraries are expanding services to online and distance students to keep pace with enrollment trends in higher education, prompting additional research to evaluate the use and effectiveness of library reference and instruction services to distance users. This literature review explores this research from the perspectives of academic librarians, distance students, and faculty teaching online and distance courses, and finds both commonalities and contradictions among these viewpoints.

Keywords:

• academic libraries
• distance education
• higher education
• information literacy
• libraries and education
• library instruction
• library reference services
• library services
• needs assessment
• universities and colleges