https://orcid.org/0000-0001-5207-7091
This issue of the Journal of Library and Information Services in Distance Learning features, as it has for many years, the paper presentations from the 19th Distance Library Services Conference (DLS), held virtually November 3-4, 2020. While the DLS Conference may have shifted in form from an in-person event scheduled to take place in State College, Pennsylvania in July 2020 to its virtual home in November of that same year, the posters, papers, and lightning talks were nothing short of stellar, and the papers published in this issue will reflect the hard work our peers have dedicated to the profession of distance librarianship.
These papers focus on the research and instruction endeavors of distance librarians, which is undoubtedly timely given that this conference happened in the middle of the COVID-19 global pandemic. Never has a niche conference, such as DLS, been more appropriate, and the expertise presented been more needed. From digital badging and online modules to scaffolded instruction and international student support – this suite of conference papers will continue to be integral as the world navigates the post-pandemic waters and develops new normalcies. All librarians can learn from the successes and expertise of distance librarians and can use the information published herein to inform their own practices, instruction, scaffolding, and plans as we make our way into this next chapter.
On behalf of the conference co-organizers, and the vast network of volunteers who reviewed all the proposal submissions, you are invited to join the authors in Going the Distance in distance librarianship.
Victoria (Torrie) Raish, PhD is the Online Learning Coordinator at Penn State University. Her primary responsibilities are to coordinate online learning efforts at Penn State World Campus. She directly works with courses as well as aids librarians in their involvement with online courses. Her research interests are primarily in microcredentials, microlearning, and the student experience of online learning. She has her Ph.D. in Learning, Design, and Technology from Penn State University and brings with her a student-centered, participatory design mindset into her librarianship, research, and service. Victoria also has her master’s degree in teaching from the University of Southern California and her bachelor’s in biology from Mercyhurst College. ([email protected])
Kathleen (Kat) Phillips, MLIS is the Nursing & Allied Health Librarian at Penn State University. Her primary responsibilities include liaising with the College of Nursing (CON), Health Policy and Administration Department (HPA), and Consortium to Combat Substance Abuse. She has created a scaffolded approach to library instruction for CON and HPA students, and much of her distance librarianship research focuses on working with graduate students in these areas. Her additional research areas include bibliometric studies of gray literature in nursing publications, the development and use of the IF I APPLY method for bias and source evaluation, and studying bias and how it impacts all aspects of users’ interaction with and use of information. Kat received her MLIS from the University of Pittsburgh in 2011 and her BS in Applied French, focusing on Linguistics from Penn State University in 2008. ([email protected])