Electronic Resources in the Virtual Learning

JISC–NSF collaboration: digital libraries in the
classroom
Collaboration between the JISC and the NSF started in 1998 with the
International Digital Libraries Programme, discussed in Chapter 1. This
work continued in 2003 with the launch of the Digital Libraries in the
Classroom Programme. The original call for proposals went out in 2001
in line with the increasing recognition that learning technologies and
digital library efforts were beginning to converge. The call stated:
The learning experience is being revolutionised by Information and
Communications Technology (ICT) and the Internet in particular.
Students increasingly turn to the web for educational and scholarly
material. There is a need for better integration of the different
technologies and applications being developed in the learning and
teaching processes. (JISC, 2001b)
Four projects were funded under this programme, all of which are
ongoing and all of which have partner institutions in the UK and the US.
The first projects are due to report in 2006.
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It is difficult to anticipate
at this stage what the outcomes might be, but a recent report from
McGill (2004), working on the Distributed Innovative Design,
Education and Teamworking (DIDET) project at Strathclyde University,
suggested that learning technologists and librarians are still culturally
distinct. Nevertheless, the experience of bringing together the two
communities in an international programme must be an important step
towards closer integration.
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Electronic Resources in the Virtual Learning Environment
IMS Global Learning Consortium
IMS came into existence in 1997 as a project within the National
Learning Infrastructure Initiative of EDUCAUSE. IMS is a worldwide
non-profit organisation that includes more than 50 members, coming
from all sectors of the e-learning community, including hardware and
software vendors, educational institutions, publishers, government
agencies, systems integrators, multimedia content providers and other
consortia. The IMS Global Learning Consortium develops and promotes
the adoption of open technical specifications for interoperable learning
technology. Several IMS specifications have become worldwide
standards for delivering learning products and services. IMS
specifications and related publications are made available to the public
at no charge from the IMS website. No fee is required to implement the
specifications.
Specifications are the core of work for IMS, and they have produced
specifications for all aspects of e-learning products. Most recently IMS
have formed a Digital Libraries Special Interest Group, in recognition of
the need to reach out and work with the library community.
OCLC E-learning Taskforce
Librarians will be familiar with OCLC, the Online Computer Library
Center, which has over 45,000 member libraries throughout the world.
The organisation is dedicated to furthering access to the world’s
information and reducing information costs. In recognition of the
growing importance of e-learning to libraries, an OCLC e-Learning
Taskforce was set up in early 2003. The Taskforce’s key aim is to:
Assist OCLC in defining strategies and services that both help
libraries deliver services in this arena and help the academic
community leverage library services within elearning. (OCLC, 2003)
A background paper for the Taskforce appeared in March 2003, written
by Neil McLean (McLean, 2003) from IMS Australia, with a view to
identifying the main organisational and technical issues facing
institutions that were moving towards online learning environments.
McLean identified digital asset management as being an issue of crucial
importance for an institution. Digital assets were defined as the range of
digital information and learning activities and included a wealth of
material such as learning objects, digital library collections,
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E-learning and the digital library
commercially licensed information services and research publications.
The paper identified several types of systems, such as content
management systems, virtual learning environments and integrated
library management systems, which are currently all competing for
supremacy. However, arguably none currently provide a total solution
for digital asset management.
In October 2003 OCLC produced its White Paper, focusing on
concrete strategies for libraries and for OCLC as a library cooperative
(OCLC, 2003). Under the title Libraries and the Enhancement of E-