Can libraries continue to function and serve their purpose
as a repository of knowledge and a heart of research in a digital age? Why use
books when you can Google it? Why come to a physical place called a library
when you can access the internet from the comfort of your PC? These are the
kind of questions being asked of the library service at the current time and I
will try to answer them according to my own knowledge and experience.
Libraries, as learning resource centres, are responsible for
the provision of resources of all kinds. Increasingly these resources are
digital. It is vital for library staff to be conversant with these. As well as an impressive collection of print
resources, in the ENSFC library we have 18 computers. These carry the potential
to access vast amounts of information. However there are dangers inherent in
this boundless access to knowledge. It is not just a question of quantity of
available information, but its quality and reliability. Most people are aware
of the limitations of Wikipedia. It is often the first point of call when
researching a subject, but how far can such a resource be trusted? How many
students are tempted just to cut and paste (maybe altering the wording a little
bit in the belief they will get away with it). It is partly the librarian’s
task to educate students about the nature of information available and how they
can learn to assess its worth. Google something and you can be swamped in an
ocean of references most of which will be irrelevant, some will be misleading,
in the often vain hope of finding a glint of gold in the bottom of the pan.
Librarians can provide the guidance needed to get authoritative, useful materials
without drowning in a sea of irrelevancies.
Part of a librarian’s task is in selecting and enabling student’s
access to the most trusted and reliable sources available. By providing this
service the Learning Resources Centre becomes a place where students can start
their research from a strong position. The Moodle library page is becoming a
useful portal to a range of paid for resources
including The Oxford English Dictionary online, The Times digital
archives 1785-1985, Infotrac newspapers,
Up to date issues statistics for the
social sciences, Philip Allan Update review magazine to support a range of A
level subjects, and free resources such as
including 3000 eBooks through the
Jisc ebooks for FE project ebray, and http://core.kmi.open.ac.uk/search which allows access to literally millions of
scholarly papers. I have recently added a link to an Open University resource http://www.open.ac.uk/libraryservices/beingdigital/?ONEML=pf1873&MEDIA=pf0910os_1121
called “being digital” which offers good step by step advice on using the
internet for research and the values and pitfalls of social networking. New resources are continuously being added as
they become available. In some ways the problem now is not the quantity of
quality resources, but in enabling students to structure their research
questions to make best use of what is available.
One area in which the print resources of the library excel
is in the matter of art materials. We have a large collection of big format art
and photography books which are in constant use. However, the internet can also
give access to a huge number of visual resources. Another link I have just added
onto the library Moodle page is the http://www.googleartproject.com/
– giving access to over 184 collections many from major museums and art
galleries. You can view them on your screen in fantastic detail or even walk
the corridors street view style (but without the crowds).
Academic libraries are places where students can work in a
supportive environment where excessive noise and disruptive behaviour is
discouraged .Libraries; especially academic libraries have always been places
where individuals can receive guidance as to how to access the information they
need.
The future
What I have just described isn’t the future, it is the
present. Libraries are changing and it is vitally important that we embrace
change and the huge new possibilities and opportunities which are presenting
themselves.
Primarily we need to ensure that the students receive
training in the use of information services. They need to be well versed and
familiar with the dangers and pitfalls of relying on poorly referenced
materials gleaned from the internet. They need to know where to go to find
accurate and reliable data, correctly cite their sources and avoid plagiarism.
Also students need to know how to structure their research
so they are not overwhelmed by the sheer volume of material available.
We must be open to the use of social networking
applications. This may be controversial and there are strong arguments on both
sides. Many feel that social networking is largely negative in an educational
setting, merely providing distraction from the tasks in hand. Therefore access
to face book and twitter are often blocked on college computers. However, it is
important to be open to the positive aspects of social networking that the
value of collaborative working and research. It is clearly an area about which
there will continue to be a great deal of discussion in coming years. I use
both applications to keep up to date with news of book awards, specific authors,
literary events and news and innovations in the learning resources sector. I follow other librarians and information
professionals and subscribe to several blogs which provide useful ideas and
suggestions from the experience of others in this sector. Useful and
entertaining news items often find their way to the Moodle book news forum.
We must also be open to including more eBooks in our
collection. The ebray is a trusted source for nonfiction, but perhaps we should
consider sourcing more fiction books online? I have included a link to http://www.booksshouldbefree.com/
on our library page and read an interesting article recently about the use of
kindles in a school’s library to encourage reluctant readers. This remains an
area of debate. However I am deeply committed to the promotion of literacy and
anything which supports reading is to be encouraged.
Books are not dead; they are merely a part of the resources
the library provides.
“The evidence continues to accumulate that
libraries – and their librarians – lie absolutely at the heart of 3rd
millennium learning organisations: a place for scholarship, a place to escape
into adventures, a place of discovery, a place to share and explore, a place
for deep thought, a place for surprise and above all a place without limits.
The best schools have libraries at their centres not as some sad throwback to
an earlier age but as a clear and evocative prototype of what ambitious
learning might look like in this century of learning.”
Pam Riley
Learning Resources Coordinator
East Norfolk Sixth Form College
