The document discusses the role of digital libraries in supporting e-learning and distance education, emphasizing the need for innovative academic programs and effective use of technologies. It outlines various functional roles of digital libraries and e-learning institutions, describing how they can enhance learning experiences through integrated resources and services. Challenges such as lack of collaboration and copyright issues are identified, along with recommendations for developing e-learning oriented collections and formalizing partnerships between faculty and support departments.

1. Digital libraries and e-Learning
Presented to Senior Managers e-Learning &
Team-Building Workshop at North Coast
Beach Hotel, Mombasa on 1st
to 3rd
March
2014
By Dr. George Gitau Njoroge

2. Introduction
• World changing environment - requires learning institutions
to “provide relevant academic programmes of high
quality that are based on innovative educational
processes and the application of appropriate
technologies”
• Move towards student centred - emphasis on creative and
innovative learning prepares students for the world of
work and life-long learning.
• Distance learning - increased accessibility to tertiary
education by using ICT to link learners to remote resources
for independent learning and instructional purposes.

3. Libraries and e-learning
• They provide access to relevant
information for learning, teaching and
research through application of ICT’S.
• supports digital scholarship, and e-
learning.
• integrates its resources and services in
support of learning, teaching, research,
and outreach.

4. Source: Google images

5. • Working definition:
“organizations that provide the resources, including the specialized
staff, to select, structure, offer intellectual access to, interpret,
distribute, preserve the integrity of, and ensure the persistence over
time of collections of digital works so that they are readily and
economically available for use by a defined community or set of
communities.”
• A series of activities that brings together collections, services, and
people in support of the full life cycle of creation, dissemination, use,
and preservation of data, information, and knowledge.

7. • Describes teaching and learning resources or experiences
that are, in some way, delivered electronically.
• “Denotes ICT enhanced learning by delivering learning
contents and activities via internet, intranet/extranet,
audio/video, satellite broadcast, interactive TV, and CD-
ROM”
• Blended traditional face-to-face teaching and learning
that is combined with using communications technologies to
enhance student focused and directed learning and
teaching processes

8. Assumes:
• Collaborative effort
• Integration of content,
resources, and services
• Support flexible learning
and research

9. Our understanding of E-Learning
• Knowledge is constructive information.
• Learning is more effective if the “learner” is provided with
strong incentive to take responsibility for self-learning.
• Learner's motivation is a strong determinant of the
outcomes of the success of the online learning.
• Encouragement of instructors, faculty and the like to
incorporate ICT into their classrooms is a success indicator
of online learning.
• Learning is unique to the individual and requires
reflections.

10. Through the provision of technology
based information and services to
enable learners to access relevant
information and services anywhere
anytime, as well as provide
empowerment for innovative and
life-long learning

11. E-learning: a new domain of Digital library services

12. Functional roles of the Digital-library:
• Hyperlink the e-courses with the library e-reference resources such as e-
books, e-journals and web-based open-access resources;
• Set up virtual reference desk (VRD) help and e-mail enquiry service to
answer the information needs of the e-learners (i.e. e-learning liaison
librarian);
• Develop a special integrated web portal for course-related learning
objects (LO) that retrieve from the library digital collections (e.g. e-journals,
textual databases, open access, etc.) with efficient browsing and research
abilities;
• Acquire core e-collections;
• Providing e-literacy sessions to help e-learners in scholarly use of the web
and distributed e-resources (e-learning information search skills);
• Promote library e-services to the virtual e-learning community; and
• Prompt document delivery and outreach services via electronic transmission.

13. Functional roles of the e-learning
institution:
• Development of innovative web-based e-courses
using multimedia effects and simulation;
• Integration of a variety of recommended core e-
learning reference readings with the digital
resources;
• Digitization of textbooks and other learning
resources to create usable learning objects; and
• Possible permanent updating of digital course
contents.

14. INFORMATION REPACKAGING in CMS
Information is organized in hierarchical categories that correspond to the schools, departments
and even specific courses where possible

15. Cognitive aspects of e-learning and
Digital library experience
• Personalized content delivery and learning
process
• Personal library experience through ‘your
library’ portal
• Library’s (virtual and physical) space as
‘information common’ and repository of e-
learning objects for enhanced learning
experience

16. Networked e-information services

17. Library services in an e-learning
environment?
• Allows aggregation of e-contents - Library services must
be accessible from within this environment and permit the
creation of ‘virtual shelves’, library resources discovery,
bibliographic management tools and context-sensitive full
text access.
• Allow customization of preferences for library services
• Integrate access points to commercial databases
• Provide access to virtual reference service
• Create and integrate library learning objects (eg tutorials
for users)
• Provide digital rights management and preservation of e-
learning asset repository

18. KU Library Initiative to support E-
learning
• Establishment of learning commons - “IT help desk,
reference desk, learning support services, research
help, information literacy and subject specialists”.
• Library’s automation and digitization of materials.
• E-books in the catalogue
• Computer workstations.
• Wireless access points in all the floors of the library
• Access to print and electronic resources- Links in
library catalogue.

29. Challenges
• Lack of collaborative environment which allows for integration
of resources and services for the benefit of the learner.
• No formalized or institutionalized collaboration, thus resulting
in inconsistent partnership in service convergence.
• Faculty and Support Units work independent of each other in
delivering content and providing support resources and
services.
• Copyright clearance for learning objects.
• Providing access to online journals and electronic databases to
those outside campus and in remote locations.

30. Conclusions
• In the 21st century, digital libraries will have a
tremendous positive impact on education, as sharing
of learning resources increases, supporting not only
distance education but also on-campus and
independent discovery-based learning.
• High-quality resources of all types will be contributed
by diverse sets of authors directly into digital
libraries, including use of open archives, leading to a
vast increase in use of rich multimedia works.

31. New Kinds of Learning Resources
• Cutting-edge technologies; to provide
access to print and electronic resources and
services.
• However more remains to be done as
emerging technologies provide great
opportunities for the Library to integrate
its resources and services into learning,
teaching and research.

32. Recommendations
• Develop e-learning oriented collections and learning objects;
• Institutionalize integration of information literacy skills (e-literacy programme)
into the subject curriculum;
• Subject librarians to work with teaching staff involved in the development of
course web-based curricula;
• Market resources and services;
• Integrate plagiarism software into course management systems to encourage
good practice and to assess reliability of content;
• Understand copyright issues and plan for copyright clearance if digitization
has to be successful.
• Creation of Links, rather than uploads, for copyrighted materials
However

33. Successful implementation
of e-learning requires
development of a digital
scholarship strategy that
will formalize partnership
between faculty and all
support departments.
Through this strategy the
role of each department
in support of e-learning,
will be clearly defined
Digital
Scholarship

34. Source: Google images

35. References
1. Nfila, R. B. ( ) Academic Libraries Support for E-learning: Initiatives and
Opportunities: the case of University of Botswana Library.
2. Ahmed, T., (2007). "Networked e-information services to support the e-
learning process at UAE University", Electronic Library, The, Vol. 25 Iss: 3,
pp.349 – 362
3. Saeed, R. S. (2006). How digital libraries can support e-learning. The
Electronic Library Vol. 24 No. 3, 2006 pp. 389-401
4. Mei-Yu Wang (2003 ). The strategic role of digital libraries: issues in e-
learning environments. Library review vol. 52 no. 3 pp. 11-116
5. Norasieh A., Philippa, G. (2010).Exploring the use of digital library
services in a blended learning environment: a Malaysian higher
education perspective. Proceedings of ICERI2010 Conference 15th-17th
November 2010, Madrid, Spain.