Section 2

2.2.1 Distance Education libraries

There is only one dedicated Government K-10 Distance Education facility in Tasmania. The library at Distance Education Tasmania is unique amongst Tasmanian school libraries and the challenges in providing library services at a distance require different procedures to most other school libraries.

Distance Education Tasmania is classified as a District High School and it is a TALIS school, so TALIS procedures apply to the automated library system.

Physically, the library serves the distance education teachers who are located on-site. The teachers are regular and heavy borrowers and there is an extensive Teacher Reference collection to serve their needs. Teachers choose library materials (including teaching packages, equipment kits, text books, laptop computers, etc) on behalf of their students and use the circulation module to issue materials to students or themselves.

Students occasionally choose their own materials from the library shelves.

Information literacy may be taught in a variety of ways - through in-built exercises included in teaching packages, face to face at activity days, through online chat, through incidental teaching, etc. Many students use Online Access Centres or public library branches to access their courses and they may learn information skills from the staff at these facilities.

The library staff provide book lists, bibliographies, book reviews, etc. to students and their families as well as to teachers, and assist with suggestions for resources to support teaching packages.

All items that are circulated through Distance Education Tasmania are catalogued and processed through the library. The Distance Education library handles a great deal of original cataloguing, as many teaching materials are unique teacher-created resources.

Marketing the library services via print and electronic means to teachers and to the students and their families is a constant challenge.

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