The changing role of librarians and the online learning environment

Abstract

The online teaching and learning environment arising in response to the need for distance and flexible education provides new opportunities for librarians to work with students to develop their information literacy skills. At the University of Waikato librarians are included as information coaches in the virtual classroom for several online courses. Their role is to provide students with guidance in the processes underlying tertiary learning. The collaborative relationship between students, teacher and librarian in this new environment provides students with a greater understanding of how the research (or assignment) process works. An understanding of this process is essential for the transfer of learning from one situation to another. Information coaches have access to the coursework, the readings and class discussions, thus giving them a better understanding of students’ academic requirements. In the traditional on-campus, lecture-dominated environment, library staff would need to attend all course lectures and tutorials to gain a comparable understanding. This paper discusses the changing role of librarians in the online environment and the benefits for students after twelve months of course-integrated information coaching at the University of Waikato.