Since June 1995, the library automation company Fretwell‐Downing (FD) has been collaborating with a group of Further Education (FE) colleges on a project to explore the use of…
Abstract
Since June 1995, the library automation company Fretwell‐Downing (FD) has been collaborating with a group of Further Education (FE) colleges on a project to explore the use of online distance learning techniques and how these might best be applied by this sector. Working under the name of the LE Club (Learning Environment Club), this initiative sits at the intersection of the administration, authoring, mediation, delivery, learning and tracking processes and as such raises a host of strategic, technological, political and implementation issues. Through integrating elements from previous (and ongoing) EU funded projects such as DALI (Document and Libraries Integration), RENAISSANCE (Integration of High Performance Services for Interactive Vocational Training for European Regeneration) and ICW (Integrated Co‐operative Workspace), together with components from FD's Library Automation package, OLIB, FD is in the process of defining an application framework for the Learning Environment. This paper reviews issues in delivering distance learning while outlining the specific architecture and methodologies employed in the LE project. The implications of such initiatives on libraries and library systems and the changing ‘learning environments’ in which they exist are also briefly considered.
The function of the World‐Wide Web, like that of Z39.50, is to offer access to networked information; and the client/server architectures of the two systems might appear similar…
Abstract
The function of the World‐Wide Web, like that of Z39.50, is to offer access to networked information; and the client/server architectures of the two systems might appear similar. So why should libraries need both? The answer lies in the WWW's lack of support for the advanced search, retrieval and management facilities that are expected of modern OPACs — and that are also offered by Z39.50. Much current research, therefore, is involved in developing hybrid WWW/Z39.50 services.