Abstract

An increasing number of students taking courses off-campus and online coupled with the perception that “everything is on the Web” has made information literacy and, more specifically, access to credible information, a topic of concern in today’s knowledge society. Since Google became synonymous with finding information online, the value of librarians has been questioned. However, the academic librarian’s role in connecting with students has never been more crucial. As information experts in a digital age, librarians have become masters of using educational and communication technologies to reach students at their point of need, providing them access to quality, vetted information and teaching them the skills required to search for and evaluate such information. With a combination of knowledge and technology, librarians positively impact students’ success in the academy and as lifelong learners after graduation. Learn how distance learning librarians at a Midwestern U.S. research university are using technologies such as learning management systems, synchronous web conferencing, content portals and chat widgets to reach its significant Global Campus population. Discover how tools such as WIMBA, LibraryH3lp, QuestionPoint, LibGuides, and Camtasia are used to provide virtual reference services and bibliographic instruction to students both off and on campus. As the human link between a library’s vast information resources and a user population in need of credible, reliable data, librarians are combining technology and knowledge to make a significant impact on the distance learning communities flourishing throughout the world.