Faculty-Librarian Collaboration: Meeting the Information Technology Challenges of Distance Education

Abstract

Information technology and distance learning are growing dramatically in the new millennium. Given the multidisciplinary nature of public administration and the constant growth of electronic information, the value of forming faculty-librarian partnerships is amplified for distance education courses in public affairs. This article describes just such a partnership between a faculty member and a librarian in developing course-specific library research tutorials for online courses. It begins by identifying and summarizing a variety of online resources that are useful for public administration research and provides a general description of how librarians can provide support. This is followed by a discussion of the collaborative effort, including the decision points, the content of the modules, and the mechanics of online collaboration. To offer a complete picture of the collaboration process, the article concludes with the perceptions of a graduate student who completed the program, survey data from students taking the courses with the library tutorials, and the lessons learned from this experience at the University of Central Florida.