[LIBRARYDIR] RE: Books for online/distance students

[Horton, Stan]

We've wrestled with this question a very little with online courses, based on the history of our practice with our outreach centers in Illwaco and Raymond.  GHC does not have routine courier service to those centers, so we long ago decided to just mail them to the center.  But then we found that since many of the students there only come to the center one day a week, this did not get the items into their hands in anything like a timely manner.  Failing that meant term paper research became a no-no for instructors, so obviously we did not wish to discourage that-it was already an uphill battle to get information usage into those classes without throwing in some other roadblock!  So we realized it was the same cost to mail to the home as it was to the center, and we made that switch.  Returns can come to the center.

With that precedent, we long ago agreed the same basic process would hold for online students, although in these cases we have to consider returns.  Because it turns out something like 80+ percent of our online students are more time- than distance-inhibited, most can and do return items to one of the three campuses.   We deal with the small remainder on an individual basis, and get creative sometimes.

Experience has shown that returns, losses, overdues, etc. are no different than local checkouts.

Bottom line: do a real cost analysis.  I'd be surprised if the total annual expense exceeded a few hundred dollars-and if it did you can and should claim a screaming success in your information competency efforts.  Chalk it up to the cost of doing business successfully.

Stan


Stanley W. Horton
Associate Dean, Library, e-Learning, and Media Services
shorton at ghc.edu<mailto:shorton at ghc.edu>
360 538-4050
The John Spellman Library
1620 Edward P. Smith Drive
Aberdeen, WA  98520



From: librarydir-bounces at lists.ctc.edu [mailto:librarydir-bounces at lists.ctc.edu] On Behalf Of Stacy Prest
Sent: Monday, July 15, 2013 4:58 PM
To: librarydir at lists.ctc.edu
Subject: [LIBRARYDIR] Books for online/distance students

At this point in time, we have not provided books to students "at a distance" who are taking online classes from WWCC.  We have had our first request to furnish books to a student who lives in Battle Ground, WA.  What do you do at your library with students who need resources that are not electronic?   Do you mail books and hope that the student mails them back?  If so, did you get extra budget to cover postage & supply costs?  Have you had trouble with returns?  Any words of wisdom on where to start to address this need?
Thanks,
Stacy


Stacy L. Prest
Director of Library Services
Walla Walla Community College
500 Tausick Way
Walla Walla, WA 99362
509.527.4294


ACRL "Excellence in Academic Libraries" Award Recipient 2013
       WWCC Library: Connecting Students to Information



What's Happening at WWCC?<http://www.wwcc.edu/news>
  
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