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This article was downloaded by: [University of Lethbridge] On: 03 October 2014, At: 22:04 Publisher: Routledge Informa Ltd Registered in England and Wales Registered Number: 1072954 Registered office: Mortimer House, 37-41 Mortimer Street, London W1T 3JH, UK New Review of Information Networking Publication details, including instructions for authors and subscription information: http://www.tandfonline.com/loi/rinn20 E-Learning in Academic Libraries Anna N. Gruca a a AGH University of Science and Technology , Krakow, Poland Published online: 06 May 2010. To cite this article: Anna N. Gruca (2010) E-Learning in Academic Libraries, New Review of Information Networking, 15:1, 16-28, DOI: 10.1080/13614571003741395 To link to this article: http://dx.doi.org/10.1080/13614571003741395 PLEASE SCROLL DOWN FOR ARTICLE Taylor & Francis makes every effort to ensure the accuracy of all the information (the “Content”) contained in the publications on our platform. However, Taylor & Francis, our agents, and our licensors make no representations or warranties whatsoever as to the accuracy, completeness, or suitability for any purpose of the Content. Any opinions and views expressed in this publication are the opinions and views of the authors, and are not the views of or endorsed by Taylor & Francis. The accuracy of the Content should not be relied upon and should be independently verified with primary sources of information. Taylor and Francis shall not be liable for any losses, actions, claims, proceedings, demands, costs, expenses, damages, and other liabilities whatsoever or howsoever caused arising directly or indirectly in connection with, in relation to or arising out of the use of the Content. This article may be used for research, teaching, and private study purposes. Any substantial or systematic reproduction, redistribution, reselling, loan,

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This article was downloaded by: [University of Lethbridge]On: 03 October 2014, At: 22:04Publisher: RoutledgeInforma Ltd Registered in England and Wales Registered Number: 1072954Registered office: Mortimer House, 37-41 Mortimer Street, London W1T 3JH,UK

New Review of InformationNetworkingPublication details, including instructions forauthors and subscription information:http://www.tandfonline.com/loi/rinn20

E-Learning in AcademicLibrariesAnna N. Gruca aa AGH University of Science and Technology ,Krakow, PolandPublished online: 06 May 2010.

To cite this article: Anna N. Gruca (2010) E-Learning in Academic Libraries, NewReview of Information Networking, 15:1, 16-28, DOI: 10.1080/13614571003741395

To link to this article: http://dx.doi.org/10.1080/13614571003741395

PLEASE SCROLL DOWN FOR ARTICLE

Taylor & Francis makes every effort to ensure the accuracy of all theinformation (the “Content”) contained in the publications on our platform.However, Taylor & Francis, our agents, and our licensors make norepresentations or warranties whatsoever as to the accuracy, completeness,or suitability for any purpose of the Content. Any opinions and viewsexpressed in this publication are the opinions and views of the authors, andare not the views of or endorsed by Taylor & Francis. The accuracy of theContent should not be relied upon and should be independently verified withprimary sources of information. Taylor and Francis shall not be liable for anylosses, actions, claims, proceedings, demands, costs, expenses, damages,and other liabilities whatsoever or howsoever caused arising directly orindirectly in connection with, in relation to or arising out of the use of theContent.

This article may be used for research, teaching, and private study purposes.Any substantial or systematic reproduction, redistribution, reselling, loan,

Page 2: E-Learning in Academic Libraries

sub-licensing, systematic supply, or distribution in any form to anyone isexpressly forbidden. Terms & Conditions of access and use can be found athttp://www.tandfonline.com/page/terms-and-conditions

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New Review of Information Networking, 15:16–28, 2010Copyright © Taylor & Francis Group, LLCISSN: 1361-4576 print / 1740-7869 onlineDOI: 10.1080/13614571003741395

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RINN1361-45761740-7869New Review of Information Networking, Vol. 15, No. 1, Mar 2010: pp. 0–0New Review of Information Networking E-LEARNING IN ACADEMIC LIBRARIES

E-Learning in Academic LibrariesA. N. Gruca ANNA N. GRUCA

AGH University of Science and Technology, Krakow, Poland

The article focuses on some general aspects of using e-learning in a modern aca-demic library in the context of the changing role of librarians. It describes the roleand possibilities of applying e-courses appropriately to diversified users’ needsand contemporary education challenges. E-learning offers new opportunities foran institution as well as benefits for library users and teachers. Further, prob-lems of e-learning are considered from the perspective of academic education andlibrarianship in Poland. As library training is an important part of online edu-cation as offered by Polish libraries, some problems of this type of training arebriefly reviewed.

The Role of E-Learning in the Activity of Academic Libraries

The development of information technologies has deeply changednearly every aspect of human living, especially now that cyber-space has been explored. The same is true of libraries, which havesuccessfully adapted their online activity, taking opportunities tomeet their users’ contemporary requirements and needs. Remotelyaccessible sources and devices have become digital extensions oftraditional library buildings, collections, and services. Severalcomponents of the virtual library environment, created up tonow, do not have equivalents in the real world. Online activityreplaces and complements the fulfillment of traditional librarytasks, providing good conditions for efficient work.

Among the most important tasks carried out by an academiclibrary, are those connected with its educational function. As aninstitution supporting higher education at the university, thelibrary plays a significant role by providing access to literatureand information sources connected to study syllabuses and scien-tific research. Librarians have a responsibility for user and staff

Address correspondence to Anna N. Gruca, AGH University of Science and Technology,30 Mickiewicza Avenue, 30-059 Krakow, Poland. E-mail: [email protected]

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education. Nowadays, they also contribute to building a knowl-edge society, being guides to the world of information. Currently,the training activity of academic libraries in these fields is oftensupported by e-learning. The library profession includes amongits skills, promoting the dissemination of knowledge, organizingsources of information, and making them available. For this rea-son, as well as because of the awareness of the new role they havetaken on, librarians all over the world should see the need totrack modern trends in teaching and learning.

E-learning may be defined as a modern form of distance edu-cation, based on using digital devices. In this article, this term isapplied to web-based education that is teaching and learningonline. Generally, it is considered to be rather more than just theuse of remotely accessible information sources to support educa-tion. Experts lay stress on the internet-based organization of theentire process of education, which changes the nature of theacquisition of knowledge.

As e-learning mixes a wide range of learning methods, differ-ent educational forms, models, and computer techniques, it isquite a comprehensive term. It can be an alternative form oflearning or it can enhance traditional teaching (blended learning).The educational process may be synchronous or asynchronous;it may take on the nature of programmed virtual courses, basedon computer devices (Syslo 2005; Lubina 2005; Tadeusiewicz2007). The teacher’s role now includes preparing educationalresources and organizing the quality assurance of knowledge. Inuse, the teacher is replaced by a system that leads the studentstep by step. If interactive testing tools are supplied, the studentmay test their level of knowledge and send the results to theteacher.

However, according to one of the currently promoted modelsof online education, there is another kind of relationship amongthe student, the teacher, and the system. The student is in thecenter, but the teacher, being “a virtual guide,” supports thelearner’s efforts, providing progress assessment. The system is amedium, supporting the relationship but not replacing the teacher(Lubina 2005)). The education process is usually organized on adistance education platform which offers varied learning activi-ties and opportunities for student involvement. It supports groupco-operation in knowledge sharing, which makes the education

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process more efficient. As a result, e-learning is often associatedwith concepts such as web 2.0 and social constructivism, with life-long learning or open education. The choice of an e-learningmodel depends on the subject and on target users.

Possibilities and Needs

There are several possibilities for applying e-learning to the train-ing of library users, in response to their educational needs.Librarians themselves constitute the first group who might poten-tially benefit from e-courses. Learning online, they can supple-ment their existing academic qualifications, and they can haveadditional training to improve their professional skills or to sup-port their personal development and self-improvement. Elementsof online education may support training practice in severallibrary departments. Digital resources, which are prepared byexperienced staff and are permanently accessible online for alllibrarians, may become a valuable aid for younger staff duringtheir internship. Online education may also contribute to thedevelopment of library processes and to services improvement.Additional online training helps staff to acquire the latest ideas,to deal with new problems in librarianship, and to meet changingreaders’ needs. Satisfying these needs involves meeting severaleducational challenges, especially the possession of sufficient ICTabilities such as dealing with professional computer programs,Internet publishing, web searching, and so on. The apparentlyunstoppable move of information retrieval to virtual space hasbeen accompanied by an excessive increase in the number of dig-ital resources and tools. Thus, librarians, being guides to webinformation, need permanent re-education and self-instructionto become experts in the relevant knowledge and skills. Onlinelearning is accepted as a good way to be up to date and ready todeal with any kind of problem.

Academic library users constitute a diversified group. Itconsists of students and research workers and includes regis-tered users as well as un-registered ones. In addition, there arereaders visiting the library building, those making use of locallyaccessible collections, sources, and services, as well as digital users,who are in contact with the library only in cyberspace. Thisdiversity of academic library patrons creates many possibilities for

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the preparation of an interesting e-learning offering aimed at var-ied user groups.

Library training plays an important role for novice users. Itfamiliarizes them with the library, makes them acquainted with allthe necessary information about collections, services, catalogues,and devices. The knowledge gained in the course of the trainingis intended to help them during their studies. Online teaching isa modern form of library training, which is becoming more andmore popular.

Since an increasing number of library resources and servicesare accessible online, it is reasonable to provide a proper form ofinstruction for them. Online guides appear to be especially useful,for example when introducing information on specialist engineer-ing databases, electronic services, catalogues, or other elements ofthe virtual library environment. These elements of an e-learningoffering may be especially helpful in the higher education ofremote students, for example.

Education in the field of Information Literacy provides nec-essary guidelines for dealing with information and knowledgeand, so, is an important element of library training. It developsseveral skills, such as defining information needs, using variedinformation sources, selecting and evaluating results, and theirapplication and management. These skills are important not onlyfor students, but also for a wide circle of Internet searchers,who have to deal with a great quantity of irrelevant informa-tion. E-learning is an ideal way to practice skills online, forexample, webquesting, and to solve problems basing on Internetresources. Thus, online training may support library educationor, if organized as an open e-course, it can become an onlinegateway to web information.

For students’ intellectual benefit the e-learning offeringmay include, for example, compiling a reference list, subjectliterature retrieval strategies, rules for text editing, or methodsof learning and organizing knowledge, (useful for novice students).On the other hand, virtual guides to specialist databases orvaluable, little-known collections may meet research workers’needs.

An academic library has many possibilities for preparinginteresting e-learning courses, customized according to thelibrary’s profile, users’ needs, and collection features. In this way,

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its digital environment may become a source of interesting anduseful educational materials.

Opportunities for Libraries; Benefits for Users

There are several real advantages to applying e-learning in an aca-demic library, for users as well as for teachers; from a broaderperspective, online education may also have a beneficial influ-ence on the whole institution.

As a form of education, e-learning may lead to a significantimprovement of library training and relieve staff from a part oftheir teaching duties. An online library course, prepared profes-sionally and interesting in form, may complement and replacetraditional training. There are no strict limitations on the num-ber of users. E-courses are equally accessible for full-time andremote students and may be a step towards inclusion for disabledstudents.

Implementation of e-learning is also an opportunity for aneducation offering diversification through the introduction ofnew and interesting open courses. E-learning can incorporatefeedback and the possibility of monitoring results and students’activity. Information gained from participants in online coursesmay, in turn, provide a basis for interesting research, furtherenhancing the library education offering.

E-learning in library training saves teachers’ and students’time, as they do not have to come to the institution. Once pub-lished, an e-course may be improved and used many times. Stu-dents may always come back to different parts of a course torefresh their knowledge. The place and time of learning dependson the students. In many cases, they can also select the order inwhich problems are studied. All of this facilitates adapting theprocess of education to an individual learning style. Self-reliantcompletion of e-training may give additional satisfaction to thelearner.

Those parts of obligatory classes, which are compulsory inorder to complete the course, may become more interesting forstudents in a digital version. Learning online is an attractive formof education. Characteristic features of the Internet—interactivity,multimediality, and hypertextuality—influence mental processesand foster active learning. There is the option of providing

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diversified forms of knowledge presentation and of ensuring thatusers’ influence the content of educational resources. At everypoint, students can search for additional information in the Inter-net or immediately test their knowledge with quizzes.

E-learning contributes to library development. The betterlibrarians are prepared for their job, the easier the library reachesits goals. Attending e-courses and self-education based on digitalresources are ways of putting the idea of lifelong learning intopractice. It may also be used to improve information flowbetween departments. Online training encourages the use of thecomputer as an educational tool. At the same time, preparinge-courses boosts staff creativity and improves the skills of organiz-ing and managing information, which are also useful in otherfields of library activity in a digital environment. All of these bene-fits increase the positive library potential and can support itstransformation towards a learning organization, ready to facenew challenges and to deal with changes.

From another perspective, e-learning may contribute to thepopularization of library collections and services. Online train-ing, including information about library collections and services,encourages patrons to use library resources. And, it reaches notonly registered library users. In the case of open e-courses, therange of such promotion is practically unlimited. Of course,information about the e-courses has to be easily accessible. Interest-ing and useful e-learning courses also act as a promotion for theentire library and contribute to the increase in the number ofusers. It creates a positive image of an innovative institution, impor-tant for the university and centrally placed in a knowledge society.

A Brief Overview of E-Learning in Poland

E-Learning in Higher Education

E-education experts in Poland are strongly convinced that e-learningis a necessary condition for higher education improvements and forbuilding a knowledge society. Therefore, they contribute to thedevelopment of methods and techniques and they continue pro-moting the idea.

However, it has taken some time to popularize e-learning inthe field of higher education, in spite of the existence of successful

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implementations of online education in some academic and uni-versity institutions and its growing popularity in corporations.Many barriers, especially those connected with the higher educa-tion system in Poland, had to be overcome to make e-learning anestablished form of education. Treating traditional educationand e-learning as two different things, the scarcity of legal reg-ulations, as well as difficulties in preparing e-courses and inorganizing online education, delayed adoption in formal highere-education (Zielinski 2005). Many of the barriers remain tobe overcome and Polish models of e-education are still beingdiscussed.

Nevertheless, there are several current good examples ofonline learning implementations in institutions of higher educa-tion which may be highlighted. Such development is supportedby academic and university centers of distance learning responsi-ble for applying new technologies to teaching practice, support-ing learning management systems, providing access to onlinecourses, and improving methods and tools, as well as teachingacademic staff and students the appropriate skills. As the numberof e-learning institutions increases, one may also notice the diver-sification of the e-learning offering, the growing support of asso-ciations (e.g., The Association of Academic E-learning and thePolish Scientific Society for E-learning) (SEA; PTNEI), and themany efforts to adopt new trends into Polish e-education.

Based on experiences gained, different training models,involving innovative technologies, have been worked out. A goodexample is the Polish Virtual University (PUW), a project of theMaria Curie-Sklodowska University in Lublin and the Academy ofHumanities and Economics in Lodz. The PUW conducts aca-demic studies and offers open e-courses, which are exclusivelyvirtual. Specialized centers in several universities have imple-mented the Moodle platform to support the coverage of studysyllabuses by blended learning and by the development of othereducational projects promoting distance education; for example,the Centre of e-Learning (CEL) at AGH University of Scienceand Technology, the Centre for Open and Multimedia Education(COME) of the Warsaw University or the Center of Open and Dis-tance Education (OKNO) of Warsaw University of Technology.

Awareness of the possibilities of e-learning, as well as a gapbetween formal and non-formal education are increasing.

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Educational trends show that initiatives promoting permanenteducation, active learning, constructivism, the use of web 2.0 ineducation, and open access to knowledge which supports the ideaof an open university have been taken. “Open AGH”—a repositoryof free online resources, based on the Moodle is a recent example.It includes materials prepared by staff and digital resources createdby students for the online notes project (Open AGH). Thesetrends are still not sufficiently popular to be dominant in formalhigher education, and it will probably take some time to changethe model of traditional academic and university education.

E-learning in Academic Libraries

Polish academic libraries represent a hybrid model, with theiractivities partially carried out in a virtual environment (Piotrowicz2004). Their educational function is regulated by law. Changes intraditional methods and forms of library education in Polandappeared in the last decade of the past century. They were con-nected with the process of automation and Internet implementa-tion in libraries (Dlugolecka 2009). The evolution of distancelearning made them come to grips with new possibilities connectedwith the fulfillment of their tasks.

Although for some years now digital devices have been suc-cessfully implemented into library training, e-learning is stilltreated as one of the most important challenges of Polish librari-anship. It has been a subject of concern at recent conferencesand in publications regarding the education of staff and libraryusers. Increasing interest in e-learning in Polish academic librari-anship is a result of widespread promotion of the idea, the risingpopularity of distance higher education, and the growing number ofimplementations of virtual learning environments at universities,especially the Moodle platform. This tendency is fostered byadopting best practice both from the country and from abroad.Among the most important factors, one can certainly mentionprogress in raising the level of computer literacy skills of librarians,as well as raising their awareness of the necessity of adaptingthe library to meet a changing reality and changing users’ needs.E-learning is sometimes treated as a chance to familiarize stu-dents with using digital collections and services, available thoughthe library website.

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Quite a few Polish academic libraries have now introducede-learning into teaching practice and they have interestingexperiences to share. According to a survey taken last year(Dlugolecka 2009), 23% of libraries of public higher schoolsoffering library training have implemented e-learning. Manyother institutions have decided to introduce this form of educa-tion, so there is a perceptible growth in the number of implementa-tions of e-learning in academic libraries. According to aquestionnaire (Antczak-Sabala 2009), the majority of offeringsinclude online library training and initiatives to publish e-coursesmost often come from librarians. However, the implementation ofonline teaching is not usually required by the authorities. Itsintroduction is also dependent on support from staff in a varietyof library departments. They are the authors of content anddesigners, but co-operation with specialists and co-operation withacademic centers of e-learning are also important.

Despite this progress, librarians who are aware of the role ofthe Internet in librarianship and education are also conscious ofits limitations and of the difficulties that need to be overcome.One of them is connected with adequate training of librariansand the ability to combine subject knowledge with e-teachingskills (Poplawska 2009; Sniechowska-Karpinska 2006). Regardingonline library training, there are also opinions, based on practice,that an ordinary visit to the physical library is irreplaceable interms of establishing connections between the library and itsreaders. It is therefore important that traditional lessons shouldremain (Dlugolecka 2009). Research at Georgia University indi-cated that a computer-based tutorial does not cause a decrease inlibrary anxiety, connected with the impact of new technologies,so these opinions do seem to be reasonable (Van Scoyoc 2003).Blended-learning in library education is seen as an optimalsolution for some (Dlugolecka 2009).

In view of these pioneering steps in the field of e-learning inlibrarianship which have been made in recent years, currently inPoland, discussion revolves around the level of popularization,the exchange of experience, the exploration of new possibilities,and solutions to transform traditional librarianship. At the sametime, there is interest in state-of-the-art trends connected with thevirtual environment of modern libraries. Different aspects oftheir Internet existence are discussed, and it is interesting to see

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how far such ideas as social networking (web 2.0) or Second Lifewill influence the future of e-learning in Polish academic libraries.It is certain that the more ICTs are developed, the more expecta-tions of users, accustomed to Internet information and services,will increase. This will undoubtedly influence the development oflibrary services.

As to the online education of librarians, mention should bemade of self-instruction based on a variety of Internet resourcesand e-courses. As regards to online library resources such as digitallibraries, they are sometimes treated as a kind of e-learning activity.It is also worth mentioning Bibweb, a professional online coursetargeted at librarians and intended both to improve their skills inusing the Internet in the library and also to increase their knowl-edge of information science and new technologies. It consists ofthree modules. The first one gives step by step information aboutthe Internet, computer programs, and teaches efficient informa-tion retrieval. The second module includes expert training inweb searching skills, efficient strategies, Internet resources andtheir evaluation. The final part of the Bibweb course offers train-ing in designing and publishing a functional library websiteemploying up-to-date solutions. All the knowledge included inthe course is based on professional practice (Bibweb).

Training in library use is the most popular element of theacademic library e-learning offering in Polish institutions. It isworth considering the different forms of training and some prob-lems in its presentation.

Online Library Use Training

There are different approaches to teaching library use online. Whenthe training is not obligatory, it may be delivered as an e-course(or an online guide) accessible not only for students, but also fora wide range of Internet users. As a part of formal education,included in the study syllabus, it may be dedicated strictly to aclosed group of registered users. Then, only students are eligiblefor participation and they have to pass a test. However, in somelibraries such courses are open to everyone who wants to enrollfor such training, and the only limitation is the need to pass atest. Because of the diversity of library users, (which may includeexternal users), online library training needs to be widely accessible.

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With regard to the role that online training plays, there are coursesthat replace traditional ones, while other courses are onlyadditional material for self-instruction, or are an alternative to atraditional lesson inside the library building.

Teaching may give only “first step” information and skills,basic knowledge for taking advantage of the most popular ser-vices or may include “A-Z” information and provide knowledgeabout almost every problem of using the library collections andservices. The services of Polish libraries are rather diversified, butit is quite easy to point out the most popular examples. A lesscomplicated way of supporting users’ knowledge using the Inter-net is the publication of online guides and presentations in theform of separate files which include necessary information andinstructions. Some of them have replaced traditional library train-ing, but it has to be emphasized that it is not e-learning sensustricto, rather a base for self-instruction. There are special websitesfor novice users, intended to familiarize them with the library, itscollections, services, and to give necessary instructions for usinginformation systems. They also include answers to the most fre-quently asked questions. There are advanced virtual tutorials,integrating text, images and references into Internet resources,with interactive elements such as accommodation plans. Moreand more often online library training is organized on the dis-tance learning platform Moodle. There, educational resources(including text, images, presentations, and website links) arelocated on separate HTML pages or they are integrated into a les-son module. There is a series of web pages with navigation thatmay also include questions.

E-courses may be programmed to lead the user step by step(e.g., based on a lesson module, mentioned previously), or theymay be digital guides which offer the possibility of choosing inter-esting content. They may provide only passive forms of learning(textbooks, images, movies) or may promote interactive training(by following instructions, quizzes, etc.). If the first model domi-nates, only one-way communication is provided. Most of the cur-rent online courses in Polish academic libraries are focused moreon giving information and presenting things which may be shownon screens or using tutorials and images. The emphasis is laid onproviding knowledge in different forms, rather than on practicingskills. Generally, the learning model for online library training is

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based on digital devices and information resources. The rela-tionship between the learner and the librarian is not typicallyincluded.

If online training is intended to replace teaching in thelibrary, it should include new possibilities offered by moderntechniques in order to provide the digital counterparts to tradi-tional training and to compensate for the lack of immediateexperience. Films, presentations and interactive maps can besubstitutes for the library tour. One of the solutions is a visit toSecond Life, a virtual simulation of the world. Currently inPoland the Maria Curie Sklodowska University (UMCS) is explor-ing the potential of Second Life for education, and the librarybuilding has its own virtual representation, made with students’cooperation (BG UMCS). Similarly, the traditional librarian’s lec-ture, help, and presentation of using the system may be replacedby text instruction, virtual “places” to search for help, digital dem-onstrations, educational movies, for example.

Creating an online course requires the taking into consider-ation different elements of the project, such as: main goals, potentialusers, contents, the form of and a structure for the e-course, aninformation architecture, navigation, training methods, educa-tional resources, learning tools, forms of communication betweenthe teacher and the learners, as well as a help system. Designing acourse includes depicting the process of learning. It requires aview from the user’s perspective, an understanding of user needs,the prediction of possible problems, and the consideration ofefficient ways of acquiring knowledge and skills in the given field,including elements which foster the learners’ activity. Then, thefinal result—the online course—will be interesting, effective, use-ful, and attractive in form.

References

Antczak-Sabala, B. ”Skad sie biora szkolenia biblioteczne on-line w polskichbibliotekach? Komunikat z badan.“ EBIB Elektroniczny Biuletyn InformacyjnyBibliotekarzy 4.104 (2009). Web. 19 Feb 2010. <(http://www.ebib.info/2009/104/a.php?antczak) Retrieved 19.02.2010>BG UMCS Biblioteka – WirtualnyKampus UMCS. Web. 19 Feb 2010. <http://biblioteka.kampus.umcs.lublin.pl/moodle/>

Bibweb: kurs internetowy dla bibliotekarzy. Web. 19 Feb 2010. <http://www.bibweb.pl/>

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CEL AGH Centre of e-Learning. Web. 19 Feb 2010. <http://www.cel.agh.edu.pl/>COME The Centre for Open and Multimedia Education. Web. 19 Feb 2010. <http://

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