Although most universities profess a belief that libraries are a key element in learner support, the full cost and complexity of providing quality library services to support open and distance education tend to be underestimated. It is argued in this article that this underestimation, in part, may reflect a lack of appreciation by faculty and university administrators of the role libraries play in the (distance) learning process. Within libraries and the education sector at large, there is also tends to be a lack of recognition of what portion of the costs of access to libraries and information are borne by other elements within universities, by external organisations, and by individual students. Three fundamental questions addressed are: Why is it necessary to determine the role of libraries in supporting learning? Who meets these costs? How institutionally independent should access to library and information services be? While it is to be expected that the level of costs incurred by different institutions will vary as they meet the library service needs of those who study in different modes, there are pedagogical, ethical, and quality issues that must be considered if the same academic award is to be made.Keywords: learner support; libraries; costing; cost analysis; quality; value judgment
Redefining the Cost and Complexity of Library Services for Open and Distance LearningAttention given to identifying the full costs of library services as a component of quality learner support in open and distance education has been limited. While many of the elements covered here appear in the literature, no attempt has yet been identified to bring them together. Although there are studies examining overall higher education costs, particularly in the context of online education, information on costing libraries and their services relative to distance learning remains deficient. This is not entirely surprising given the complexity of the topic and the variation between institutions and how they view and resource library services. Although researchers have examined the costs of library services in a primarily on-campus environment (University of Newcastle, 2000) and direct costs of library service for distance learners (Cavanagh and Tucker, 1993), these and similar studies have not attempted to look beyond the direct costs often faced by an individual university's own library. Therefore, the purpose here is threefold: firstly, to consider libraries as an element in learner support; secondly, to consider less recognised costs associated with providing library and information services; and thirdly, to look at costs faced by individuals outside the physical precincts of universities when they attempt to access information and library services. Underlying themes referred to in
This article investigates architecture's ‘expanded field’ – its turn towards culture during the 1980s when the profession expanded its interest to the softer practices of architectural culture. It looks in particular at the emerging enterprises of exhibitions, competitions and awards, publications, and symposia and lectures in the ‘long 1980s’, taken as the Academy years of AD magazine from 1977 – 1992.This period of AD is synonymous with architectural Post-Modernism, as Academy published much of Charles Jencks’ work on Post-Modernism, including six of the seven ever-larger editions of The Language of Post-Modern Architecture.However, by analysing the content and context of AD magazine and the wider context of architectural institutions during these years, this article argues that the Post-Modernisation of architecture should be understood not only as a mere style, but equally as the emphasis on a growing architectural culture, discourse, and the ‘ideal’, and the retreat from building and the ‘real’. In other words, this period witnessed the establishment of architectural culture as a new type of practice, and furthermore, AD was instrumental in this cultural turn.
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