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OECD Experts’ Meeting on

Libraries and Resource Centres for Tertiary Education

by the Programme on Educational Building and theProgramme for Institutional Management in Higher Education

Paris, 9-10 March 1998

Presentation byJanice Rickards

University Librarian, Griffith University, Australia

Griffith University is located in the south-east corner of Queensland, in the growth corridor between Brisbaneand the Gold Coast. It has six campuses ranging from the Queensland Conservatorium on the South bank inthe centre of the city to the Gold Coast campus, 80 kilometres from Brisbane.

Slide: Map of Australia showing Brisbane and Gold Coast

Slide: Map of Brisbane area showing Nathan, Mt Gravatt, QCA and QCM campuses

Griffith was established in 1971 and now has 20,000 students and 2,500 staff. It has a broad academicprogram covering all disciplines except medicine, dentistry and agriculture and a growing research profile.

The Library and Information Literacy Services (LILS) branch is part of the Division of Information Services,along with Information Technology Services (ITS) and Griffith Flexible Learning Services (GFLS).

Slide: INS Organisational Chart

The administrative integration of these elements is a reflection of their increasing interdependence in fulfillinga support role for the university’s teaching, learning and research activities. Functional integration has alsooccurred in a number of areas which will be discussed later.

As is the case for many other universities in Australia, adopting a flexible learning approach is one ofGriffith’s key strategic objectives. In our context, (Slide) flexible learning is an educational philosophy andset of techniques by which ways of learning are adapted to learner’s needs to achieve greater:

• learner control over learning,• learner independence and responsibility,• support for learning,• lifelong learning.

A major goal in the University Teaching and Learning Management Plan 1998-2000 is to increase theamount of flexible learning in the University’s teaching profile. All 13 of Griffith’s faculties are addressingthis goal with strategies ranging from the widespread development of flexible delivery packages for off campususe to providing choice in delivery mode, scheduling and assessment.

The major initiative moving Griffith towards this new paradigm has been the establishment of a new campusat Logan, which opened last month with 500 students. All subjects at Logan are offered in flexible mode.

The approach at Logan does not represent the distance education paradigm but flexible approaches for both onand off campus students.

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These (Slide) flexible approaches involve:

• less reliance on time-tabled face to face sessions,• more reliance on using flexible learning resources,• flexible space that can be used in different ways,• a very limited number of dedicated spaces.

There are basically (Slide) 3 categories of space at Logan:

• core administrative and information services space e.g. collection space;• learning environments - areas where students access a range of learning resources and activities e.g. quiet

areas, video conferencing areas, seminar rooms, computer workstations. These spaces are called learningcentres;

• dedicated academic areas.

Conceptually these areas overlap and ‘flow’ into one another. Whilst there is still a separate library,information services staff support not only the Information Services building but all the learning centres aswell.

One of the most obvious consequences of the move to a flexible learning paradigm is the increased need forcomputer workstation access. Not only are we developing computer based learning products, we are alsoaggressively pursuing a shift from print based to electronic information resources.

How to provide the necessary infrastructure to support these moves is one of the most difficult issues currentlyfacing higher education institutions.

While Griffith does have many separate computing laboratories, we have a mixed approach, with manyworkstations also being available within libraries. These are found in both open areas and dedicated trainingrooms.

Slide: Open Access Computer Laboratory - Gold Coast

Slide: Electronic Tutorial Room - Library, Gold Coast Campus

We also provide docking facilities, but there are significant standardisation and support issues (not to mentionequity issues) to be resolved before we can move in a wholesale way from workstation provision to studentownership of laptops.

Slide: Wired Carrel - Library, Gold Coast Campus

Twenty-four hour access to workstations within libraries/information services centres can pose interestingdesign problems, particularly when taking in the need to comply with standards for access to toilet facilitiesand handicapped access.

Slide: 24 Hour Computer Laboratory - Library, Gold Coast Campus

Provision of computer laboratories within the information services centre also underpins our informationliteracy training. This is another area where Griffith has integrated functions, with computing skills trainingand the more traditional library user education being combined.

Slide: Information Literacy Training Laboratory - Nathan Campus

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This brings me to another example of integration at Griffith, one which has had a significant impact on the roleof library staff. In 1996 we introduced an integrated service point in the Information Services Centre at theNathan campus.

Slide: Integrated Information Desk, Nathan Campus

This ‘one stop shop’ provides an enquiries service for staff and students across all library and informationtechnology areas. Staff who work at this enquiries desk have had to be trained across a very broad range offunctions. This integrated approach worked so well at Nathan that it has become the model for othercampuses, particularly Gold Coast and Logan.

The flexible learning paradigm also places great pressure on libraries to provide group study spaces. Onequite efficient way of doing this has been the use of partitioned space in the Gold Coast Library.

Slide: Group Study Room - Library, Gold Coast Campus

Slide: Group Study Rooms - Library, Nathan Campus

Learning support is also seen as a function provided within the Library at Griffith. For example the LearningSkills Centre at the Gold Coast (Slide: Study Skills Room - Library, Gold Coast Campus ) houses learningadvisors and is an area where students (particularly international students) can attend individual and groupprograms on writing, note taking, preparing for exams and so on.

I have already mentioned design issues in providing access to computer workstations for the disabled. Otherareas where particular attention has been paid to the needs of the disabled include:

• OPACs for Disabled (Slide: Library, Gold Coast Campus); • Lending Services Desk (Slide: Library, Gold Coast Campus); • Drinking Fountain for the Disabled (Slide: Gold Coast Campus); • Library Close Sign (Slide: Gold Coast Campus); • Disabilities Computer Room (Slide: Library, Nathan Campus).

BrisbaneGold Coast

Sydney

INSclient-focused information services...

Library & Information Literacy Services

Branches of INS

Information TechnologyServices

Corporate Information Systems

Distributed Systems

- Audiovisual Services

- Client Service Group

- LAN and Desktop Support

Infrastructure

- Corporate Computer Systems

- Telecommunications

Research, High Performance Computing

- Queensland Parallel SupercomputerFacility

Technology Planning

Library and Information Literacy Services

Coordination Across CampusesCollection management

Document delivery

Enquiry reference

Information literacy and training

Collection Access Management

Campus LibrariesGold Coast

Logan

Mt Gravatt

Nathan

Queensland College of Art

Queensland Conservatorium

CoreBusinesses

Document Delivery

Access to Information

Information Literacy Training

Help Services (Basic and Advanced)

Product Installation and Support

Strategic Advice/Consultancies

Product Development

Marketing

Griffith Flexible Learning ServicesEducational Design and Development

Student Administration

Distance Education Production & Delivery

Open Learning Agency

INS Financial ServicesINS Asset Management

INS Human Resource ServicesINS Administrative Support

INS Planning

INSclient-focused information services...

Library & Information Literacy Services

Flexible Learning

Flexible learning is an educational philosophy and setof techniques by which ways of learning are adaptedto learner’s needs to achieve greater

ulearner control over learning

ulearner independence and responsibility

usupport for learning

ulifelong learning

INSclient-focused information services...

Library & Information Literacy Services

Flexible Learning

Flexible approaches involve

u less reliance on time-tabled face to face sessions

umore reliance on using flexible learning resources

u flexible space that can be used in different ways

ua very limited number of dedicated spaces

INSclient-focused information services...

Library & Information Literacy Services

Flexible Learning

3 categories of space at Logan Campusucore administrative and information services space e.g.

collection space

ulearning environments - areas where students access arange of learning resources and activities e.g. quietareas, video conferencing areas, seminars rooms,computer workstations. These spaces are called learningcentres

udedicated academic areas

Open Access Computer Laboratory - LibraryGold Coast Campus

Electronic Tutorial Room - LibraryGold Coast Campus

Wired Carrell - LibraryGold Coast Campus

24 Hour Computer Laboratory - LibraryGold Coast Campus

Information Literacy Training LaboratoryNathan Campus

Integrated Information DeskNathan Campus

Group Study Room - LibraryGold Coast Campus

Group Study Rooms - LibraryNathan Campus

Study Skills Room - LibraryGold Coast Campus

OPACs for Disabled - LibraryGold Coast Campus

Lending Services Desk - Library Gold Coast Campus

Drinking Fountain for the DisabledGold Coast Campus

Library Close SignGold Coast Campus

Disabilities Computer Room - LibraryNathan Campus