The Culture of the Library in Open and Distance Education Contexts

For many students entering tertiary education, the library is a foreign world. For open and distance education students, the issues are compounded because the ways of breaking into this new world, of learning the ‘culture’, are significantly limited. This paper explores a number of issues for libraries in open and distance education contexts. It uses the notion of culture to elaborate the complex place libraries have in the educational experience of students, highlights the ambiguity of the role played by librarians and emphasises the need for flexibility in delivering services. This article was originally delivered at the conference Access Through Open Learning: Achieving Flexibility, 29 September to 1 October 1994, Ballino NSW.