Information Scotland The Journal of the Chartered Institute of Library and Information Professionals in Scotland ISSN 1743-5471 Issue contents | Journal contents | About the online edition of the journal December 2003 Volume 1 (6)

Online learning

Gateway to learning

Alistair Pryde reports on the launch of an online learning portal from SLIC for the libraries of Scotland.

By the end of the year, librarians in Scotland will have been told about an exciting new service being launched in his or her library. The Scottish Library and Information Council (SLIC) has developed an online learning portal for use in every library in every regional authority in the country.

Part of the SLAINTE site, the Online Learning Portal will give registered library users the opportunity to use the library as a source of essential skills training that can help them to improve career prospects, prepare for a return to work or satisfy any other desire to learn.

The service was developed with the support of the New Opportunities Fund and is a central part of the strategy to re-position libraries as an important part of the community.

How the service works

The system is a web-based learning platform, through which people are given access to a number of different online courses. With the help of the librarian, users can register on the system and are given their own unique username and password. From then on, it is their choice whether to access the system from a library-owned PC or any other PC they have access to. The service was developed to be a web-enabled system that could be accessed from anywhere which gives users the freedom to use it from home, the office or from anywhere else. It also reduces the burden on PC resources within libraries.

With the website address and a registered username and password, anyone is free to access course materials or even download them and print them out. An assessment section will give users an indication of how well they are progressing, and scores can be kept for reference to track progress.

Other features include a hierarchy of user types, so that administrators can track usage within their own library and wider, within regions. At the highest level, SLIC has the ability to measure the impact of the learning portal on different communities within Scotland using the data generated by learners.

How it is funded

Perhaps the most exciting part of the project is the unique way in which it has been funded. The New Opportunities Fund was keen for the contribution it made to be put to good use, and it has ensured that library users have free access to materials. Libraries make a nominal payment per user on a block subscription basis, with additional licences available upon request. All the hosting, maintenance and a set amount of training and support is provided and paid for by SLIC which makes the whole system one of the most cost-effective learning portals around.

Courses on offer

SLIC canvassed opinion around the country to decide on which courses to offer first. There is a plan to offer more courses in the future, but the desire was to launch the system with a headline course that had a broad appeal. The winner was a complete ECDL Course (The European Computer Driving Licence), which is fast becoming the de facto standard for measuring PC skills in the workplace. SLIC felt that this course, more than any other, would appeal the most to people returning to work, senior citizens, and users wishing to improve their PC skills for career reasons.

Training

A training programme for library staff has been developed that will compliment the online help guide that is installed with the package. Libraries throughout the country are being contacted throughout December and January to establish their precise training requirements. To encourage the successful introduction of the system, SLIC has planned a training programme for eight library staff per authority, with more places available by arrangement with the training provider. In keeping with the theme of ease of use and accessibility, training will be provided at locations that are convenient for library staff.

In the longer term, refresher seminars can be scheduled and it is anticipated that the next annual CILIPS conference will play host to a seminar on the SLAINTE portal with a usability course for new library staff and the opportunity to put questions and answers the portal developers.

Additional services

The ranges of features and functions offered by the SLAINTE portal will continue to be developed throughout the year and perhaps the most exciting of these will be the own content upload capability. Simply put, it will give regional authorities the ability to post their own unique courses online. It will be the choice of the region whether or not access is given to users outside their own region and this creates an obvious opportunity to post material online that caters for the need of specific communities.

The need for a function like this has been highlighted in the recent past by economic disasters that affect employment, e.g. foot and mouth or the closure of a major factory. At times like these the need to retrain affects an entire community and the library can play a unique role.

“We are tremendously excited by the potential offered by the SLAINTE portal”, said Elaine Fulton, Director of SLIC, “and we look forward to its development throughout 2004. I would welcome feedback from users and encourage the use of the portal in every library.”

Information Scotland Vol.1 (6) December 2003

Information Scotland is delivered online by the SAPIENS electronic publishing service based at the Centre for Digital Library Research. SLAINTE (Scottish libraries across the Internet) offers further information about librarianship and information management in Scotland.