The Effect of Online Distance Education on LIS Programs: The Experience at North Carolina Central University

Distance Education In Library Schools

In 1888, Melvil Dewey asked the state university at Albany to offer correspondence study courses for special and small library staffs. Correspondence study used land transportation to deliver instruction and provide interaction between learner and instructor, but this arrangement was never well received among the professional community. Florida State was among the first schools to extend their program, with faculty traveling to 37 counties, beginning in 1947. Indiana University offered courses via television in the 1970s, the University of South Carolina used satellite communications in the 1980s, and the University of Illinois offered courses via the Internet in the 1990s. Emporia State was the first to offer interactive courses onsite. The University of Arizona became the first to partner with a cable provider. As new technologies and techniques have become available to students, LIS educators have been among the first to use them to reach out with high quality instruction (Barron, 2002, p.3).