Libraries without walls: the delivery of library services to distant users

A conference entitled "Libraries without walls" will take place in Greece on 9-10 September 1995. The core of the conference will consist of presentations of the outcomes of the European Commission funded BIBDEL project which has been exploring possibilities for the delivery of library services to distant users.

An overview of developments in distance education and related fields will provide the background to the conference which will also feature speakers on:

- Research studies into the information-seeking behaviour of distance learners;
- The EC Public Libraries and Independent Learners (PLAIL) project
- The broader issue of support for open and distance learning from public and other types of library.

The conference will address the principal issues arising from the provision of library services to distant users. These issues fall into four main groups:

- Service issues (users' requirements, stock provision, evaluation techniques);
- Management issues (cost/benefit, staff training, document delivery);
- Technological issues (hardware/software capabilities, hardware/software cost effectiveness, library IT industry trends, standards);
- Legal and standards issues (copyright, publishers' agreements, site licensing, interconnection, network and telecommunications infra-structures).

The conference will also offer a forum for practitioners in remote access to exchange experiences and "best practice" techniques with colleagues throughout the European Union and beyond. It is hoped that, as a result of the conference, a European special interest group, similar to the US Internet discussion group OFFCAMP, will be formed for library services to distant users.
For further information, please contact:

Rachel Kirby
CERLIM
University of Central Lancashire
Preston PR1 2HE
United Kingdom
Tel. +44-1772-892299; Fax +44-1772-892937
E-mail: 1.cerlim@uclan.ac.uk