Going the full distance: Strategic support for digital libraries in distance education at the University of Education,Winneba in Ghana

Abstract

Many African universities have employed distance education to expand access to education and digital libraries can ensure seamless access to information for distance learners. The purpose of this study was to investigate the availability of policies and strategic initiatives for developing digital library services in distance education at the University of Education, Winneba in Ghana. The study relies on the results of semi-structured interviews with selected librarians of the University, and institutional document analysis. The study found that digital library use in distance education at the University is seriously hampered due to the absence of strategic support, consistent policies and dedicated funding for digital library initiatives.

Keywords

Digital libraries distance education funding strategic planning policies sustainability

Introduction

A digital library is a potential strategic advantage to any institution that develops one (Kavulya, 2007). In order to reap these benefits, a digital library requires strategic planning to determine the uses, processes, factors, costs and security concerns involved in its implementation (Hughes, 2004). Strategic planning is essential due to the turbulent and dynamic nature of the interdisciplinary terrain of digital libraries (Thompson and Martin, 2010: 361). Greenstein (2010) points out that even though the Internet has significantly impacted positively on libraries, it also poses enormous challenges to libraries in the 21st century since there is an explosion of information resources on the Internet and, therefore, funding digital libraries appears to be problematic sometimes (Hamilton, 2004). Furthermore, the dynamic nature of the field of digital libraries and the uncertainty that surrounds new technological developments and other practical issues such as access, preservation and copyright call for digital library developers to be strategic in order to survive (Raju, 2014; Thompson and Martin, 2010: 361).

The success of every digital library project depends on the availability of policies and strategies to ensure the sustainability of its services and resources. Plans and policies on the digital library include endorsed documents such as strategic plans, policy documents and action statements. Strategic planning in digital libraries must take into consideration the economic, social and ethical environment (Calhoun, 2014: 83). According to Thompson and Martin (2010: 364), strategic planning is one of the activities concerned with where the organisation should be moving to. Strategic planning involves short-term planning for what is to be completed in a particular period, whereas on a higher scale, it involves defining or outlining organisational mission objectives, establishing guidelines, and developing strategies and policies that should drive the organisation in the long term (Thompson and Martin, 2010: 364).

A number of recent studies address the need for strategic planning in the field of higher education (Bieler and McKenzie, 2017; Immordino et al., 2016; Srinivasa Rao et al., 2015). More so, as a central component in educational delivery in distance education, research has increased over the years into the search for viable models of strategic planning to sustain academic digital libraries (Le, 2015; Matthews and Walton, 2014; Wade, 2013). Even though a number of authors in Africa (Kavulya, 2007; Mapulanga, 2013) and specifically in Ghana (Dadzie and Van der Walt, 2015) have explored the need for strategic planning to sustain academic digital library services, there appears to be a dearth of recent research dedicated to strategic planning of digital library services in the distance education terrain in Ghana.

This study enriches the literature as it provides unique insights into the status of strategic planning in the implementation of digital library services in a distance education programme at a large multi-campus public university in Ghana, the University of Education, Winneba. This research forms part of the findings of a wider study that investigates the implementation of an academic digital library in a distance education programme for teachers in a university in Ghana. The larger study offers practical solutions for integrating digital library services in a distance education programme.

Digital library services at the University of Education, Winneba

The University of Education, Winneba was established by the University of Education, Winneba Act 2004, (Act 672) on 14 May 2004. The University aims at educating professional teachers who possess the requisite skills to help develop the human resource capacities of Ghanaians (University of Education, Winneba Corporate Strategic Plan, 2014a).

The University of Education, Winneba Library supports the institutional mission with the provision of digital library resources and services which include access to subscription databases, online public access catalogue (OPAC), Internet and e-mail services, CD-ROM services and an open access institutional repository. These resources significantly complement information provision in the virtual learning space to the extent that they can surpass the barriers of time and space. Access to and use of these digital library resources and services are considered critical success factors for teaching and learning in distance education (University of Education, Winneba Corporate Strategic Plan, 2014a).

Even though digital library resources and services have been deployed at the University of Education, Winneba in Ghana, it is not clear to what extent existing strategies and policies of the University and its Libraries enhance digital library use in distance education. Digital libraries require policies and strategies to sustain their services, appropriate content that is aligned to the information needs of users, the right mix of technological resources and skills to ensure accessibility, and appropriate operational models in the case of distance education to be effective. In distance learning institutions where digital libraries have been deployed, both librarians and academics often assume that distance learners use digital libraries resources to achieve learning outcomes. The existing academic and information practices of distance education stakeholders, however, appears to suggest that there are no policies in place to ensure the use of digital library resources in distance education (Larson and Owusu-Acheaw, 2016; Owusu-Mensah et al., 2015). This situation has direct ramifications for the development of appropriate digital content, sustainable funding, technological infrastructure and skills development to enable usage of digital library resources in distance education.

From this background, the purpose of this study was to investigate the availability of policies and strategic initiatives for developing digital libraries in distance education at the University of Education, Winneba in Ghana. The specific research questions answered by the study were the following:

How does the library’s strategic plan support the establishment and use of digital libraries in distance education?

Does current library strategy make financial provision for digital library services in distance education?

Review of related literature

This section reviews essential literature on strategic planning for digital library development and implementation. Special emphasis is, however, given to the rationale for strategic planning in digital library services, specific policies and strategies on digital library development, and strategic funding for digital library services.

Strategic planning in digital library services

Strategic planning is a major feature of sustainable organisations (Coblentz, 2002: 2). Coblentz (2002: 1) suggests, in his model of Organisational Sustainability, three approaches to building sustainable digital libraries. The approaches to sustainability, according to the author, are the institutional sustainability, the financial sustainability and the ethical sustainability of the organisation. The organisation, in this case, is the academic library, and the sustainability of the academic library is its ability to provide relevant information services for future generations (Michnic, 2015). Relevant services, in this case, are digital library services. The first of the approaches involves institutional sustainability, which requires the digital library to be guided by the organisational mission (Coblentz, 2002: 2). The organisational mission is found in the strategic plan developed for the digital library, for which other major characteristics are the annual planning and the budget. Finally, for institutional sustainability of the digital library, the managers must be involved in the monitoring and evaluation of the goals and objectives in the strategic plan on an ongoing annual basis.

Dadzie and Van der Walt (2015) make reference to strategic plans developed by a number of academic libraries in the developed world such as the California Digital Library and the University of Tilburg Library in The Netherlands. These plans explicitly outline the parent institutions’ commitment to the long-term sustainability of the digital libraries. Ferguson et al. (2002) provide an extensive outline of the planning process of the development of a collaborative digital library project for the University of Massachusetts Libraries. Even though this article was published long ago, it provides valuable insights into the need for strategic planning for digital libraries, especially in distance education. The value of the strategic planning process was in the ability of the developers to plan for the financial sustainability of the digital library, assuring continued staff involvement and knowledge retention, and sustaining core digital services for distance learners in the face of uncertain funding challenges (Ferguson et al., 2002). In distance education, there is a critical need for policy backing for digital library support services (Hill et al., 2013). Hill et al. (2013) are of the view that such policies will ensure comprehensive and well-designed services to distance learners.

Despite the advantages of digital library services in higher education, there appears to be a dearth of policy or organisational support for digital initiatives. Mapulanga (2013) found that there was no policy or plan for the digitisation project at the University of Malawi Libraries. According to the author, a policy may outline a number of issues. These include the type of content for digitisation, preservation issues, the rights and prohibitions of users, full-text content download rights, the cost, if any, for the repository use, rights of ownership, protection of authors’ works, etc. Even where there is planning, it may be haphazard. A recent study by Adzobu (2014) applied the Mintzberg’s strategic formulation and implementation framework to test how the strategic plan of the University of Cape Coast (UCC) digital library matched Mintzberg’s theory. She found that even though every major aspect of the formulation and implementation of the digital library at UCC in Ghana was planned, there were inconsistencies in the organisational objectives of top managers which often led to implementation challenges. This situation has the potential of inhibiting the usage of the digital library by either full-time students or distance learners of the University.

Tanner and Deegan (2002) submit that failed digital libraries and other technology-based projects may result from inadequate project management and control, poorly stated objectives and lack of communication among project implementers. Tedd and Large (2005:193) opine that libraries implementing digital libraries should adopt formal planning, a view that appears to be widely supported even in the developed world (Collier, 2005). It is, therefore, not surprising that Dadzie and Van der Walt (2015) recommend that digital library developers in Africa should maintain working strategic plans that may guide every aspect of the implementation. Similarly, Mbambo-Thata (2010) in her study of the impact of mobile phone services at the Unisa Library in South Africa is of the view that technology-based services must be guided by project management principles in a broad strategic framework.

Specific policies in digital library development

Despite the lack of strategic plans for many digital library projects (Calhoun, 2014: 26), a few digital library developers make provision for policies to guide the development of their services (Mapulanga, 2013; Osei et al., 2013; Dadzie and Van der Walt, 2015). Lesk (2005: 321–323) classifies digital library policies from an internal point of view: funding policies (i.e. the decisions about the institutional support, the advertisers, the charges to apply to some services); legal policies (i.e. the protection which has to be given to the digital and the digitised contents, the decision about their long-term accessibility and preservation); and privacy policies, which are involved in any interactive digital environment. Riddle (2015) outlines policies in relation to content, access and preservation. Content guidelines or policies specify the type of material eligible for inclusion in the digital library and who is eligible to submit that material. Preservation policies provide details on how materials in the digital library will be protected for future access, with further information on backup and preservation mechanisms for perpetual access (Riddle, 2015). Even though these are all important policies, three of these, with some references to the distance education context, will be discussed in the following sections. These are access policies, copyright and privacy policies, and marketing policies.

Access policies

Access policies are very important to determine which users are able to access content and perhaps under which conditions restricted access to content is appropriate (Riddle, 2015). Users in distance education with digital library access privileges may be broadly defined as all individuals, institutions or agencies directly involved with distance education (Association of College and Research Libraries (ACRL), 2008). Some of these include students, tutors, researchers, administrators and librarians. The purpose of providing such a broad definition of distance learning library users is to prevent exclusion. Such users must be explicitly identified in the list of authorised users on digital library sites or in policy documents. Within this broad framework, several levels of users may be identified. For instance, the Association of Computing Machinery (ACM) Digital Library defines its authorised users as ‘persons affiliated with the subscribers as students, faculty, registered users or employees, authorised persons physically present in the subscribers’ library facilities’ (ACM Digital Library, 2010).

Copyright and privacy policies

Witten et al. (2010: 30) emphasise the need for copyright policies and digital rights management in the development of digital libraries. Copyright is one of the cardinal issues in academic libraries and in every organisation involved in producing and making use of intellectual output and it is sometimes considered a hindrance to the provision of comprehensive information services (Alfrih, 2010). Copyright ensures that artists and owners of creative works secure their livelihood through continued earning from their work while at the same time enabling copyright owners to regulate the use of their creative works (World Intellectual Property Organisation, n.d.). It is crucial to educate distance learners on copyright during their use of digital libraries since they may lack previous experience of digital resources (Ladell-Thomas, 2012; Sahin and Shelley, 2008). Understanding copyright issues was identified by Bossaller and Atiso (2015) as one of the most noted challenges to using institutional repositories by a group of scientists in Ghana. The authors recommend educating users on the copyright law to ensure ethical production, sharing and access to scholarly resources online.

Digital libraries are expected to intermediate between the rights of copyright holders and the inalienable rights of users to information (Aswath and Reddy, 2012). According to Aswath and Reddy (2012), academic libraries must clarify to users the principle of fair use which involves the use of copyrighted materials for non-profit educational purposes. As students access digital material, they must be educated about their limits in the usage of these resources. In respect of methods for sensitising users on copyright in the digital library, Gasaway (2010) suggests the idea of making use of disclaimers and ‘Frequently Asked Questions’ (FAQs) as user education measures in respect of what users can and cannot do with digital library resources. In addition, he recommends the use of digital watermarking in digital objects such as audio, video, image or text as useful in protecting the rights of digital materials.

Copyright in the digital world is manifested as digital rights management. The term ‘digital rights management’ relates to ‘the control and protection of digital content, including text documents, images, video, and audio’ (Witten et al., 2010: 33). Digital rights management is access control technologies that are used by a range of information providers to limit the use of digital content (Hombal and Prasad, 2012). One of the important issues raised by Hombal and Prasad (2012) in respect of digital rights management is that even though it is a useful tool to safeguard digital copyright, it may prevent a fair use of digital content, hence the need to develop policies on how it is used in safeguarding the interest of copyright holders and digital library users at the same time.

Strategic planning for digital libraries requires the digital library organisation to be morally or ethically responsible (Coblentz, 2002). In terms of ethical responsibility, Al-Suqri and Fatuyi (2009: 13) are of the view that digital librarians are required to keep users’ information confidential and use it in a professional way. They further outline four principles of information ethics that must guide digital librarians in the way they treat users’ information: respect for users’ intellectual property, privacy, fair representation and non-maleficence to daily information dissemination to users. According to Gorman (2000: 144–157), informational privacy is the ‘right to control personal information and to hold our retrieval and use of information and recorded knowledge to ourselves’. Rich (2015) and Pace (2003: 122–126) point out the need to protect digital library users’ privacy in respect of their borrowing records, Web and library application logs. Pace (2003: 118) explains further that user anonymity must be secured in respect of library transactions that do not require personal identification such as browsing, reading, database searching and public Web terminal usage-patrons. On the other hand, when there is a need for identification such as with database log-ins and circulation, patrons should be assured of their privacy. For these two goals to be achieved, Pace (2003: 120–124) recommends self-education by patrons, user education by libraries, development and full disclosure of privacy policies to users and their subsequent signed agreement to the policies before accessing services, and the development of confidentiality clauses during online reference. Again, librarians need to acquire knowledge of prevailing national privacy policies (Rich, 2015) and in alignment with institutional privacy guidelines. For distance learners, Pace (2003: 125) is of the view that libraries should be very conversant with the log-retention policies of their licensed resources and those of their local Web server managers. This may relieve distance learners of the obligation to identify themselves every time they wish to access licensed digital resources.

Sustainable funding for digital library projects

Another aspect of strategic planning for digital libraries is the financial sustainability of the digital library organisation which is described by Coblentz (2002: 3) as ‘the fuel that drives the institutional motor’. To be financially sustainable, the digital library organisation must be self-reliant but not essentially self-sufficient in terms of resources it has or does not have. According to Coblentz (2002: 3), a self-reliant organisation requires external resources to achieve its mission without compromising the mission by taking on other activities for the sake of an external funder’s interests. Such an organisation must also have skills in grantsmanship and financial management. Soergel (2002) is of the view that the digital library must be driven by a business model for creating the income necessary for its operation by making a convincing case for the library’s usefulness to funding organisations. Shuva (2014) found inadequate funding to be the major cause impeding digital library development in Bangladesh. Mapulanga (2013) also advocates that financial allocation for digitisation activities be included in the library budget, after noting that the digital library at the University of Malawi Libraries was externally funded. In the era of budget austerity, Dadzie and Van der Walt (2015) are of the opinion that a significant component of digital library funding should be directed at ongoing electronic resources subscription, citing the University of California San Diego libraries which expended 65% of library funds on e-resources (such as databases, e-books and large packages of electronic journals and other resources) in the 2009/2010 fiscal year.

Collaboration and cooperation have been recognised as effective measures to ensure financial sustainability for digital library initiatives. Alipour-Hafezi et al. (2010) propose that libraries facing financial challenges in their digital library projects should resort to inter-library cooperation, a suggestion which is also re-echoed by Kiwele Mayende and Obura (2013). The value of consortial collaboration in digital libraries’ sustainability has also been highlighted by Crump (2011). She refers to the values of centralised funding, strong promotion of digital library products to users, the conducting of annual impact and usage reports, and the elimination of unnecessary resources based on user assessment as some of the advantages of consortial arrangements. Boadi (2006) however, is of the view that consortia, collaborations and inter-library networking may be considered income-enhancing measures-since these activities depend on available financial allocation-rather than income-generating activities. He rather suggests that libraries should embrace non-traditional activities such as information brokerage and consultancies, fund-raising initiatives, and foundations and endowment funds to enable them to implement sustainable digital library services. Kitchin et al. (2015) also propose a number of funding models for open access digital repositories. These include institutional sources, philanthropic sources, research grants, audience services and content licensing, among others.

Research methodology

The overall aim of this study was to investigate the availability of strategic plans and policies in digital library provision in distance education and how this contributes to teaching, learning and research at a teacher education university, the University of Education, Winneba in Ghana.

The study setting was three distance education centres of the University of Education, Winneba, namely Winneba, Kumasi and Asante-Mampong centres. These centres are located in two administrative regions of Ghana, namely the Central Region (Winneba) and Ashanti Region (Kumasi and Asante-Mampong). The choice of distance education centres was informed by the fact that these are the only centres with library facilities. Since these centres are located on these campuses, the libraries of the main campuses are used by distance students as their library. All the other centres do not have library facilities to enable students to use digital library resources. The students in these centres are expected to make use of the main campus libraries to access information resources to supplement their learning modules. Furthermore, the main campus libraries have adequate ICT facilities and digital resources which enable distance learners who visit them to make use of available digital library resources.

Four librarians who include the University Librarian, the Distance Education Librarian and head librarians of two other campus libraries were purposively selected due to their pivotal roles in the provision of library services in the University. These librarians are responsible for the selection of important digital library resources to be used by the university community, including distance learners. They are also likely to perceive distance learners’ information needs and provide for them appropriately. They are members of the library committee of the University which approves every initiative related to the library. Some of these initiatives are related to planning and policy, collection development and management, and provision of access to digital information and skills development. Two of the library staff, the University Librarian, and the Distance Education Librarian are based at the Winneba campus, the main campus of the multi-campus university, while the other two are based in Kumasi and Mampong campuses where two other distance education centres are located.

The study was conducted with semi-structured interviews where a schedule was designed for selected librarians. The questions in the schedule were related to their demographic background, their opinions and perspectives on strategic and policy planning of digital library services in distance education, and budgetary allocation for digital library services.

The interviews were in the form of fill-in questions on digital library services presently offered as well as the respondents’ opinions about the potential of integrating digital library resources into the curriculum of distance learners. In addition to this, the researcher verbally asked other questions based on the original schedule of questions where some questions were inadequately answered. The verbal components of the interviews were audio-taped, in addition to note-taking, and transcribed for analysis thereafter.

These methods were, finally, supplemented with document analyses to elicit relevant data for the study. These included public documents, notably the University’s Corporate Strategic Plan (2014–2018), the Reference Guide on Use of ICT Resources, the Web-Development and Use Policy and Library Repository Policy. These four documents were publicly available via the University website. These documents contain strategies and policy statements on the application of ICT and electronic resources in the implementation of the vision and mission of the University. Consequently, the library being a support service of the University is also guided by these strategies and policies.

Findings

This section presents the findings of the investigation into the availability of strategic support for digital library services in distance education at the University of Education, Winneba. The findings are discussed under two major thematic areas, namely: strategic support for the provision of digital library services in distance education; and the availability of sustainable funding for digital library initiatives in distance education at the University.

Strategic support for implementing digital libraries in distance education

Strategic support and policies

Plans and policies on digital library development include endorsed documents such as strategic plans, policy documents and action statements. These documents help to direct actions aimed at developing, funding, resourcing and ensuring the use and exploitation of digital libraries among its target community. Three of such relevant documents that were consulted for the purposes of this section were the Corporate Strategic Plan (2014–2018), the Web-Development and Use Policy and the Reference Guide on Use of ICT Resources.

On the availability of an explicit strategic support for the development of digital library services in distance education, all four librarians indicated that the current library strategy does not make explicit provision for the deployment of digital library services in distance education. One of the librarians, for instance, pointed out that:

Despite the significant development of the University Library System in terms of having a running institutional repository, a suite of licensed databases, and an Online Catalogue achieved through previous strategic plans, the library has not yet developed a separate document for the development of distance learning library services including digital library services.

A look at the Corporate Strategic Plan (2014–2018) of the University of Education, Winneba, however, revealed in several sections of the strategic plan that there is strategic support for the provision of digital library services in distance education at the University, even though this is not explicit, as evidenced by responses of the librarians. In section 9.3.3 the strategic plan states: ‘Integrate the use of mobile learning devices in DE’. The University has already implemented this by distributing, to distance learners, customised iPads with courseware and live access to web resources including online library resources. Some of the digital resources accessible include electronic databases and e-journals.

Furthermore, in sections 9.4.3 and 9.4.4 of the strategic plan, even though there are strategic statements on establishing dedicated distance education libraries equipped with ICT resources in all study centres, this had not yet materialised in two out of the three centres used for this study. It should also be added that the strategic plan elapses by the end of 2018, by which period these projects to enhance digital library use in distance education may have materialised. It is clear from the foregoing that librarians interviewed for this study lack adequate information on the aspects of the strategic plan related to digital library development in distance education. This may be partly due to unclear strategic statements, lack of information-sharing, and lack of collaboration between librarians and distance education administrators on the one hand, and librarians and strategic planning teams of the University on the other. One of the librarians attested to this lack of collaboration on the implementation of digital library services in distance education:

Distance education in the University is administered separately by another body, i.e. the Institute of Educational Development and Extension through its Centre for Distance Education and as such library services are also provided by the Centre.

Specific policies

In respect of specific policies designed for digital library services in distance education, all the librarians pointed out that they were not aware of any specific policies for distance learning library services in terms of, for instance, policy on authorised users, on/off-site access policy, copyright policy, marketing policies, among others. One of the librarians remarked:

Even though specific policies are important if we want to implement our digital library services effectively, we are still grappling with how to even maintain our repository. I am not sure if we are ready with any specific policies yet for our distance students.

Despite the responses of the librarians on the availability of policies for the implementation of digital library services in distance education, the Web-Development and Use Policy, the Reference Guide on Use of ICT Resources and the Library Repository Policy make provision for specific policies on access, privacy and copyright in the use of digital library services in distance education in the University.

Access policies

Digital library resources of the University are accessed by a cross-section of Internet users. It is important to know how a user is defined by official documents of the University. The Web-Development and Use Policy (University of Education, Winneba, 2014b) defines a User as:

Any person accessing, browsing, or otherwise using the UEW website, either manually or via an automated device or programme.

This definition of the user seems to suggest that patrons of web resources may be members or non-members of the academic community or simply anyone with Internet access anywhere on the globe.

Even though on the surface it appears that this definition means everyone can access the University’s web resources, a statement from the Reference Guide on Use of ICT Resources (University of Education, Winneba, n.d.) suggests the contrary:

Users are responsible for maintaining the security of their own accounts and passwords.

This statement hints of privileged users who may have different levels of access requiring the use of accounts and passwords. This is to ensure that user activities are traced to identifiable users. It also suggests that the user as described in the Web-Development and Use Policy is not everyone with Internet access, but members of the University community.

Whatever the status of users and their privileges, they are enjoined by the Reference Guide on Use of ICT Resources to be responsible users of the services and resources in the digital library:

Sharing accounts with other individuals is prohibited. Users are responsible for any activity carried out under their accounts.

This perception of who the user is in the official documents of the University is not coherent and requires a uniform definition to ensure that users will be abreast of their privileges and prohibitions when using digital library resources. Distance students may, for example, give out their account details to other friends who are not authorised users of some resources such as licensed databases leading to copyright violations by the University.

The only exception to authorised users appears in the Library Institutional Repository Policy (University of Education, Winneba, n.d.), where members of the global community are granted free open access to the intellectual output of the University in the University to enhance the visibility of these works:

Anyone may access full-text items free of charge.

In this regard, users are not restricted to what they may do with digital content, provided that they acknowledge the copyright holder and maintain the integrity of the work.

The important issue to note here is that an access policy on digital library resources use in distance education must be very explicit by identifying which resources are accessible to authorised users and those that are accessible to general users.

Copyright policies

Copyright policies relate to the authorised use of digital resources. On this policy, the Web-Development and Use Policy, the Repository Policy and the Reference Guide on Use of ICT Resources make some provisions. Generally, according to the Reference Guide on Use of ICT Resources, authorised use must be:

Consistent with the education, research and community service mission of the University, all national regulations.

This statement is supported by the Web-Development and Use Policy, which also states, in reference to the University website where digital library resources are found, that:

Users of this site may download information for personal and academic use, but no part of this site may be copied or reproduced for any commercial purpose without the prior written consent of UEW.

Similarly, the Library Repository Policy which aims to grant open access to the University’s research output, also states that:

Copies of full-text items may be used for personal research or study, educational or not-for-profit purposes without prior permission.

The major theme in these three policy documents is that access to digital library resources is granted to authorised users for personal study and non-profit educational purposes only.

In the Web-Development and Use Policy, specific authorised uses include downloading images, texts, maps, videos, apps, books and graphics. However, authorised uses in the Reference Guide on Use of ICT Resources among students, including distance learners, are not explicitly stated. It appears that this policy was directed at staff rather than students. For instance, in this policy document, authorised users are permitted to use University ICT resources, to:

During working hours, access information for the performance of their job.

This suggests that the policy applies to only workers of the University, whereas in reality, it applies to every user including distance learners. Here again, there is a need for clarity in respect who the authorised user is. Are students or distance learners excluded from copyright regulations?

Privacy policies

In respect of privacy policies, ample policy statements in these documents demonstrate the University’s commitment to securing the privacy of authorised and general users. From the Web-Development and Use Policy, the most noteworthy statement endorsing the protection of user privacy appears in the Privacy policy section:

UEW is committed to protecting online user privacy.

Despite this intent, however, privacy and confidentiality are not absolute in any online system. As a result, the Web-Development and Use Policy states that user information may be divulged when required by national laws. Finally, the policy issues a disclaimer to users that:

By using the UEW’s website, users have given consent to the collection, use, and disclosure of such information according to its privacy policy.

Authorised users must be aware of which of their information may be retained by the website. The kinds of user information that may be retained, according to the Web-Development and Use Policy, includes email addresses of users of the website and site cookies. The purposes for which this information is collected are also stated, in accordance with best practice. These include using such information to invite users to participate in surveys, responding to user queries and improving on web services.

The privacy of user information is also assured on the website through disclaimers. These are cautions to authorised users on the non-acceptance of liability for privacy disclosures or other infractions when they access hyperlinked websites for information. One such disclaimer reads:

UEW makes every attempt to ensure links lead to substantial and appropriate content but assumes no responsibility or liability for external Websites.

Since digital library content often includes other free open resources selected by librarians, it is important to caution users about the possible risks of using such external links as accessing these sites may lead to the advertent or inadvertent disclosure of private information for which the University or the library may not have control.

Fiscal/budgetary support for implementing digital library services in distance education

Concerning budgetary or fiscal support for digitisation activities and digital library services in distance education, two of the librarians were unsure whether there was separate funding for digital library activities in distance education. The University Librarian and the Distance Education Librarian (Winneba Centre), however, confirmed that there was no separate budget for the development of digital library services in distance education.

Furthermore, on funding for the training of library staff who work with distance learners, the response of one of the University Librarians was particularly notable. He was of the view that:

There is no separate funding for training distance learning librarians. However, since they were part of the staff of the University Library System, they were included in general library training programmes of the library.

One of the librarians also confirmed this by intimating that:

My staff and I attend every training programme organised by the main library even though it is not specifically designed to enhance our work with distance learners.

Lastly, most of the respondents revealed that they did not know whether there was an alternative funding for digital library initiatives in distance education at the University or not. The University Librarian, however, stated emphatically that there was no alternative funding and added that:

Even though there is no alternative funding for digital library activities, the University has realised the need for digitisation activities and has been supportive in releasing funds whenever the need arose.

This statement from the University Librarian is in reference to the University Library’s membership of the Consortium of Academic and Research Libraries in Ghana (CARLIGH), a collaborative project of academic and research libraries in Ghana that enables member libraries to share the licensing cost of access to a number of electronic resources such as Emerald and Sage. Annual membership subscriptions are the responsibility of the libraries’ parent institutions.

To ensure access to these resources for distance learners and off-campus patrons, the Library has installed a proxy server that enables off-campus access to digital resources in the Library. This suggests that despite the lack of specific budgetary allocation for the provision of digital library resources in distance education, the University provides sustainable financial support towards the implementation of digital library resources in distance education. This notwithstanding, there is still a need for specific budgetary allocation for distance learning library services including digital library services to ensure the provision of specialised training and other services.

Discussion

In the following section, the findings of this study are discussed. First, the findings in regards to the strategies and policies for implementing digital libraries are addressed followed by budgetary support for digital library services in distance education.

Strategic support for implementing digital libraries in distance education

According to the ACRL (2008), the library must develop and keep a strategic plan for distance education services. This strategy must be integrated with the general mission and vision statement of the library which are in turn anchored in the wider institutional strategy. Digital libraries require strategic planning to determine the use, processes, factors, costs and security concerns involved in its implementation (Hughes, 2004). Furthermore, Oehlerts and Liu (2013) contend that strategic planning may be used as a tool for risk management and secure the digital library against eventual failure. Against this background, it is imperative to interpret the findings of the qualitative interview and document analysis on the availability of strategic support for digital library planning and implementation in distance education at the University of Education, Winneba.

The findings from the investigation show that the University of Education, Winneba Library System, together with the distance education study centre libraries, has no explicit and coherent strategic plans and policies in place to promote the development of the digital library in distance education. Even though the University has a number of policy documents that address the concerns of digital library services and resources generally, it is important to note that there is no explicitly outlined strategic plan that guides the development and use of a digital library service in distance education.

However, further document analysis revealed that the University has a number of policies on a range of issues affecting digital library development. These policies are, however, scattered in different policy documents such as the Web-Development and Use Policy, the Reference Guide on Use of ICT Resources and the Library Repository Policy. These documents make policy provisions for the issues of access, copyright and privacy. This situation may explain why the librarians in the study were not aware of policies guiding the development of digital library resources in distance education. Furthermore, the policy statements that address these issues were not directed at distance education, but to the general academic community. While this is not out of place, it must be recognised that the peculiarities of distance education require direct policy guidelines to ensure effective and efficient service delivery including digital library services (Hill et al., 2013).

In the document analysis, it was found that even though all three documents contained policy statements on access, these were sometimes inconsistent. For instance, the definition of a user in the Web-Development and Use Policy and the Reference Guide on Use of ICT Resources seemed to differ. While the former describes users as anyone with Internet access, the latter portrays users as members of the University community. For instance, a clear policy statement on who authorised users are may specify what only registered students and staff can access and what general users may also access. Without such a distinction, there could be violations of access rights resulting in sanctions on the library including termination of licence and consequently leading to loss of access to critical resources for teaching and learning in the University. Since distance learners usually access the library from home and may be ‘tempted’ to disclose their account details to unauthorised users, it is prudent for a user or access policy to be developed to educate them on the need to be mindful of access rights and associated limitations.

In respect of copyright policies, it was also noted that there are a number of policy statements on copyright on web-based services in the three policy documents. The major theme in these three policy documents is that access to digital library resources is granted to authorised users for personal study and non-profit educational purposes only. There was, however, one major case of policy ambiguity in the Reference Guide on Use of ICT Resources, where authorized users are suggested to be only staff of the University. There is a need for clarity in respect of who the authorised user is. According to Candela et al. (2007), digital library end-users are not just content consumers, they also consist of content creators and librarians.

Privacy rights of digital library users are also guaranteed by policy statements in the policy documents, particularly in the Web-Development and Use Policy which was the only document that explicitly made provisions for privacy rights. From the document analysis, there was consistency in the ways the documents highlighted this. The statements include a statement of commitment, a disclaimer, notification of retained user information and a caution on the use of external sites.

These findings are similar to that of Mapulanga (2013) who found that there were no policies or plans for the digitisation project at the University of Malawi Libraries. The lack of strategic planning for digital libraries in distance learning library services may result in the lack of a priority project for promoting distance education stakeholders’ use of relevant digital library resources (Huwiler, 2015), inadequate staffing, little or no funding, among others. Despite these concerns, the lack or dearth of strategic plans or policies in digital library initiatives appears to be global. Hill et al. (2013) found that only 30% of the libraries of the Coalition of Urban and Metropolitan Universities (CUMU) in the US and Canada have a formal policy on distance education. In the absence of an overall strategic plan and policy for implementing a digital library service in distance education, it becomes difficult to deal with specific issues of equality of access pointed out in the Standards for Distance Learning Library Services (ACRL, 2008).

The lack of strategic planning or explicit policies for digital library services in distance education may be described as ‘unprogressive’ considering the fact that strategic plans serve as the framework for all the activities of either the library or the distance education institution (Needham and Johnson, 2007). Again, the lack of strategic plans or coherent policies makes it difficult to demand accountability from service providers. This may explain the lack of concern on the part of distance education stakeholders towards digital library use in distance education. In distance education, there is a critical need for policy backing for digital library support services (Hill et al., 2013).

Fiscal/budgetary support for digital library services in distance education

Distance education institutions are required to provide ongoing, adequate funding towards the development of library services in distance education (ACRL, 2008). Funding is described as the ‘the fuel that drives the institutional motor’ (Coblentz, 2002). It is very critical to fund digital library initiatives in distance education since it is heavily capital-intensive, uncertain and dynamic (Thompson and Martin, 2010: 361).

In terms of budget provisions for digital library services in distance education, the findings show that there was no specific financial allocation for digital library development in distance education at the University of Education, Winneba. Even though there is ongoing financial support for digital library services in the University’s main library, there is nothing of that sort for distance learning library services. A regular source of funding for distance learning library services is important to ensure the acquisition and maintainance of critical infrastructure such as computers in distance learning centres, discipline-specific databases, such as ERIC, which may not be available in the existing digital, and local digitisation initiatives. According to Mapulanga (2013), the consequences of low (or no) funding may be rapid deterioration of facilities, low morale among staff and the lowering of academic standards.

This finding is also confirmed in other similar studies. Igwe and Onwuchekwa (2015) report that inadequate funding was one of the major hurdles to effective implementation of the Virtual Library of the National Open University of Nigeria. This was particularly worrying in respect of the high cost of broadband and other telecommunication facilities. Among other positive proposals, the authors were of the view that a centralised funding model from the Education Trust Fund of Nigeria would alleviate the financial challenges involved in the Virtual Library project.

Funding for the training of distance education librarians was another concern raised in the study. The findings revealed that there was no specific funding set aside for the training of librarians involved in distance education. This finding is also confirmed in the literature of distance learning library services. Diaz (2012) emphasises the need for additional specialised training for distance learning librarians, given the demands of the changing information landscape. He suggests the re-training of distance learning librarians especially in technology and outreach skills to be able to meet the sophisticated information demands of distance education. To this end, it is crucial that the distance education unit and the library collaborate to develop, fund and support a programme of continuous professional development with special emphasis on technology and outreach skills for librarians in distance education at the University.

It was also obvious that the libraries in the distance education centres have no other means of sustaining their digital library services apart from their Internally-Generated Fund (IGF) and Government of Ghana subvention allocated to the budget of the University’s main library. This finding is at variance with Mapulanga (2013) who indicates that the digital library at the University of Malawi Libraries was externally funded, even though there was a need for regular institutional support through the library budget. Boadi (2006) is in agreement with the view that African academic libraries should explore other non-traditional sources of funding, such as information consultancy and brokerage services and other income-generating activities like fund-raising, and foundations and endowments, among others, in order to sustain their services in the face of budget austerities and constraints. It is important for the library in this study to consider alternative sources of funding to ensure the long-term sustainability of digital library services. It must be pointed out, however, that the library is a member of CARLIGH, a consortium of academic and research libraries in Ghana which shares the cost of subscription to some important licensed databases and aggregators.

Recommendations

There is an urgent need for strategic planning and policy development in distance learning library services (Huwiler, 2015). Despite the fact that there are policy statements on each of the three major issues of access, copyright and privacy on digital library development in the University of Education, Winneba’s policy documents, these were found to be scattered and not unified. The result of this is that digital library development in distance education is impeded due to the lack of clarity and sometimes ambiguous nature of these statements. From the interviews and document analysis, it appears that policy-makers in the University and the library leadership have no unified strategic goals for the development of digital library services in distance education at the University of Education, Winneba.

It is, therefore, recommended that the University of Education, Winneba Library develops a unified and coherent strategic plan and sets of policies, building on the strengths of existing policy documents, to drive the development and use of digital library services and resources in distance education. Furthermore, a strategic plan for digital libraries in distance education must take into consideration the financial sustainability of the digital library organisation (Coblentz, 2002).

In respect of funding, it is suggested that the Centre for Distance Education should make specific financial allocation in the annual budget for distance learning library services. For instance, the Centre may decide to subscribe to the ERIC Database, a very essential digital resource for educators and education researchers, which is currently not among the electronic resources of the University. A separate financial allocation for distance learning library services may also be useful for specialised training for librarians involved in distance education (Larson and Owusu-Acheaw, 2012). Finally, it is suggested that librarians should collaborate actively with distance education stakeholders to develop digital library services in distance education at the University.

Conclusion

This study found that digital library use in distance education at the University of Education, Winneba in Ghana is seriously hampered due to the absence of strategic support, explicit policies and dedicated funding. Even though the results of this study are not expected to be generalised as a result of the limited context of the data, it provides an important insight into the possible areas of neglect by an institution running both on-campus and distance education during its strategic planning activities. The study draws attention to the need for strategic support for digital library services in distance education with a special emphasis on the organisational, financial and ethical factors that contribute to the sustainability of digital library services.

Footnotes

Declaration of Conflicting Interests

The author(s) declared no potential conflicts of interest with respect to the research, authorship, and/or publication of this article.

Funding

The author(s) received no financial support for the research, authorship, and/or publication of this article.

ORCID iD

Christopher M. Owusu-Ansah

Author biographies

Christopher M. Owusu-Ansah is a senior assistant librarian with the University of Education, Winneba in Ghana. He holds PhD (D Litt et Phil) in Information Science from the University of South Africa. He is also a Senior Lecturer (part-time) at the University of Education, Winneba where he teaches Information Literacy. His research interests include digital libraries, information behaviour and social media.

Antonio Da Silva Rodrigues is an associate professor at the Department of Information Science, University of South Africa. He holds PhD (D Litt et Phil) in Information Science from the University of South Africa. His research interests include archives and records management, and diversity and multicultural library services. He currently teaches Archives and Records Management, and Introduction to Library and Information Studies.

Thomas Van Der Walt is a professor of Information Science with the University of South Africa. His research interests include user studies and children’s literature and reading. He currently teaches Introduction to Records Management and Archival Studies, and Advanced Aspects of User Studies and Collection Development (Honours).

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