Centred on Learning: Academic Case Studies on Learning Centre Development

Citation

Andretta, S. (2004), "Centred on Learning: Academic Case Studies on Learning Centre Development", Program: electronic library and information systems, Vol. 38 No. 1, pp. 76-77. https://doi.org/10.1108/00330330410519233

This book illustrates the shift from academic libraries to learning centres implemented as part of the distinct learner‐centred/lifelong learning policy currently being pursued by higher education institutions in the UK. The case studies included provide practical examples of the implementation of the learning centre (LC) agenda, and give a clear indication of the challenges encountered as well as exploring future developments of this phenomenon.

The learner‐support model is presented from the perspective of academic library staff, although issues explored here are relevant not just for academic librarians but also for information professionals operating at a senior management level, who are charged with the responsibility of introducing, or supervising, a learning centre policy as part of the institutional learning and teaching strategy.

The comparison of the four case studies, comprising the experience of Aberdeen, Leeds Metropolitan, Lincoln, and Sheffield Hallam universities, is cleverly structured using seven main issues related to the practical application of the LC agenda. These issues range from the impact such a policy has on the organisation as a whole, and in particular as it affects the working practices of staff; the rearrangement of physical space to accommodate innovative learning approaches and, as a result, the effect this has on the learners.

The additional information included in the appendices is very detailed and covers issues that are institution‐specific. Examples such as the competences framework or the profiling of support roles that information professionals are expected to perform in an LC environment, for example, help desk officer or information adviser, can be used as reference points for those readers who intend to employ similar strategies in their institutions, or who are interested in exploring alternative practices.

Curiously, one would expect to see information literacy (IL) featuring prominently in this publication, given that, with the increased access to information, in a range of formats, comes the need to find the material, to filter through the relevant information and to communicate the findings effectively. Information literacy is mentioned on a number of occasions, but little attempt is made to link the LC initiatives to any established IL model in order to see how IL provision and the LC agenda are integrated into the learning and teaching strategy of the four institutions. Although SCONUL (Society of College, National and University Libraries) is mentioned, its model on IL is not, thus missing the opportunity to emphasise the strong relationship that should exist between the learning how to learn approach promoted by IL and an LC environment that fully integrates this pedagogical perspective.

Nevertheless, the clarity of this publication is certainly aided by its logical structure and the detailed comparative analysis generated by the practical implementation of the LC agenda.