NextGen: The Online LIS Experience

By Sally Fortin -- Library Journal, 4/15/2007

When I enrolled in my first graduate program, a master's degree in English, it was a traditional experience: I went to class and worked face-to-face with professors and students. I was single then and had the time and energy to invest in campus life. When I decided to get my LIS degree, however, my circumstances had changed. I had family responsibilities that made it difficult to attend on-campus classes, especially since there was no American Library Association–accredited program close by. And I wanted to keep my job in a library.

So when I began an online master's degree program in information studies, I was excited about the flexibility the program offered. I also assumed the learning experience would be similar to one found on a traditional campus but without the hassles of that environment. I was wrong.

As it turns out, I wasn't fully prepared for some common problems that confront distance learners. As an adult independent learner, I was glad to avoid the problems of traditional academic existence, such as the commute and parking. I soon discovered, however, that I missed the sense of community a classroom provides. This feeling of isolation can be a significant obstacle for distance learners. To cope, I made the effort to create a patchwork community with LIS students. Because I live in a state without an accredited library school, I found there were many students from my degree program who live in my area, and I was lucky enough to meet one of them at the library where I work. We now meet monthly for coffee and chat about school.

Many online LIS students I know complain about group work, and it can be difficult when that work is graded and someone is not fulfilling his or her obligations to the others. But I have also met many bright, capable students with whom it has been a pleasure to work, and they have become part of both the social and professional network that an online degree program can provide.

I didn't need to read an article on the concept of “library as place” to realize that I missed having a campus library. Essentially, “the library” in an online program is electronic access to the books and databases that my university provides. While I like having the library's collection at my fingertips, sitting in the silence of my home office I missed the spirit of collaboration among students in a library, the hum of activity.

Try finding a dynamic environment in which to do your homework, and you will discover that it helps inspire creativity. My “stand-in” library is a laptop I take to the local coffee shop. Anyone who has ever been to a Starbucks has seen others working there as well. While I don't monopolize a table all afternoon, I am there long enough to hear background discussion, notice the steady flow of customers, and occasionally strike up an interesting conversation. I don't have the benefit of working with other students there, but just getting out can be important.

One of the hallmarks of online programs is their flexibility, allowing students to work early in the morning or late into the night. But this can also be disorienting. The constant connectivity, cell phones, PDAs, laptops and accompanying wireless networks, and the increasing desire of our society to be constantly in touch both with one another and with our work are challenging. While completing my English degree, I was accustomed to devoting whole afternoons to working out a page of prose. With my online degree, I no longer had that luxury.

It can be difficult to concentrate on a major project or lengthy paper when your classes require almost daily participation in group discussions, classroom chats, or message board postings. My solution was to carve out time for each task and, as much as possible, devote that time to only the assigned task. I don't feed the dog or do the laundry or anything else that might distract me. I also reduce the noise of short but frequent assignments by setting aside an hour to catch up on email, discussion board posts, and group work so that I can spend the rest of the evening on a project. Flexibility is great, but routines can also serve you well.

Whatever happens, don't get discouraged if your initial online experience is bumpy. In many ways, facing and solving the problems I encountered helped me become a more productive student. I realized that maximizing the parts of the online degree experience that were not online helped me take better advantage of the parts that were. And I can't help but feel that completing the online LIS degree taught me a lot not only about the profession but about how to succeed in today's always connected, increasingly digital world.