El18 V4 276 (2) [628935]

The
1
4
th

International Scientific
C
onference

eLearnin
g and S
oftware for Education

Bucharest, April
19
–
2
0
, 201
8

10.12753/2066
–
026X
–
1
8
–
276

Blended Learning Methodology for Library Professionals

"Carol I" Central University Library

Silvia
–
Adriana
TOMESCU

"Carol I" Central University Library
, Bucharest, Romania

[anonimizat]

Abstract
:
The
present paper aims to analyze the current mission of "Carol I" Central University
Library for library professionals' training and development. We started our methodology from the
services and scientific products that these institutions offer
to higher

educ
ation researchers, teachers
and students, the extent of the technological developments and (co)relation with the assimilated skills.
Taking into account the new tendencies in heritage preservation and cultural sharing through the new
tech, dedicated portal
s and communication channels, library professionals must be specialized in
digital technology processing, metadata cataloguing, bibliographic data exchange, digital
preservation and data analyzing. Unfortunately, the Romanian library system lacks a well gu
ided
training policy, a nationwide unified strategy for digital preservation and also a public strategy for
professional training.

Our study will focus on how "Carol I" Central University Library, Bucharest
understands its unique role of training provider
for secondary school library system and also of the
academic library system. The librarian profession addresses to a different public, has specific tasks
and levels of difficulty, being influenced by the organizational evolution and technical infrastructur
e.
They are also confronted with economic constraints and need to develop the expertise and adjust the
library services and scientific products (eBooks, e
–
portfolios, digital repositories, eLearning
platforms) through electronic means of communication, the
oretical expertise and sociological tools in
order to accomplish the fundamental mission of the institution (to support teaching, learning and
scientific research) at highest academic standards. The teaching and learning processes have been
transformed rap
idly the last decades due to the shifting evolution of communication channels and
educational software. Blended Learning as new paradigm became a very appropriate solution for
knowledge transfer. The evolution of library services and new strategies for lea
rning and
communications required a strong set of specific skills for librarians. In this respect, having as
mission to develop the competences of both academic and school librarians, "Carol I" Central
University Library might use a common training curricu
lum for the basic working skills. The purpose
of our analysis is to explore the need for blended learning and its influences in the academic
environment, highlighting the librarians' training policies. We designed a virtual learning
environment dedicated t
o the professional training, with Moodle, in order to provide professional
guidance for librarians, and also applied the last theoretical fundamentals of blending learning in the
librarianship field, comparative case studies concerning electronic library s
ervices. In this regard, we
explored the possible technological foundation that might be used to design a pedagogical model for
librarians' blended training framework.
This is the reason behind "Carol I" Central University
Library, as the only national tra
ining provider for two library systems, took into consideration the
blended learning as a cost effective solution for knowledge sharing, continuous development and
professional solidarity.

Keywods
: Blended learning; academic library; e
–
skills; continuous
training; digital fluency
.

I.

ARGUMENTUM

Beginning with 2013 the only continuous training provider for two library systems, the
academic one and the secondary school one,
”
Carol I
”

Central University Library is facing now a
436

different

challenge, to reshape a
libraria
ns ҆ continuous training strategy following the last
characteristics of

digital
market
, that
impose
the individual and the organisation face technological
and scientific major advances, taking into account the reduced budgetary resources and the
existing
human resources in the field. As any
leading

organisation from information and documentation
domain
,

”Carol I” Central University Library
is linked to the latest evolution and developments of
electronic services, with the severe professional standards impo
sed.

Through international interinstitutional communication through participation in the world's
largest scientific events, such as IFLA
–

International Federation of Librarianship Associations,
through national group meetings and cooperative projects, th
e library is making major efforts to
maintain a high level of professional performance by which to develop the organization in terms of
digital services.

As outlined in the 2016
–
2020 managerial strategy, the library is now turning its facilities to
digital

services, becoming a complementary alternative to learning, training and research across
universities around the world, to remote
readers
,
in order
to remove the geographic barriers and but
also to attract a large mass of online users. To achieve these go
als, any organization must invest in its
own human resource to enhance its skills set and adapt
them to high

performance at
work
. In addition,
any
organization, especially an academic library, turns out to be

a
knowledgeable

staff structure in the
field in

which it operates.

The system of academic libraries in Romania, although
homogenously

subordinated to the
Ministry of Na
tional Education, does not have
systemic practices regarding the digital processing of
collections; it does not prioritize the types of

documents that are subject to digitization and a common
methodology for avoiding redundancy; does not have a modern formula, present in the
d
igital
agenda
,
for the continuous training of specialists. However, things have their own evolution, favourable on

the
line of info
–
documentary management but less developed in terms of the continuous training of the
specialized personnel.

One of the solutions that overcome the sharpness that technological challenges and scientific
pitfalls raise is
professional
coope
ration
, a type of relationship with a
n

engaging

factor, with minimal
costs and high quality results. Such inter
–
institutional communication is established between County
Library Cluj and "Carol I" Central University Library through which valuable documents

from BCU
Bucharest are exported to Europeana

digital library
. Other training alternatives for librarians are
training courses organized by professional associations, workshops and conferences dedicated to
database presentations or other types of innovativ
e electronic services for the institution.

Librarians are preoccupied by others interest
s

of information more than their own so the
decision maker must shape new frameworks for librarians lifelong learning

–

purposeful learning
activity undertaken on an on
going basis with the aim of improving knowledge, skills and competence.
It contains various forms of education and training, formal, non
–
formal and informal, e.g. the
traditional school system from primary to tertiary level, free adult education, informal
search and
training, individually, in a group setting or within the framework of social movements

[
1
]
.

Because any democratic society is required to provide unobstructed access to education and culture no
matter of geographical, racial, age differences, i
nstitutions involved are required to develop studies, to
analyse contexts fairly and find solutions for
open access provision
.

Academic librarians went beyond any intermediate boundary of information. They are on the
verge of Atlas in
the

”
clouds
”, trying

to handle a puzzle of pieces of encoded information. They are
predestined

to learn from (r) evolution of time and technology, from evolution of books and bits, fated
to dive deep into the ground and climb up to the cloud where present set the place for wo
rk.

II. "CAROL I" CENTRAL UNIVERSITY LIBRARY
AS
BLENDED LEARNING
PROVIDER

Learning management systems, LMS, have emerged from the need to inform, literate, train
people at very large geographic distances without the possibility of moving within a formal tr
aining
framework. In 1985, Linda Harasim used in Canada blended learning as a year later to run the first full
online course in the world at the University of Toronto entitled
Wemen and computers in education
.
Murray Goldeberg delivered the first web
–
based

course on WebCT's first learning
management

system, one year later, also in Canada at B
ritish

Columbia

University
. Finally, in 2008 at Manitoba
437

University, George Siemens, Dave Cormier and Stephen Downes delivered the first massive open
online course,
MOO
C.

Blended learning is an engaging and interacting learning strategy initially used to complete de
need for learning of the students

and ”
describes learning activities that involve a systemic combination
of co
–
presence(face to face) interaction and techno
logically mediated interactions between students,
teachers and learning resources”[2]

In the early ’70 many methods of training were doubled by TV
based technology. This form of learning was used in Anadolu University Turkey till recently. These
were in sh
ort,
the early approaches of web based training from late 20 century.

From the classroom teaching enriched by computer based technology we now speak about
videoconferencing, webinars, a great variety of tutorials which are the ground of modern training. T
he
traditional classroom, this pedagogically shaped environment, is now present and enhanced by the
cutting
–
edge knowledge and expertise.

We do not propose to make a plea for the usefulness of the e
–
learning formulas in the
continuous training of librarian
s, but we intend to briefly argue the importance and need of
blended
learning

in improving librarians

training practices
. Blended learning allows use of ICT in teaching and
learning, digital technologies and multi
–
media tools, along with platforms / virtua
l learning / training.

The historical character and psychological implications of the professional training formulas
for librarians support our hypothesis, fitting perfectly with what Tony Bates calls:
from no technology
to all kind of technology
.

In the
current state of the art, the continuous training processes that "Carol I"
Central University Library assumes
is reflect below
:

(a)

Continuing training of academic librarians through courses, presentations, internships,
conferences [
face to face
–

F2F mode & I
nteractive presentations]
;

(b)

Librarians ҆ initial training [
face to face
–
F2F mode]
;

(c)

School librarians' continuous training [
face to face
–
F2F mode & Interactive presentations].

At this time, we cannot talk about alternatives to training or complementary, innovative, long
–
term solutio
ns as part of legitimate organizational management policies. Given the budgetary
constraints in recent years that reduce access to high
–
quality continuing training programs,
international exchanges of experience, it is imperative to rethink efficient, acce
ssible, interactive
solutions that
uphold

interest and high
proficient

skills.

Relating processes of continuous training and technology communication leads to redefining
the
new pedagogy

(specific to eLearning) and the new roles that actors involved in sup
porting higher
education based on distance communication will assume.

Promoting ICT in
H
igher Education is an integral part of the European Lifelong Learning
Program, diversification of competences and technology association in lifelong learning are meant
to
improve national institutional reputation.

The current continuing formulas in which

”Carol I” Central University Library has the role of
leader

is

the most appropriate framework to define plans, curriculum, skills maps, and the logical
structure of the

training pyramid. A virtual space
dedicated

to continuous training of librarians in
Romania is not only
a

unique, extremely necessary alternative, but would be the best solution with
certain evolution of a professional development
policy

at the national s
cale.

III.
BLENDED LEARNING METHODOLOGY FOR
LIBRARIANS ҆ TRAINING

Designing a professional career on a
countrywide

scale
comprises

the use of rigorous accurate

statistical
tools such as the size of the library network, the number of librarians, and the number of
users,
upheld

with the analysis of p
rofessional standards in knowledge management. The training
needs analysis have to start from the
examination

of the
prevailing

abilities
. At the central
level, the
training plan must require
a central
curricular
route and a calendar with measurable objec
tives. To
support our arguments, we
anticipated

a
blended learning methodology
for the librarians as follows:

I.

Objectives



Developing the ongoing training framework through new technologies



Developing cross
–
cutting skills



Optimization of
performance indicato
rs through

cooperation and collaboration.

II.

Research

Framework

(a) Need for

context
assessment;

438

(b) Definition of roles

The scientific literature emphasizes the role of
teacher as researcher

argue
d

by the need for
continuous research to define the working fr
amework and its
teamwork

with technology specialists.

III.

P
s
yc
ho
–
pedagogical framework

Defining the training plan;

–

Analysis of educational resources

–

Analysis of the mix of teaching / evaluation methods

–

Selecting and evaluating teaching content

–

Defining

teaching / learning / practice / assessment contexts

–

Analysis of adaptation to new / mobile, flexible learning systems

IV.

Technological and physical infrastructure



ICT & digital media assisted training



Virtual learning platforms: design, development and e
valuation



Learning space

V.

Training Management implementation

(c) Defining a training strategy

VI.

System

Impact and Evaluation

Obviously, designing it as an alternative to training in a blended system would involve
planning

a framework and
an

individual

conte
nt
with detailed
expertise

for librarians.

On the other
hand, given the lack of material resources and time, at the
complexity of

academic libraries we can
talk about the need for
on
–
the
–
job training

besides the annual
research and development organisation
al
plan.
F
ace to face

activities, multimedia presentation and virtual platform training are three main
coordinates that the librarians training must follow nowadays in Romania.

A cost
–
benefit analysis for implementing such a training strategy,
joined

wit
h organizational
analysis, case studies, and scientific approaches, will

certainly
lead
only
to positive results. We agree
that”
true

blended learning requires a re
–
design to ensure that the unique benefits of the classroom /
campus are combined with the un
ique benefits of asynchronous learning. Students can spend much
more time on task with well
–
designed digital learning materials, thus freeing up professors' time for
direct or online interaction with students
”
. [3
]

A
blended learning
option
for the continu
ous training of librarians from the
”Carol I” Central
University Library
would be an interactive solution
for knowledge increase during

the
yearly

professional development
training period
, which take
s

place
face to face
,

accompanied by interactive

presen
tations, workshops, courses
, would

increase the diversity of
operational

skills
enhanced by the
electronic communication systems,
would
increase

the understanding
of
pedagogical
model transfer

in
the online environment,
and would
give th
e librarian greater

autonomy at work.

IV.
A POSSIBLE SOLUTION
–

MOODLE FOR LIBRARIANS

҆

TRAINING

W
e tested
(in a MoodleMoot event)
a learning alternative a
Library Science online course

using the Moodle platform (which has a hierarchically organized structure by
categor
ies, courses,
topics, resources, activities
, etc.), and designed
general

and specific
objectives

a defined content;
each module of the course customized according to the
group target, calendar, credits, specific
requirements
.

We used
single answer, mul
tiple choice, matching, or fill
–
in
tests. The advantage of this
approach for school librarians is that the network of Moodle users is already created and the platform
is used by a few teacher training houses and also by high schools.

439

Fig
ure
1
.

Librarian
ship course on Moodle

Another
well
–
founded

argument is that blended

learning comprises a diversity of pedagogical
theories from
constructivism

to conversation theory
, intensively used in technological
embedded

environments
. Through these facilities stud
ents construct their knowledge through social interaction,
optimising communication, self
–
engagement and trust, being able to solve problems

and
generate

new
knowledge
. The teacher ҆ s role is to guide them and help in refining the amount of acquired
information

Fig
ure
2. Evaluation test

We agree with Tony Bates' view
:
b
lended learning

may

be regarded as a mixture of:

(a)
PowerPoint

slides presented in a training ha
ll;

(b)
Extra

homework online after a face
–
to
–
face class;

(c)
A

‘flipped’ classroom where the lecture is recorded and available online, and the class time
is used for discussion and questions about the video;

(d)
A

totally re
–
designed course, where caref
ul choices have been made about what is done
online and what in class (hybrid)[
4
]

.

440

Fig
ure
3. Cataloguing course module

That is why we
approve

the idea
that “we

need more research and knowledge about how
libraries and the professional prof
iles of librarians should be designed in order to improve their
preparation to meet the new needs and de
mands directed towards them.” [5
]

Fig
ure

4. Tulip
integrated
soft
ware functionalities
–

multimedia presentation

In
a

previous study

on virtual t
raining environments

we
stated

that
,

in Romania
,

are very few
specialists who manage the
metadata

and fewer

really know what
a metadata is
.
In

2018, when

”
Carol
I
” Central University Library

run
s

an extensive
heritage

digitization program, the need to ma
nage
categories

of
metadata

and
main standards

became

fundamental.
The extension of theoretical and
practical approaches of the latest developments in library integrated systems and digitisation
technology must be overlapped. Under the generic term librari
an hide a wide range of new defined
professions such as data scientist, metadata cataloguer, cybrarian, etc.

The ability to run a webinar or an online training session whereby as many librarians in the
national school library system understand the digita
l environment, describing and interconnecting
metadata would be an enormous gain for the professional community. Blended learning combines
virtual and physical learning management systems to accomplish various learning and training needs.
In our case, this

solution is a blended synchronous learning and an asynchronous environments mixed
with face to face and videoconference sessions.

This is perhaps the suitable context agreed and
supported by National Ministry of Education due to its pedagogical high value
s, cost effectiveness and
441

large scale
addressability

to implement a knowledge building community [6] in order to strengthen our
professional expertise in line with the economic and technologic evolution of society.

4.1.
Blended learning benefits librarian
s training
program
:



Offers a

flexible training environment



Allows a d
iversity of interactions
–

from face to face / online/



Creates a
librarian centred training environment

/ experience



Provides immediate feedback



Reduce stress / resistance to technolog
y or change



Allows the
development
of aquired skills



Enlarges
a collaborative environment



It is

a t
ime
–
saving

solution



Demonstrates

its c
ost effectiveness



Enables social interaction



Allows exchange of ideas



Allows a high interaction with teacher



Les
s resistance to new technology

CONCLUSIONS:

Changing learning and training practices must not be considered an obstacle but a formative
process wich restructures the value of pedagogical theories and applications. The pedagogical
potential of technologica
l infrastructures
proposes
us the context to develop new educational
guidelines
and also to create new environments where learning and training gain value. Social and
professional collaboration, interest and cognitive assets are increased in the belended
learning
environment.

The current
landscape of training in the academic and school libraries recommends blended
learning as the pragmatic solution for its psycho
–
pedagogical advantages, for its technological
possibilities and aligns the librarians training to the European policies.

Our i
ntention is to highlight
a short
theoretical frame and argue the necessity to implement
and use blended learning as a continuous training formula for library professional
s
, comprising the
most complex pack of knowledge that can be delivered with
the existi
ng
technological support.

References

Text and Citations

[1]

The Role of Libraries in Lifelong Learning Final
R
eport of the IFLA project under the Section for Public Libraries.
Ed.
Edited by Britt Marie Häggström, p. 2.

[2]

Bliuc, A.
–
M.; Goodyear, P. Ellis, R. A.
Research focus and methodological choices in studies into
students ҆
experiences of blended learning in higher education. In: The Internet and Higher Education, 10(4), p. 234.

[3]

Tomescu, Silvia,
2010.
eLearning progress in higher education: The voice of experience.
Interview with Tony
Bates[online]. Available at:

http://www.elearning.ro/elearning
–
progress
–
in
–
higher
–
education
–
the
–
voice
–
of
–
experience
–
interview
–
with
–
tony
–
bates

. [Accessed at 12.03.2018
]

[4]

Bates, Tony, 2016. Are you ready for blended
–
learning?[online]. Available at:

https://www.tonybates.ca/?s=blended+learning

. [Accessed at 02.02.2018.]

[5]

Idem., p. 3.

[6]

Hewitt, J., 2004. An exploration of community in knowledge forum classroom. In: S.A. Barab., R.Kling., J. H.
Gray. Designing for virtual communities in the service for learning, p. 210
–
238.

442