Library and Information Services for the Distance Learners with Special Reference to Bangladesh Open University (BOU)

Abstract

It is highly recognized by all that education is the fundamental right of all the citizens of a country. For ensuring this right, the government of every country primarily conducts traditional education system. In traditional education system, face-to-face communication between teachers and learners is present where class-room-based instruction is imparted. But it is not always possible to make equal educational opportunities to all in traditional education system. There are many factors that hindered people in attaining traditional education system. In this type of education system, it is impossible to educate or to provide educational environment to those who cannot afford to attend classes in any traditional educational institution because of their poverty. People who are deprived from formal schooling due to various reasons such as age, absence of educational institution, unawareness, ignorance etc. cannot get any chance to start their education again in traditional education process. Hence. "Distance education" is a system that grows to overcome those problems. It is a type of education that is delivered from a distance to the learner (Aina 2008). In traditional education system, direct communication prevails between learner and teacher but in distance education not only teacher and learner are separated but also learners from the learning group are separated by physical distance where direct communication between teachers and learners is absent. Because of this characteristic, distance education is non-contiguous education (Rumble 1986). The separation of the teacher from the taught distinguishes it from the traditional system of education and forms the basic philosophy of distance education (Kanjilal 1995). In this type of education, an educational agency or organization bears the whole responsibility for creating an educational environment and centrally acts for designing course materials, organizing student support services, selecting document delivery modes, planning library and information services etc. Here, an institution teaches in lieu of a teacher. Distance education is an umbrella term which indicates the tangible distance between the learners and the teachers where the process of teaching and learning is not confined within the four walls of the classroom any more (Manjulika & Reddy 1998). In distance education, some forms of mechanical or electronic communication devices are being used to bridge the teacher and the learner, the learner and the learning group and remove the physical distances between those groups. Technology acts as an interface for face-to-face communication. In distance education the student and the instructor, while physically separated are intellectually connected via technology (Burke 1998). Distance education offers educational facilities to all persons irrespective of age, sex, race, nationality, religion, educational experiences etc. It appears to help adults who are dropped out from education from any stages in their student life and acts as an alternative way to teach the adults. Distance education system plays vital role for providing equal opportunity to acquire education to all. The importance of distance education is noticed clearly in the field of human resource development and also in the transformation of social and cultural backgrounds of the people (Kuruba 1999). In the past, necessity of the provision of education for all was felt and various initiatives were taken for inspiring people in learning in Bangladesh. As a result of these feelings and initiatives, Bangladesh Open University (BOU) comes into being in 1992. It is the only institution that organizes such type of education in this country at first. Since its inception, BOU has taken various noticeable initiatives to highlight and popularize distance education and has created a distinct educational environment all over the country. Its activities, learning strategies and student support services are highly appreciated at all levels. As an educational institution, BOU tries to organize "library and information systems and services" to teach distance learners systematically………………………………………………………….