eRes: Innovative E-learning with E-resources.

Abstract

There has been an explosion in the use of electronic resources by students; this existing high usage of e-resources will be intensified as virtual learning environments (VLEs) become the primary means of interaction between students and universities. The challenge facing academic libraries is to provide appropriate resources in electronic form and through interfaces meeting the expectations of the Digital Natives. This paper examines the marketplace for e-books and reports on Bournemouth University’s innovative response to this challenge: leading a national tender not only for general collections of e-books, but also for bespoke subject collections; integrating existing resources into the VLE and creating new resources; exploiting the VLE and federated search technology. It also reports on Bournemouth’s current Higher Education Academy-funded pathfinder project, Innovative E-Learning with E-Resources (eRes), to develop innovative pedagogic frameworks and an e-reading strategy.