Distance learning has become a feasible way for many adults to obtain advanced degrees while staying on the job. However, independent learners do have special needs. Devising innovative ways to meet those needs has been the challenge for academic and public libraries alike. Library staff usually don't identify them until they request assistance in the reference interview.
Exact numbers are hard to come by when talking about distance learning.
One of the most profound obstacles to arriving at a hard number is the lack of a universally accepted definition of the distance learner. However, one statistic that reveals the scope of need for distance learning options is the estimate from the United States Distance Learning Association that 50 million American workers will have to be retrained for the changing workplace. Wittenbreer said distance learners tend to go to the nearest library of convenience. Forty to seventy percent rely on public libraries as their library of choice. It really signifies that people think all libraries are the same, which is an incredible 'brand loyalty' of sorts.