In a diverse learning environment, students may be learning the technology at the same time as its content. At Ipswich, staff and students require skills in email, online chat, bulletin boards, online searching, word processing and Internet navigation. To achieve they must be able to search online databases with a range of operating environments, search the Internet effectively and develop skills in assessing the information they retrieve. As a key provider of information skills, the Library must be involved in course development and planning and must also be adequately resourced to meet the growing demand for Information Skills training and support in every University of Queensland Library. Ms Crawter noted students at the Ipswich Campus Library access material from all other University of Queensland Libraries and material from throughout the world on inter-library loan or via the Internet.
Students expect information to be delivered quickly and technology to work.
Rather than wait for information, they are willing to travel between campuses. The Chair asked Ms Crawter how the Library Committee might assist her. Ms Crawter responded that supporting flexible delivery is both human and physical resource intensive and identified the integration of information skills programmes into the curriculum as the key area for address. The Chair advised Ms Crawter that one of the Committee's Working Parties is addressing this. Mrs Schmidt, expanding on Ms Crawter's comments, noted the Library is one of the most heavily used parts of campus and that adequate space allocation is an issue.