From the Editor

Abstract

Welcome to the final issue of the Journal of Library & Information Services in Distance Learning for 2021. I hope the articles we have for you in this issue will be of interest. In our lead article, “Student and Instructor Perceptions of Virtual Library Instruction Sessions,” Jessica L. Bennett discusses a study she undertook to determine if instructors and students had opinions about virtual library instruction and if there were any preferences to synchronous over watching recorded sessions. Migule-Angle Marzal and Sara Martinez Cardama provide details on their proposal for an online, skills-based training course. In their article, “Gamification as a Strategy for Visual Literacy Skills-Based Education: A Proposal for Educational Libraries,”Marzal and Cardama suggest using a gamification approach in a collaborative setting to encourage and engage the students in the learning process. In our next article, “Training Strategies for Library Staff and Remote Clients in Academic Libraries Operating in a Distance Education Environment During COVID-19,” Tinyiko Vivian Dube discusses research into training strategies for those working in academic libraries in South Africa. Dube relates how if library staff are trained, they can provide better service to the distance education population. Christian Mubofu and Andrew Malekani detail how the distance learners at the Open University of Tanzania feel about the accessibility of their library’s resources and services. Their article, “Accessibility of Library Resources and Support Services by Distance Learners,” discusses the results of a study they preformed along with recommendations for improvements. We conclude this issue with an article by Kate-Riin Kont and Siret Piirsalu, “Library Services in Spring 2020: Feedback Survey in Tallinn Health Care College.” In their study, Kont and Piirsalu investigated which services were used the most and which services their users would be needing due to the lockdown caused by COVID-19. Do any of these topics appeal to you? Do you want to know more? If so, this issue is for you! Jodi W. Poe Editor-in-Chief Jpoe@jsu.edu https://doi.org/10.1080/1533290X.2021.2038846