Libraries-a Key to Harness E-Learning: Issues and Perspective

E-learning is a nebulous term; meaning teaching-learning facilitated through the modern media like web, satellite, cable networks, etc. Though it is successful in spreading its wings on today's higher education sector, it's linkages with the libraries are still feeble. The academic and other types of libraries, especially from the developing countries such as India, are struggling to cater to the increasingly heterogeneous requirements of the e-learners and associated community. This paper presents the key role of LIS professionals in the e-learning paradigm. After a thorough analysis of the e-learning scenario, authors have realised that libraries and librarians have an important role to play possibly through the digital libraries-a contemporary movement growing along-with the e-learning. The aspirations of e-learner community from the LIS professionals in this new era of e-learning are propagation of the movement itself, course content development, technical facilitation, technical trouble shooting, fuelling open-archives, improving user interfaces, identifying and training the usage of free and open source software tools to the user community to ensure maximum participation in teaching-learning process. The paper also discusses e-learning-library linkages and the innovations implemented in the top ranking off-shore public libraries that the Indian LIS community can follow. It reveals an emanating strongly bonded model of e-learning-library linkage required for the sustainance and mutual growth of the duo. This will also lend a hand in emerging an open knowledge culture and ultimately beneficial for the evolving knowledge society.