Brief Introduction
As one of the teaching-management and service departments of the Open University of China (OUC), the Learning Resources Department (Digital Library) is mainly responsible for overall planning and management of the construction of learning resources, and formulation of policies and technical standards related to this. It is responsible for introduction, construction, application and evaluation of learning resources, along with their acceptance, copyright protection, promotion and use, along with the construction, management and operations of the library.
Resource-construction Planning
The department is responsible for studying the university’s policy documents on the construction of learning resources; organising and formulating the overall construction of these resources; tracking discipline development, and the construction of learning resources in related educational institutions; releasing related data- and macro-analysis reports; formulating and issuing plans for the construction of learning resources with special features; working with the Academic Affairs Department to formulate the annual academic-curriculum-construction and budget-application plans; formulating the policies and standards for the introduction and integration of learning resources; and collecting, purchasing and introducing high-quality learning resources in accordance with the overall construction plan.
Resource Management
It is responsible for the formulation of standards for the construction of learning resources for a variety of courses; drafting and revising agreements on the development of these; ensuring they meet standards, and verifying funding; coordinating, managing and assisting the work of resource producers; providing services for the construction of curricular learning resources in the university in accordance with the standards for course construction; coordinating with other departments to deal with problems; organising and engaging in construction of special courses, such as five-minute courses, general-education courses, online open video courses, special courses for residents of Xinjiang and Tibet, and so on, in accordance with the requirements of the university; and regularly organising the evaluation and selection of learning resources for degree and non-degree courses.
Resource Promotion and Application
It is responsible for preparation of the "OUC Annual Curricular (Theme) Learning-resource-use Plan", and releasing information on the use of resources to members of the OUC system; promotion of learning resources and coordination of the publishing departments; management of the upload and transmission channels for digital resources; organisation of work related to the use and evaluation of all kinds of courses, digital resources, and resources within the OUC system, as well as the use, evaluation and exhibition of national courses, digital resources, and teaching materials; organisation of the co-construction and sharing of resources (including their promotion outside the OUC); unified management of the resources in the media database, and help with their use to all departments in the university; routine management of updates and maintenance of the database; overall evaluation of online courses; and routine management and maintenance of the tape library.
Construction and Management of the Digital Library
It is responsible for preparation of an overall plan for the Digital Library; improving its literature-resource system; exploring use of new information technology within it; designing the functions and undertaking analysis of key technologies embedded in the network-learning environment; and using new media and other new technologies to facilitate use and promotion of the library.
Reader Services
It is responsible for providing service in the physical library at OUC headquarters, including reference and consulting services; inter-library loans and document delivery; organising and coordinating the libraries of the OUC system to provide subject and teaching services to teachers and students; conducting education and training on information literacy, as well as use of the Digital Library; providing cultural and social services in the library; carrying out surveys and analyses of reader needs; and compiling paper documents for the Digital Library.