Libraries have key role in expanding digital learning

CLOSING THE BOOK: Hedi Ben- Aicha, vice president and dean of library and electronic course materials with the American Public University System, ran the RIC library for nearly six years. He said the library he arrived at in 2008 was not “the library [he] left in 2014.” / COURTESY AMERICAN PUBLIC  UNIVERSITY SYSTEM
CLOSING THE BOOK: Hedi Ben- Aicha, vice president and dean of library and electronic course materials with the American Public University System, ran the RIC library for nearly six years. He said the library he arrived at in 2008 was not “the library [he] left in 2014.” / COURTESY AMERICAN PUBLIC UNIVERSITY SYSTEM

(Corrected, April 28, 3:47 p.m.)

Born in Tunisia, Hedi BenAicha studied history broadly, with a focus on the Middle East, before turning to library science in the United States in 1984. In mid-2008, he began ramping up Rhode Island College’s online offerings at its school library.
BenAicha took his current position at the American Public University System, based in Charles Town, W.Va., on March 17, because he is committed to the future of online learning and development of online library resources. APUS has a physical, administrative campus that supports a completely online accredited system for both the American Public University and the American Military University.

PBN: At 62, you are not a digital native. Yet, your new role embraces digital learning. How did you develop the interest and drive to build skills in this area?
BENAICHA: I [have] always espoused and embraced change, took challenges seriously and learned from them, as well as taught others what I learned. Being in the States enhanced that idea of entrepreneurship and ways of seeking out other venues of learning. Librarianship itself is at the forefront of change, because in academia, for example, or public libraries, the essence of the library is to provide access to its citizens. With automation and computers, librarians and libraries embraced that change because they found automation would facilitate access and spread resources even further.

PBN: What made you take the leap to join the American Public University System, a global online educational system?
BENAICHA: Even in the traditional setting, my colleagues and I were among the first to push forward the idea of online access because I wanted to recast traditional librarianship, enhancing the role and relevance of the library with online systems. For example, traditional librarianship relied heavily on hard-copy collections. The digital native and specifically the Googlization of the world has an impact on getting information now, not later, anywhere in the library. And when I say anywhere and anytime, that means using the online platform. Since I was a proponent and champion of this online application, when this opportunity presented itself I said, “This is what I want, because this is the cutting edge, because this is the trend in our country.”

PBN: APUS claims to educate and support more than 100,000 distance learners studying in 50 states and more than 100 countries. How will you facilitate online study?
BENAICHA: The online study for APUS is very well-established. We have online classrooms using a platform called Sakai, which allows simultaneous exchange between professors and students in writing. And we have online access to library resources. We also have librarians ready to answer questions online at almost any time. This is unprecedented. To enhance that, I will introduce more interactive tools to enhance learning: more video; interactive programs for simulation, gaming and using library resources to engage students even further, [as well as] showcasing students’ writing and artwork. On-the-spot texting for example is something I hope to introduce between students and online librarians.

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PBN: Describe the digital innovations you introduced at Rhode Island College. Are most colleges and universities gravitating in this direction, and if not why not? BENAICHA: I do believe most colleges are gravitating in this direction, because that’s the trend today. You have to have a digital presence. The library at RIC when I started in 2008 was not the library I left in 2014. In 2010 and 2012, a student-satisfaction survey was conducted and the library was voted No. 1. The library became the place to go. I showcased student work, like master’s theses and honors projects on the Digital Commons. I augmented the electronic book collection from 1,800 to 100,000. I brought in “libguides,” a platform to encourage collaboration between faculty and librarians in creating any new content that they want, which is discoverable online.

PBN: When you served as chairman of the statewide consortium of university libraries, what did you consider the most pressing challenges facing Rhode Island schools seeking to introduce and sustain online learning?
BENAICHA: Enrollment, and relevance. While with all respect to my colleagues – they are doing a great job in the three public institutions, [Community College of Rhode Island, RIC and the University of Rhode Island] – we are doing a lot with little. That’s the crux of the problem, the lack of financial resources to allow a sustainable online learning vision. Because when you think about it, URI, CCRI or RIC do not have full-fledged online programs; they have online courses. Florida legislators asked and passed a bill to create full-fledged online programs for the state university system there. They are working to implement it, and to be affordable, because APUS is very affordable. •

INTERVIEW
Hedi BenAicha
POSITION: Vice president and dean of library and electronic course materials with the American Public University System
BACKGROUND: Hedi BenAicha, originally from Tunisia, North Africa, was educated in France and the U.S. Most recently, he worked for nearly six years as director of the James P. Adams Library at Rhode Island College. Prior to that, he was director of the library at Curry College in Milton, Mass. From 2001 to 2005, he served as associate dean of libraries at Suffolk County Community College in the SUNY university system, where he oversaw three separate campus libraries.
EDUCATION: Master’s degree in library science from the University of Maryland, College Park, 1984; bachelor’s, master’s and post-graduate degree equivalents, University of Paris, 1977-1979
FIRST JOB: Graduate assistant at University of Paris
RESIDENCE: Barrington
AGE: 62

A previous version of this article incorrectly spelled Charles Town, W.Va.

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