DIGITAL LIBRARY AS RESOURCE IN HIGHER EDUCATION INFORMATIONAL distance learning (ODL): an analysis of higher education institutions (HEIs) accredited to DL programs in southern Brazil

Abstract

This article presents a brief analysis of the importance of digital libraries as an information resource required for distance learning in higher education, using as its reference the parameters proposed by the secretariats of the Ministry of Education and Culture for credentialing higher education institutions and their distance learning programs. The article identifies and analyzes those credentialed institutions which offer programs of distance learning in the southern region of the country. It addresses the compulsory requirements for credential, taking into account mainly the item of libraries, with a focus on virtual libraries and other virtual settings of remote access, and conceptualizations, existent models and their relevance to the teaching and learning process. This descriptive and qualitative research allowed for the conclusion that the digital repositories of information should be named digital libraries or have another terminology to classify them and that they are insipient in the institutions under this study despite their great importance as an information resource for such a type of teaching modality.