Meet Your Virtual LibrarianDavid Ponter is RTS Virtual’s own Australian librarian. Although being an Aussie is not a requirement for his work, David’s personality adds an eclectic style to the Virtual Campus. Born in Sydney, Australia, David grew up in Norwich, England. He later returned to Australia with his family to Brisbane, Queensland. David earned his Bachelor’s degree with honors from the University of Queensland and his Post Graduate Diploma in Library and Informational Studies from the Queensland University of Technology. David is also an RTS alumnus, where he earned his Masters of Divinity degree.
An academic, an intellectual, and a lover of books, David is, or will become, one of your greatest assets as a Virtual student. Although he is especially partial to the theological workings of Calvinism, David’s abilities are useful for any student’s topic. Primarily used as a research aid, David brings a level of high-tech ingenuity that only a distance education student can fully appreciate: “As virtual librarian, I can secure books for you from the three RTS campuses and I can help you find the books you need from the libraries nearest to you. I can also obtain journal articles from our collection and from libraries outside of the RTS library system, assist you in creating bibliographies, and help with basic theological definitions and quandaries.”
David also provides some excellent tips for students in their researching efforts: - Plan ahead for your research, because it may take a couple of weeks to get some material in from other libraries and then on to you.
- Let David know how you would prefer to receive the material. Specify whether PDF files or photocopies would be best based on your internet connection.
- Stay away from URL references if possible. Write David and he should be able to find all the necessary hard-copy reference information for you.
David Ponter has made himself available by way of his email address, and his Yahoo Instant Messenger name of davidponter to better help the Virtual RTS students. Make use of this man’s willingness to better ensure that high grade on your next paper: “I am here to help you, so please utilize my skills and services. I know what it is like to be a student and to struggle with deadlines. I will try and help you the best way I can.” Also, be sure to visit RTS’ online catalogue.
|