Given the understanding that the word ‘distance’ portends ‘standing apart’, ‘separation’ or ‘remoteness’, the term distance education could connote the form of study where there is the element of separation between the learner and the teacher. This signifies that teaching and learning between the teacher and learner are conducted at a distance and indeed, remoteness is a common feature of this form of education. Consequent upon the fact that the students who enrolled for this type of education are hardly seen on the campus of their institution to enjoy any form of face- to-face interaction with their lecturers and librarians, they are sometimes referred to as remote learners. But then, irrespective of their scattered locations, a library of an institution that floats open and distance learning programmes owes it a binding duty and responsibility to ensure that students are reached and accorded the right service equitable to what is given to the on-campus face-to-face students. This paper examines the concept of distance learning in-depth and indicates the major distinction between this mode of education delivery and the conventional face-to-face teaching and learning process. The paper underscores the general characteristics of distance learners, culminating in the strategies that could be adopted by the library of an institution that promotes distance education either as a single- or dual- mode system to meet the information needs of these learners. The methodological approach adopted for this paper revolves around an in-depth desk-top literature review and the author’s viewpoints based on the prevailing digital environment of distance learners in Botswana. Based on the issues raised in the paper, some recommendations are made to assist an institution that is preparing for open and distance learning.