Reaching out with LibGuides : Establishing a working set of best practices

1. Reaching out with LibGuides: Establishing a working set of best practices Alisa C. Gonzalez, Reference CoordinatorTheresa Westbrock, Instruction CoordinatorNew Mexico State University4/29/10

2. NMSU demographic • Land Grant institution • Five branch campuses • Over 9,000 of 17,200 FTE (main campus) are distance education students or are enrolled in online classes. Source: Office of Distance Education, 2009

3. Our need • Library web site in need of a renovation • Subject/Course guides lacked of common look and feel • Paper handouts were outdated • Librarians needed autonomy in creating and posting guides

4. Choosing LibGuides • Provided an outside server alleviating IT support • Gave librarians a variety of ways to present information (RSS feeds, Linked boxes) • Ease of creation • Sharing knowledge through the LibGuides community • Relatively low cost

5. Planning

6. Planning • Establishing leadership • Establish how much and what kind of leadership is best suited for the project. • Diplomacy • Defining the role • Administrative buy-in • Departmental • Administrative • Creating a template

7. Execution

8. Execution • Training • Group workshop (with template) • Establishing goals • One-on-one • Placement • Web site redesign • Naming • What do we call them? NOT LibGuides Research Guides Subject Guides Library Guides Quick Search Resource Finder

9. Website Placement

10. Website Placement

11. Benefits of Implementing LibGuides

12. Benefits • Faculty collaboration • easy to update, so meet specific, changing needs • Course/assignment guides with no input from faculty • Direct conduit to users • Focus on course = focus on faculty • Student involvement

13. Benefits • Real-time feedback • Built-in statistics • More focus where guides are being used • STATS SCREENSHOTS HERE

14. Benefits • Meeting needs beyond the subject guide • creative control over content • Organizational tool (handouts, online reference shelf, citation style guides, workshop schedule)

15. Benefits: Organization

16. Other successful guides

17. Challenges

18. Challenges (and working solutions) • Funding • Participation • Template • Master guide – out of sight, out of mind • Marketing • Placing guides where the students are • Assessment • Can guides replace instruction? • Do students have a preference? • Maintenance • Creation of inventory

19. Inventory

20. Best Practices

21. Purpose, Organization, Planning • Articulate problems with current situation • Be specific  in identifying organizational needs • Establish buy-in • Plan for dissemination

22. Audience Awareness • Make guides accessible to users at their point of need • Use guides consistently in library instruction and reference transactions • Create a consistent look and feel

23. Evaluation and Assessment • Monitor use • Create policy for adding and removing guides • Solicit user feedback • Assessment plan • Share assessment

24. Faculty Collaboration • Collect syllabi • Create course/assignment guides • Guides as a basis for communication and collaboration • Embed guide links in course management systems

25. Screenshot of Blackboard Access UNIV 150, ENGL 111, BUSA 111

26. Maintenance • Use available resources • Maintain inventory of guides • Identify long-term editors

27. Best Practices Purpose, organization, planning Audience awareness Evaluation and assessment Faculty collaboration Maintenance

28. Questions? Contact:  Alisa Gonzalez acgonzal@nmsu.edu Theresa Westbrock twestbro@nmsu.edu