SubjectsPlus @ NUST Library

1. Helping library users to discover e-resources through subject-themed guides SubjectsPlus@ NUST Library eIFL FOSS Regional Seminar Tanzania 4-5 November 2011 Amos Kujenga Systems Analyst NUST Library Bulawayo, Zimbabwe akujenga@nust.ac.zw akujenga@gmail.com

2. Outline of Presentation • Background • Subject Librarianship • Guided Search tools/Research Pathfinders • Why we chose SubjectsPlus • Project Progress • Expected Outcomes

3. Project Background • NUST Library has been involved in eIFL-FOSS activities since 2007 • Decided to pilot SubjectsPlus in response to a Call for Participation by eIFL-FOSS in 2010

4. Project Justification • Subscription to electronic resources • Low usage levels despite efforts to promote awareness

5. Project Justification • Findability of resources. • Guided searching using research pathfinders is one solution to this problem. • Research pathfinder software helps ease the job of the Twenty-First Century Subject Librarian.

6. Subject Librarians • library staff members • primary contact persons between the library and the faculties and/or academic departments. • sometimes referred to as Subject Specialists, Library Liaison Officers, or Faculty Librarians. • expected to understand the information needs and scholarly communication patterns of assigned disciplines.

7. Subject Librarians • At NUST Library this role is played by Assistant Librarians • One assigned for each of the faculties: • Applied Sciences • Built Environment • Commerce • Communication & Information Science • Industrial Technology • Medicine

8. Subject Librarians’ Roles • Collection development and organisation • Provision of subject-specific reference and information services • Information Literacy Skills training • Provision of subject-oriented library instruction

9. Subject Librarians’ Roles • Their role in the selection of electronic resources is not just important for ‘paid-for’ resources (Pinfield, 2001). • Increasingly, Subject Librarians are required to identify free web resources which may be of interest to users.

10. Subject Librarians • Due to generally low Information Literacy Skills (ILS) levels, many users find the array of resources available on the Internet to be confusing and daunting. • Subject Librarians are well placed to locate and evaluate quality resources.

11. Software Options

12. What is SubjectsPlus? In summary, SubjectsPlus is an Open Source set of tools aimed at enhancing a library website. It provides facilities to dynamically manage a library’s subject, course, and topic guides.

13. SubjectsPlus Features • Open Source • Includes: • Subject or Course Guides • A-Z List of Databases • Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs) • Suggestion Box (called Talkback) • Staff List • Database-driven (uses XAMP)

14. Why did we choose SubjectsPlus? • Easy to use • Easy to install and configure • Good for low-technical support environments • Resources permitting, NUST Library intends to train personnel from peer institutions • Platform independent

15. Why did we choose SubjectsPlus? • Subject Librarians can be given access to easily create and update Subject Guides • Empowers the Knowledge Workers, giving them full control of the site contents • Shared resources need only be defined once • Includes Web 2.0 features

16. SubjectsPlusSupport • Growing user community • Active, Google Groups-based mailing list • Documentation in Wiki • Video Tutorials

17. Project Progress • Training workshops were conducted for Library staff • SubjectsPlus installed on (Fedora) Linux server & customised • Assistant Librarians are responsible for developing and maintaining guides for their respective Faculties.

18. Project Progress • Building of Subject Guides is in progress. Will proceed to Course and Topic Guides. • Currently the focus is to make subscribed electronic resources more visible to Library Users. • Guides are ordered by department and are accessible online via http://library.nust.ac.zw/sp/subjects with links from the Library’s website.

23. Expected Outputs • Increased usage of subscribed electronic resources • Increased interaction of Subject Librarians with users • Improved feedback mechanism • Improved focus on user needs

24. Expected Outputs • Improved student performance • More focused or streamlined ILS training programmes • Improved efficiency in updating of library website

25. Thank You • Amos Kujenga • Systems Analyst • NUST Library • Bulawayo, Zimbabwe • akujenga@nust.ac.zw • akujenga@gmail.com

26. Bibliography Agyen-Gyasi, K. (2008) 'The Need for Subject Librarians in Ghanaian Academic Libraries', Electronic Journal of Academic and Special Librarianship, vol. 9, no. 3, Winter. Feldmann, L. (2006) 'Subject Librarians in the Changing Academic Library', Electronic Journal of Academic and Special Librarianship, vol. 7, no. 3, Winter. Hahn, K. (2009) 'Introduction: Positioning Liaison Librarians for the 21st Century', Research Library Issues: A Bimonthly Report from ARL, CNI, and SPARC, vol. 265, August, pp. 1-2. Love, J. (2002) 'The Enhanced and Changing Role of the Specialist Librarian: Survey of Education Librarians', The Reference Librarian, vol. 78, pp. 149-165. Pinfield, S. (2001) 'The changing role of subject librarians in academic libraries', Journal of Librarianship and Information Science, vol. 33, no. 1, March, pp. 32-38.