LibGuide Design: What Are the Experiences and Guidelines at Other Libraries?
- 1. Take 20: LibGuide Design – What Are the Experiences and Guidelines at Other Libraries? Christopher Mitchell Information Sciences Graduate Student cmitch41@utk.edu
- 2. About the Research • Six usability studies consulted. • Authors recommend more user testing. • Largest testing group: 14 undergraduate students (U. of Michigan). • Morae usability testing software. • Web analytics.
- 4. Common Goals for LibGuides • Easy-to-find information • Consistent design • No jargon • Annotations • Personalized assistance • Strong marketing
- 5. Layout & Color • Consistency leads to familiarity. • School or library colors are common. • Create a “sense of place.” • Humanize it. Image credit: University of Arkansas Libraries
- 6. Navigation • Navigation: Keep it clean and simple. • Issues with the search box. • Tabs caused confusion. • Students preferred a short list of “recommended resources” near the top of the guide. • Format-specific resources (such as image and news databases) were better located when they appeared within a subject guide.
- 7. Clutter & Information Overload • Highest priority for students: Clean and easy-to-use designs. • Fewer tabs. • Fewer resources. • The LibGuide is a starting point for student research.
- 8. Clutter & Information Overload • “Can we find a balance between brevity and maintaining enough breadth and depth to ensure that the guide is useful for all?” • Suggestion: Place the top three databases on the subject guide so they are seen immediately.
- 9. Labeling Issues • “Show me what I need” • Be specific • Should we label the menu item “Find Articles,” “Databases,” or “Journals”? • Shorter menu item names • Avoid acronyms when possible
- 10. Finding Help • Annotate and guide • Users consult a variety of resources for help • Online tutorials and librarian chat
- 12. Course-Specific Guides • Course-specific and assignment-specific guides were accessed much more than general subject guides. • As faculty began to see the benefit of guides tailored to their students’ immediate, specific needs, they simultaneously began to request guides for their other classes. • Fewer reference desk questions.
- 13. Marketing • Promote within colleges, schools, and departments. • If more students are aware of such guides, they will use them. • Students use the resources to which they are directed.
- 14. Bibliography • Adebonojo, Leslie G. "LibGuides: Customizing Subject Guides for Individual Courses." College & Undergraduate Libraries 17, no. 4 (October 2010): 398-412. Library Literature & Information Science Full Text (H.W. Wilson), EBSCOhost (accessed February 3, 2012). • Brandon, Jenny, Kelly Sattler, and Christine Tobias. "LibGuides Interface Customization." Online (Weston, Conn.) 35, no. 1 (January 2011): 14-18. Library Literature & Information Science Full Text (H.W. Wilson), EBSCOhost (accessed February 3, 2012). • Desai, Shevon. 2009. “LibGuides: Undergraduate Focus Groups.” Ann Arbor, Mich.: University of Michigan Libraries. http://www.lib.umich.edu/files/usability_reports/LibGuidesFocusGrp Report.pdf (accessed February 13, 2012).
- 15. Bibliography • Gonzalez, Alisa C., and Theresa Westbrock. 2010. "Reaching Out with LibGuides: Establishing a Working Set of Best Practices." Journal of Library Administration 50, no. 5/6: 638-656. Library Literature & Information Science Full Text (H.W. Wilson), EBSCOhost (accessed February 9, 2012). • Hungerford, Rachel, Lauren Ray, Christine Tawatao, and Jennifer Ward. 2010. “LibGuides Usability Testing.” Seattle: University of Washington Libraries. http://libraryassessment.org/bm~doc/Tawatao_Christine.pdf (accessed February 9, 2012). • Ouellelte, Dana, dana.ouellette@concordia.ab.ca. "Subject Guides in Academic Libraries: A User-Centred Study of Uses and Perceptions." Canadian Journal of Information & Library Sciences 35, no. 4 (December 2011): 436-451. Library Literature & Information Science Full Text (H.W. Wilson), EBSCOhost (accessed February 3, 2012).