Does Anyone Need Help Out There?

Arnold, Judith; Csir, Floyd; Sias, Jennifer N; Zhang, Jingping

doi:10.1300/j136v09n03_09

Cited by 11 publications

(2 citation statements)

References 13 publications

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“…Other researchers have found that students prefer guides with simple, clean designs (Hintz et al, 2010). The amount of information which students prefer on a guide varies widely (Arnold, Csir, Sias, & Zhang, 2004;Staley, 2007). Reeb and Gibbons found that students struggle with the concept of academic disciplines that form the basis for many subject guides and prefer guides targeted to courses (2004).…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Making LibGuides Work: Student Interviews and Usability Tests

Conerton

Goldenstein

2017

Internet Reference Services Quarterly

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This article discusses student use of and feedback on LibGuides in an academic library. The authors conducted interviews and usability tests with on-campus and distance students to determine their preferences and expectations, as well as to identify specific pain points. Based on the findings, the authors changed LibGuides best practices at their institution and overhauled the LibGuides index page.

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Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Making LibGuides Work: Student Interviews and Usability Tests

Conerton

Goldenstein

2017

Internet Reference Services Quarterly

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“…The subject guides (www.library.unr.edu/subjects/) and other helpful research tools, such as electronic journal lists, course‐specific help, style guides, and the Library's “Ask Us!” service are prominently featured on the UNR Libraries home page (www.library.unr.edu/). While thoughtfully consolidated “help” resources lead to increased usage and awareness (Arnold et al , 2004), it is certain that we could do a better job of making the guides and other tools available on social networking sites. However, in order to do that quickly enough to keep pace with major trends in technology and flocking behavior, subject guide content must first be organized and managed.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Managing subject guides with SQL Server and ASP.Net

Greene

2008

Library Hi Tech

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PurposeThe purpose of this paper is to report on the content management solution for 50 subject guides maintained by librarian subject specialists at the University of Nevada, Reno Libraries.Design/methodology/approachThe Web Development Librarian designed an SQL Server database to store subject guide content and wrote ASP.Net scripts to generate dynamic web pages. Subject specialists provided input throughout the process. Hands‐on workshops were held the summer before the new guides were launched.FindingsThe new method has successfully produced consistent but individually customized subject guides while greatly reducing maintenance time. Simple reports reveal the association between guides and licensed resources. Using the system to create course‐specific guides would be a useful follow‐up project. Skills learned in training workshops should be refreshed at regular intervals to boost confidence and introduce changes in the system.Practical implicationsThe advantages of centralizing content and separating it from presentation cannot be overstated. More consistency and less maintenance is just the beginning. Once accomplished, a library can incorporate Web 2.0 features into the application by repurposing the data or modifying the ASP.Net template. The now‐organized data is clean and ready to migrate to web services or next‐generation research guides when the time is right.Originality/valueThis paper uniquely reports on an SQL Server, ASP.Net solution for managing subject guides. SQL Server includes data management features that increase application security and ASP.Net offers built‐in functionality for manipulating and presenting data. Utmost attention was given to creating simple user interfaces that enable subject specialists to create complex web pages without coding HTML.

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Brick and Click Libraries

Miller

2012

Serials Review

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Does Anyone Need Help Out There?

Cited by 11 publications

References 13 publications

Making LibGuides Work: Student Interviews and Usability Tests

Making LibGuides Work: Student Interviews and Usability Tests

Managing subject guides with SQL Server and ASP.Net

Brick and Click Libraries

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