Innovative LibGuides Applications: Real World Examples

by Ryan L. Sittler (Editor), Aaron W. Dobbs (Editor)

Innovative LibGuides Applications: Real World Examples shows both new and experienced users methods to utilize the platform in ways that they may not have previously considered. This includes topics such as website and learning management system integration, digital collections, data-drive decision-making, information literacy instruction, library administration, and a system-wide case study. Each chapter features ideas that you can implement immediately, or over time, as is appropriate to your own needs. Further, they are adaptable—tweak as you see fit!

Divided into sections, this book examines different uses and approaches to LibGuides:

· Website and learning management system (LMS) integration: examine how LibGuides can be used as, or closely integrated with, the library website and/or your institutions’ LMS. Various examples are provided that you may be able to adapt at your own organization. Not every solution worked as anticipated—our authors address this, as well.

· Digital collections: Two alternate approaches are presented. One looks at exhibitions and their application as outreach tools. The other looks at creating a digital museum within LibGuides. These are “can’t miss” chapters for those that wish to more deeply explore digital collections and LibGuides viability.

· Data-drive decision-making: Learn how some institutions are mining and utilizing data collected within LibApps/LibGuides. In both cases, the data examined helped institutions to improve library services while articulating a clear purpose (and use) for each data point.

· Information literacy: Explore two different methods for revamping your instruction program through utilization of the platform.

· Library administration: Discover how internal and external processes may be augmented through the use of LibApps/LibGuides.

· System-wide case study: See how a community college system in North Carolina has each implemented (or not) LibApps/LibGuides on their respective campuses. This section shows how different institutions may decide to use the platform in different ways—all while attempting to improve their own services.

Upon completion of this authoritative LITA Guide, readers will come away with the knowledge and tools to maximize their LibGuides experience

230 pages, Hardcover

Published October 7, 2016

About the author

Ryan L. Sittler is an associate professor and the instructional technology/information literacy librarian at California University of Pennsylvania. He received his MSLS from Clarion University of Pennsylvania, MSIT from Bloomsburg University of Pennsylvania, and Ph.D. in Communications Media and Instructional Technology from Indiana University of Pennsylvania. Sittler has coedited multiple books on both information literacy and Springshare’s LibGuides platform. Among these are The Library Instruction Cookbook (2009), Using LibGuides to Enhance Library Services (2013), and Innovative LibGuides Applications (2016). Dr. Sittler is also part of a team that developed the educational information literacy game "A Planet in Peril: Plagiarism," which won the Caspian Learning 2010 Serious Games Challenge. His current research interests are instructional design in educational games and media effects as they relate to information processing. He also happens to be a huge Doctor Who fan. He can be contacted via email at sittler@calu.edu or on Twitter.

Reviews

[Siobhan · Rating 4 out of 5]

While most librarians are familiar with SpringShare’s LibGuides product, it is often in the context of subject guides. In Innovative LibGuides Applications: Real-World Examples, the editors have collected examples in which libraries have customized their LibGuides and other LibApps products in ways that have added value to the out-of-the-box installation to make the most out of their LibApps subscriptions. The chapters in this book illustrate fifteen cases of how libraries and institutions have customized their LibGuides installations and integrated other LibApps products to suit various needs, from using LibGuides CMS for library websites to more in-depth data mining using LibAnalytics.

Innovative LibGuides Applications is broken down into seven parts, each with two to three cases describing a different application in detail. Parts I through III (on the topics of Website, Learning Management System, and Digital Collections integration) may be useful to new or existing LibGuides users who are looking for ideas on how to best customize their LibGuides/LibGuides CMS, or how to best integrate them into existing library websites; Bootstrap/CSS customization, integration with Wordpress, and how to best use LibGuides modules within your LMS are all discussed in detail.

For those more interested from a services standpoint, Part IV (“Data-Driven Decision Making”) makes recommendations for how other LibApps products (LibAnalytics, LibAnswers) can be integrated into LibGuides to collect data to improve Reference services. I found Chapter 10, “Pay Attention to the Data Behind the Curtain,” especially useful as it highlights the improved statistics tracking of LibGuides version 2, and how these statistics can be used to keep guide content fresh and relevant to the current user population. Part V (“Information Literacy”) gives examples of how LibGuides and LibCal can be used in the context of library instruction, both for distance-learners and also as a method of scheduling standalone workshops. Part VI, “Library Administration,” covers how LibGuides can be set up as a staff intranet for internal uses, including for search committees and training new employees. Part VII concludes with a summary of how a large community college system uses LibGuides in a variety of applications, with each institution using LibGuides in different ways.

What this book illustrates is that there is really no one-size-fits-all application for LibGuides, and that there are strong benefits to customizing it beyond the traditional subject guide to suit the needs of your library. I would recommend this title in particular to libraries who may not be familiar with the suite of LibApps products beyond LibGuides, and are wondering what the possibilities are. Even you are an existing LibGuides and LibApps subscriber, if your library is looking to do more with their LibGuides, there is a lot of variety here and each chapter provides enough detail that they can be used as an instruction manual to set up one’s own LibGuides installations in a similar way.

Reviewed for JERL, doi:10.1080/1941126X.2017.1304778

[Kayla · Rating 3 out of 5]

I’ve read so many books and articles on LibGuides that they’re all blending together. This title provided some interesting ways to utilize LibGuides outside of the traditional class/subject formats.