Primary Research's Library Use of LibGuides and LibGuide Effectiveness for Users
James Moses
primarydat at AOL.COM
Thu Sep 26 11:37:55 EDT 2013
Alas it is true that the most important question is: what is the impact on the students? Unfortunately this will have to wait for a survey of students themselves which we do every few years or for academic studies, two of which you cite. This study does offer some data from survey participants about end use; data on frequency of use offers at least some insight into ultimate worth, as do, for example, journal use and journal citation statistics. However, this study is more about the immediate operational impact on library management which is quite considerable and not generally covered in library science studies, and more our niche.
James Moses, President
Primary Research Group Inc.
www.PrimaryResearch.com
-----Original Message-----
From: Popp, Mary Pagliero <popp at INDIANA.EDU>
To: WEB4LIB <WEB4LIB at LISTSERV.ND.EDU>
Sent: Thu, Sep 26, 2013 11:23 am
Subject: [WEB4LIB] Primary Research's Library Use of LibGuides and LibGuide Effectiveness for Users
Hello! This work sounds as though it is all about making the provision of
resource information easy for librarians. In fact, the full description from
the PrimaryResearch web site says:
The study looks the impact of LibGuides on 57 libraries. largely academic. The
study explores how many LibGuides libraries are making, what is their rate of
growth in LibGuide creation, and how extensively are the LibGuides used. The
report also covers the estimated time it takes to make LibGuides, the number of
librarians in an organization who use LibGuides, the support that they receive,
and the marketing of LibGuides to faculty and students, among many other issues.
The study also points out the most admired LibGuides, the most used, and gives
hard data on the number of LibGuides from institutions other than their own that
libraries are using. The study helps its readers to answer questions such as:
how many libraries are using LibGuides as their library website? What are
library plans for LibGuides in the future? Have libraries considered
alternatives to LibGuides? How satisfied are libraries with LibGuides? What
kinds of LibGuides are libraries developing and how are they encouraging
students and faculty to use them?
Efficiency is certainly an important issue and is an issue at my institution as
well.
But it misses an important question. What objective evidence do we have that
LibGuides are effective at presenting information to users? Do they increase
student learning? Does this study cover such questions? So far as I can tell,
it does not.
Have libraries actually measured LibGuide learning outcomes and usability? I
know there is a recent Against the Grain article (v. 24, issue 1, 2012) from
Delaware State University showing increased use of library services and a very
nice recent study in the Journal of Web Librarianship (v. 7, issue 1, 2013)
talks about results of usability findings. Are there other similar studies not
yet published?
Mary
_____________________
Mary Pagliero Popp
Immediate Past President, 2013-2014
Reference & User Services Assn., American Library Assn.
Research & Discovery Services Librarian
Discovery & Research Services Department (DRS)
Indiana University Libraries, Wells Library W501
1320 E. 10th Street
Bloomington, IN 47405
812-855-8170 FAX: 812-856-2062 popp at indiana.edu
-----Original Message-----
From: Web technologies in libraries [mailto:WEB4LIB at listserv.nd.edu] On Behalf
Of James Moses
Sent: Thursday, September 26, 2013 10:43 AM
To: WEB4LIB at listserv.nd.edu
Subject: [WEB4LIB] Primary Research Group has published Library Use of
LibGuides, ISBN 978-157440-257-5
Primary Research Group has published Library Use of LibGuides, ISBN
978-157440-257-5
The study explores how many LibGuides libraries are making, the rate of growth
in Lib Guide creation, and how extensively LibGuides are used. The report also
covers the estimated time it takes to create a LibGuide and its impact on
library productivity. The study furnishes insights on the number of librarians
in an organization who use LibGuides, the support that they receive, and the
marketing of LibGuides to faculty and students, among many other issues. The
study also points out the most admired LibGuides, the most used, and gives hard
data on the number of LibGuides from institutions other than their own that
libraries are using. The study helps its readers to answer questions such as:
how many libraries are using LibGuides as their library website? What are
library plans for LibGuides in the future? Have libraries considered
alternatives to LibGuides? How satisfied are libraries with LibGuides? What
kinds of LibGuides are libraries developing and how are they encour!
aging students and faculty to use them?
Just a few of the study’s main findings are that:
• The growth rate over the past year in the stock of LibGuides for the private
colleges in the sample was an astounding 63%.
• College libraries with a budget in excess of $3 million maintained a mean of
109 LibGuides.
• 42.11% of the libraries sampled have one or more individuals whose primary job
it is to create LibGuides or other kinds of research guides.
• Only 3.51% of the libraries sampled have measured or studied how much staff
time it takes to develop a typical LibGuide.
• 31.58% of the libraries offer courses, seminars, or otherwise provide formal
training in use of LibGuides to library staff.
For further information view our website at www.PrimaryResearch.com.
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