By Mary Kamela and Abigail Higgins
Instructional Technologies Committee
PDF version of Fall 2024 Tips and Trends
Overview and Definition
LibGuides is an online content management system for creating pathfinders and resource guides for library users. The platform was created by Springshare in 2007 and was updated to its second version (V2) in 2014. In addition to supporting the creation of traditional pathfinders or “library guides,” the LibGuides platform can also be used to maintain lists of resources, such as catalog items or database subscriptions. LibGuides is popular due to its ease of use, as in-depth knowledge of HTML, CSS, or other web design concepts are not needed (Logan and Spence 2021), as well as its seamless integration with other Springshare products, such as LibInsight (data collection/visualization), LibAnswers (virtual reference), and LibCal (event calendars). Though “LibGuides” is sometimes used as a catch-all term for the Springshare family of library products, this publication will specifically focus on the LibGuides platform and its use in creating online library guides.
Why Do You Need to Know?
While LibGuides is used by libraries of all types, the platform is especially popular with academic libraries. According to Springshare’s user database, approximately 49% of subscribing institutions are categorized as academic, and those institutions share over 900,000 guide templates in the LibGuides community (n.d.). In a 2021 study, 95% of Association of Research Libraries (ARL) member institutions reported using LibGuides (Hennesy and Adams). In institutions that use LibGuides, these sites typically make up the majority of the library’s digital presence for users—faculty, staff, and students alike. When LibGuides pages are created thoughtfully and effectively, and properly maintained, they can greatly enhance user experience and engagement with the library. This publication aims to highlight best practices for creating and maintaining LibGuides, while also providing an overview of potential pitfalls and strategies to avoid these issues.
Current Applications in Libraries and Higher Education
There are several types of LibGuides pages, suited to different purposes. Subject guides are general guides to conducting research in a particular discipline and may include advice or go-to resources. Course or class guides contain course-specific resources for more specialized topics within disciplines. Finally, topic or how-to guides may focus on tools or resources supporting research.
When creating LibGuides, authors must take visual design into consideration. Librarians should balance textual content and whitespace, weighing how much information a guide delivers. Content tabs for subpages can be placed on the side or the top of the page. Creators determine the number of tabs, though web usability guidelines would discourage overwhelming users with too many to fully peruse. Guides can be laid out in two or three columns. Images or videos included on guides may draw viewers’ eyes and increase engagement (Wan 2021). All of these choices can be made at an individual guide level; however, having uniform design standards throughout an institution creates consistent branding and user experience. A student-centered approach, involving students in the creation process to incorporate their preferences and real-world use, can address design issues in advance.
For institutions subscribing to LibGuides CMS, an add-on package, additional features are available. With LibGuides CMS, LibGuides can be structured to function as a standalone library website or as a staff intranet. Also included are the ability to embed library content in guides, and easy LTI integration of LibGuides into a learning management system (LMS), especially useful for course guides.
Creation of guides does not have to be a solo librarian activity. Collaborating with course instructors to create class guides is common practice in many institutions. Open pedagogy—allowing students to participate in creating guides—gives students agency and also produces a permanent learning object for others (Adebonojo and Campbell 2017). Partnering with campus student support offices may also result in LibGuides that go beyond traditional research guides.
In practice, LibGuides may be used in multiple ways. Librarians may produce them as stand-alone digital learning objects for a library website, ready reference materials a user can consult at the point of need, or hands-on activities. Quizzes and other interactive elements can be embedded from Springshare’s LibWizard or third-party software. Librarians may partner with specific instructors to create guides and embed them in the course’s LMS.
Assessing LibGuides’ usage is key to evaluating the return on the time invested in them. There are a few common ways to assess the impact of LibGuides. First, and simplest, LibGuides has a built-in statistics feature that shows recent view counts on guides, databases, and reusable pieces of content called “assets”; LibGuides CMS offers more detailed data. For more complex insights, some institutions have turned to Google Analytics (Griffin and Taylor 2018). Embedded interactive components or knowledge checks within guides can show engagement beyond views and clicks. Usability testing may be implemented to observe real-time use of the guides and to gather qualitative feedback.
Potential Hurdles
While it was a major factor in LibGuides’ initial popularity, the ease of creation has led to an overuse of LibGuides by many institutions. An excess of LibGuides can lead to a number of overarching issues such as inconsistencies in voice and design, content overlap, outdated content, and broken links, especially since guides may transfer ownership between librarians due to changes in jobs or duties. Proper maintenance of LibGuides is necessary to streamline and standardize content, ensuring that guides are up to date, with working links and current information. For this maintenance to be effective, institutions should employ clear standards when it comes to guide creation and have an established workflow for reviewing LibGuides throughout their lifecycle (Logan and Spence, 2021).
Those who author and maintain LibGuides should center accessibility, ensuring that the pages and their embedded content are accessible to all users (Campbell and Kester 2023). LibGuides includes built-in accessibility features such as alt text, but authors should also be mindful of universal design for learning (UDL) principles and select high contrast fonts, properly embed links, and ensure that guides are screen reader accessible.
Another issue with LibGuides is potential underuse by patrons. While academic librarians may be very familiar with the platform, when it comes to users, research “indicate[s] low levels of use and awareness persist across various academic levels and demographics” (Carey et al. 2020, 166). Students may not be familiar with using LibGuides and may not even understand the concept of a research guide without explicit instruction. Studies of students’ navigation of LibGuides indicate that, often, students do not understand the linear formatting of LibGuides and prefer to search for specific information rather than browse a list of resources (Conrad and Stevens 2019). Because of these tendencies, LibGuides can quickly overload student users with too much content, reducing their efficacy.
Conclusion
LibGuides serves many purposes within the library community. By prevalence of use alone, clearly it is a valued tool for research guide creation. It has allowed creators to move beyond static, list-style pathfinders and instead provide patrons with embedded, interactive content. LibGuides’ flexibility is a selling point: guides are customizable based on context, individual preference, and institutional branding. Built-in functions such as accessibility features, syncing with other Springshare software and LMSs, and database linking enhance the usefulness of the platform.
Some of the drawbacks of LibGuides’ current use are not the fault of the software itself. Without consistent standards, creators may produce guides according to individual style and format preferences. They may overestimate how many guides they should create, as well as how much content those guides can include before overwhelming viewers. This then fuels the demand on librarian time to maintain existing guides.
With proper institutional guidelines, regular maintenance, and honest assessment of usage and needs, however, LibGuides can be a powerful tool for both library reference and instruction services. Making library resources easily discoverable to users, LibGuides enhances libraries’ visibility to and engagement with their communities.
Tools Discussed
- LibGuides & LibGuides CMS
- LibGuides Community (Template library and institutional directory)
- Google Analytics
References
Adebonojo, Leslie, and Kathy Campbell. 2017. “LibGuides to the Rescue: The Cure for the Same Old Boring Papers.” College & Undergraduate Libraries 24 (1): 51–64. https://doi.org/10.1080/10691316.2015.1070703.
Campbell, Lisa Bouffard, and Brittany Kester. 2023. “Centering Students with Disabilities: An Accessible User Experience Study of a Library Research Guide.” Weave (Ann Arbor, Mich.) 6 (1). https://doi.org/10.3998/weaveux.1067.
Carey, John, Ajatshatru Pathak, and Sarah C Johnson. 2020. “Use, Perceptions, and Awareness of LibGuides among Undergraduate and Graduate Health Professions Students.” Evidence Based Library and Information Practice 15 (3): 157–72. https://doi.org/10.18438/eblip29653.
Conrad, Suzanna, and Christy Stevens. 2019. “‘Am I on the Library Website?’: A LibGuides Usability Study.” Information Technology and Libraries 38 (3): 49–81. https://doi.org/10.6017/ital.v38i3.10977.
Griffin, Melanie, and Tomaro I Taylor. 2018. “Employing Analytics to Guide a Data-Driven Review of LibGuides.” Journal of Web Librarianship 12 (3): 147–59. https://doi.org/10.1080/19322909.2018.1487191.
Hennesy, Cody, and Annis Lee Adams. 2021. “Measuring Actual Practices: A Computational Analysis of LibGuides in Academic Libraries.” Journal of Web Librarianship 15 (4): 219–42. https://doi.org/10.1080/19322909.2021.1964014.
Logan, Judith, and Michelle Spence. 2021. “Content Strategy in LibGuides: An Exploratory Study.” The Journal of Academic Librarianship 47 (1): 102282. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.acalib.2020.102282.
Springshare. n.d. “LibGuides Community.” Accessed August 8, 2024. https://community.libguides.com/.
Wan, Shu. 2021. “Not Only Reading but Also Watching, Playing, and Interacting with a LibGuide.” Public Services Quarterly 17 (4): 286–91. https://doi.org/10.1080/15228959.2021.1977211.
Further Readings
- When All You Have is a Hammer, Everything Looks Like a LibGuide (Recording of LOEX 2022 Conference Presentation)
- Supporting Library Instruction with Learning Tools Interoperability (LTI)
Published by the Instructional Technologies Committee of the ACRL Instruction Section, Tips & Trends introduces and discusses new, emerging or even familiar technologies that can be used in library instruction. The latest article and past issues are available on the Instructional Technologies Committee webpage. Recent topics include QR codes, AI, and HyFlex modality resources.
