Snakes or Ladders? Evaluating a LibGuides Pilot at UCD Library

(Interesting - time we evaluated our LibGuides???? )

"Feedback that was gathered suggested that the LibGuides subject guides were generally viewed very positively by both staff and students. Notwithstanding this, awareness (as indicated through usage statistics) remained moderate during the pilot, pointing to the importance of the visibility, positioning and promotion of guides."

article in The Journal of Academic Librarianship

2 June 2014

Abstract

Online subject guides are commonly used by libraries to provide information support to students. LibGuides (a cloud-based commercial product launched in 2007) represents one of the latest incarnations of the traditional subject guide or portal, and are widely used across American academic libraries. In Ireland however, library subject guides of entirely local design and hosted on a local web server still dominate.

This paper outlines the project management process involved in implementing a LibGuides pilot at University College Dublin Library, including the planning, design and implementation of a new range of subject-related guides. The pilot nature of the project necessitated a strong focus on evaluation, particularly in assessing the effectiveness and suitability of LibGuides as a platform for delivering information literacy support, both from an administrative and end-user perspective. A two-stranded approach was used in this review process, incorporating quantitative web statistics and analytics alongside qualitative feedback from students, academic staff and Library staff.

Feedback that was gathered suggested that the LibGuides subject guides were generally viewed very positively by both staff and students. Notwithstanding this, awareness (as indicated through usage statistics) remained moderate during the pilot, pointing to the importance of the visibility, positioning and promotion of guides.

Resignations threat over Taylor & Francis ‘censorship’

“A journal’s editorial board has been left on the brink ofresignation after an eight-month standoff with its publisher Taylor &Francis over the publication of a debate on academic publishing and the profitsmade by major firms…..”

Top trends in academic libraries

Top trends in academic libraries: A review of the trends and issues affecting academic libraries in higher education(Coll. res. libr. news June 2014 75:294-302)

Data -New initiatives and collaborative opportunities - Cooperative roles for researchers, repositories, and journal publishers - Partnerships related to discovery and re-use of data - Device neutral digital services - Evolving openness in higher education - open access - open education - student success - Funding, student success initiatives, and accreditation - libraries, student success, and demonstrating value - Competency-based learning - Altmetrics - Digital humanities

 

The ultimate guide to staying up-to-date on your articles’ impact

ImpactStory has just published this useful webpage on “the services that deliver essential research impact metrics straight to your inbox, so you can stay up to date without having to do a lot of work.”

The ultimate guide to staying up-to-date on your articles’ impact

Library and Information Services (LIS) Transformation Charter

A Library and Information Services(LIS) Transformation Charter was posted yesterday on the Department of Arts and Culture website, marking the end of a long process of consultation, drafting and revision that began in 2008, reports Pam Saxby for Legalbrief Policy Watch.

Noting that there are 'all too few' public spaces for and processes of information education and literacy, the charter calls on members of the LIS profession, 'the rich and educated elite' and international aid organisations to 'take a strong lead' - in partnership with government - in making South Africa 'a reading and more information-literate nation'. With that in mind, it focuses on 'the right of access to information, where the redistributive motive is most prominent'. 'We will have to broaden the sharing of library and information services, strengthen their flexibility and improve access,' a media statement accompanying the charter emphasises.

The transformation charter is directed largely at public and community libraries; libraries at state education facilities and research institutions; 'special libraries' run by the state (including the Constitutional Court library, the Parliament library and the largely rehabilitative library for offenders in South Africa's prisons); and legal deposit centres. However, reference is made to private colleges established and registered under the 2013 Further Education and Training Colleges Amendment Act, as well as corporate libraries - possibly in the context of information sharing, although this is not clear.

More often than not, the charter envisages private sector participation as financial in nature. By way of example, 'the private sector should be invited to provide bursaries for training at various levels', and should include the LIS sector among the beneficiaries of corporate social responsibility programmes. It should also assist in developing a governance model to transform the LIS landscape.
An LIS Bill is expected to be introduced in Parliament 'soon'.

Universities are over-paying for journals

At the Higher Education South Africa conference in Pretoria recently, entitled “Higher Education Engaging with the National Development Plan: Exploring the possibilities and limits in research and innovation”, Habib said tertiary institutions would have to work together, despite policy clashes, to improve research possibilities.

"Universities in South Africa are grossly overpaying for access to journals because of the failure to present a united front and negotiate with academic publishers", said University of the Witwatersrand Vice-chancellor Professor Adam Habib, who also chairs HESA’s Research and Innovation Strategy Group.

Why don't academic librarians use social media in the workplace?

Academic librarians and their social media presence: a story of motivations and deterrents
By Niusha Zohoorian-Fooladi and A. Abrizah, University of Malaya

Abstract: Despite the widespread use of social media by students and their increased use in higher education, very little empirical evidence is available concerning the prevalence of use among academic librarians. The objectives of this study are: a) to identify the prevalence of social media used in Malaysian academic libraries; b) to examine the reasons for creating a social media presence among academic libraries; and c) to understand the obstacles to social media participation among academic librarians. Data were gathered via three focus study groups with 22 librarians from three research-intensive universities in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia. The results indicated that at least four types of social media are deployed in libraries to reach out to the users: blogs, multimedia sharing sites, social bookmarking and social networking sites (SNS). Facebook, Blog, Delicious, YouTube and Twitter are the tools mainly adopted by these libraries. The motives for librarians to use social media were to promote library services, manage organizational knowledge and receiving instant feedback from users. Workflow obstacles, technology obstacles, organizational obstacles and personal obstacles deter librarians from participating in social media.

This study provides experiential evidence that Malaysian academic librarians are not very serious in engaging themselves with social media. Library managements need to provide support to mobilize librarians into a more active and participatory role in creating social media presence.

Some of the obstacles identified :   level of authority;  absence of a policy;  time; technical know-how; commitment issues; unfamiliarity

How UCT uses QR codes for accessing Library Services

Initiating mobile phone technology using QR Codes to access library services at the University of Cape Town by Shehaamah Mohamed, Subject Librarian: Brand van Zyl Law Library

Abstract:   This article reports on an innovative project which grew out of the desire to facilitate access to information using the Quick Response (QR) Code. Easily read by mobile phones with cameras, the QR Code provides a simple but effective means for library patrons to access library resources. The article explores the need to use the QR Code in the Brand van Zyl Law Library, University of Cape Town (UCT), for accessing academic library services. Although relatively new in South Africa, QR Codes have been used successfully by some local educational institutions. Against this background, the article reports on a needs analysis which was conducted at the Brand Van Zyl Law Library and recommends the accelerating use of QR Codes in the academic environment.

Selection of articles in press (J of Academic Lib, May 2014): distance students; students and ebooks; new academic library directors experience

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Distance Students' Attitude Toward Library Help Seeking   Original Research Article Available online 11 May 2014 Yingqi Tang, Hung Wei Tseng

A Library and the Disciplines: A Collaborative Project Assessing the Impact of eBooks and Mobile Devices on Student Learning   Original Research Article Available online 11 May 2014 Barbara C. Glackin, Roy W. Rodenhiser, Brooke Herzog

The Transition Experience of Academic Library Directors   Original Research Article Available online 10 May 2014 Curtis Brundy