Using LibGuides to offer library service to undergraduate medical students based on the case-oriented problem solving curriculum model

Abstract

Research suggests that creating subject guides at the course level increases library use [1]. Switching from a “library-centered” focus to “student-centered” focus, libraries should make subject guides available at the point of need [2] and design them so the content is available where students are working [3]. According to Morris and Del Bosque, “The emergence of Web 2.0 tools and social networking sites has contributed to a renewed interest in subject guides” [4]. LibGuides is web-authoring and -hosting software for publishing library subject guides, web portals, or course guides. This web-hosted software is available from Springshare, a company based in Gansevoort, New York, that develops Web 2.0 applications specifically for libraries. It incorporates Web 2.0 applications such as social bookmarking, really simple syndication (RSS) feeds, and podcasts, and it allows librarians to collaborate with the LibGuides' community. Librarians are able to collect feedback for their guides though polls and ratings, as well as gather detailed usage statistics. LibGuides allows a librarian to access annual usage statistics for each of their published guides. The annual report tracks monthly page and link hits. An analysis of these statistics determines which links and pages users view least and most frequently. This paper reports on a project to assess the usefulness of a web-based research portal, designed using LibGuides software and incorporating the architecture of the medical school curriculum. The portal facilitates use of electronic resources offered by the W. K. Kellogg Health Sciences Library at Dalhousie University in Halifax, Nova Scotia, Canada [5].