Subject Guides Research Articles

Google Scholar and the Library Web Site: The Early Response by ARL Libraries

With the introduction of Google Scholar in November 2004, research libraries faced the decision of whether to integrate this “blended” resource into their collections and services via their library Web sites. The authors are members of a Web Advisory Committee and present a case study detailing Rutgers University Libraries’ experience with integrating Google Scholar onto the library’s Web site. A descriptive study of all ARL university members’ library Web sites also was undertaken to determine how other academic libraries were treating Google Scholar in July 2005. Did ARL libraries place Google Scholar on alphabetical lists of indexes and databases, subject guides, or in OPACs, for instance? Results from this study are presented and implications of putting Google Scholar on the Web site are discussed for all major user groups.

Internet Reference Sources for Asian Studies

ABSTRACT This essay discusses Internet reference works for Asian Studies. Internet reference works are difficult to delimit, since the new formats and functions of the Internet have created new genres. Subject guides and directories do not qualify as reference sources, but the characterization of other forms of information on the Internet is still vague. The standards for evaluating Internet sources are also still in flux. Nonetheless, using a rule of thumb definition, a select number of Internet resources for Asian Studies are reviewed.

The Bodleian Library: A Subject Guide to the Collections

The Bodleian Library: A Subject Guide to the Collections

What Do Libraries Really Do with Electronic Resources? The Practice in 2003

Abstract One hundred fourteen academic libraries in the United States and Canada are surveyed for the organization of electronic resources within their home page and their cataloguing practice. The majority provide access to databases, electronic resources, subject guides, ready reference, and their own catalogue both on their home page and within their Web site. They usually provide links to electronic resources in the catalogue, though the practice is consistent neither among each other nor within themselves.

The Bodleian Library: A Subject Guide to the Collections

The Bodleian Library: A Subject Guide to the Collections

Library subject guides: a content management case study at the Open University, UK

PurposeTo share the experiences and challenges faced by the Open University Library (OUL) in developing a content management (CM) system for its subject guides.Design/methodology/approachA summary of multi‐format subject guide production at the OUL is provided to justify the decision to develop a new system for their production using a commercial CM system. A detailed consideration of the design and implementation stages is given before a critical review of the project outcome.FindingsHighlights the complex design and implementation aspects to the project, in part due to the nature of subject guide content itself, and examines the reasons for the CM system delivered not being adopted. Emphasises the importance of CM to future OU applications.Practical implicationsOf interest not only to other academic libraries but to any organisation seeking to organise and publish original material for different audiences in a variety of formats from a single data source.Originality/valueThis paper is the first to document a systematic approach to library subject guide production using a CM system and the associated information management challenges and realities of multi‐format publishing in an academic publishing context.

Was this guide helpful? Users' perceptions of subject guides

PurposeMost academic libraries make subject or research guides available on their web sites. Little is known, however, in terms of user satisfaction with guides. This study examines methods used to evaluate guides and reports on an online survey placed on each of more than 80 web‐based guides provided by Gelman Library, George Washington University.Design/methodology/approachThe survey, borrowing an approach used by Amazon.com and other web sites, consisted of a single question – Was this guide useful – and a comments box.FindingsTwo hundred ten responses were received during Fall semester 2003. Fifty two percent of responses rated guides as Very Helpful or Somewhat Helpful, while 40 percent gave ratings of Not Helpful or a Little Helpful.Originality/valueAlthough limited in scope, this simple survey revealed positive elements of the guides and identified problems that could be addressed immediately. The survey also helped to identify larger issues that will benefit from additional user input.

Does Anyone Need Help Out There?

SUMMARY In order to provide online help for distance students, as well as the increasing number of on-campus students who regularly access library resources, a team of librarians from the Marshall University Libraries created an online library assistance site (HELP). This site brings together traditional print handouts, FAQs, online subject guides, course-specific guides, learning modules, and instructional videos in one central location where users can get assistance with library-related questions at their point of need. This article discusses the rationale for developing the site, the process of creating it and incorporating user input, ongoing content development, the impact upon the Libraries' Web site, and future development plans.

Medieval studies: Gateways, subject guides, and more

Medieval studies: Gateways, subject guides, and more

CREATING DYNAMIC SUBJECT GUIDES

In September of 2003, York University Libraries implemented a system for creating dynamic subject guides on the libraries’ website. The subject guides replaced the previous method of creating static HTML subject pathfinders. The new subject guides made the creation of subject specific resource listings easier than the pathfinders and allowed a consistent look to be applied across them. A team of librarians and staff from library computing developed the system based on existing features of the libraries’ website, electronic resources database and Content Management System.

The Dynamics of Agriculture Subject Guide Access at Kansas State University Libraries

ABSTRACT The Internet has profoundly altered the way library users access information. Academic libraries have responded by creating library instruction tools and subject guides as Web pages. Much effort has been invested in the development of Web-based library guides. It has thus become increasingly important to study the level of subject guide access. Library Web site usage, including subject guide access, forms a valuable output measure in contemporary library service evaluation. Accordingly, this study uses server statistics to analyze subject guide access in an academic science library. The potential use of this study is discussed.

Dynamics of Agriculture Subject Guides Usage at KSU Libraries [Abstract only

Scanning library literature, we found that there were few studies on how online library subject guides were used. One reason may be because librarians have only recently begun to publish their subject guides online. With the start of the new millennium, agriculture librarians, like others, dynamically create, publish, and update an increasing number of subject guides. This paper proposes to analyze browse statistics as a potential source of review and evaluation of web guides. At KSU Libraries, we felt it was germane to review the performance of these significant online resources. We analyzed the browse (web page hits) data of agriculture subject guides for three years (1999-2000 to 2001-2002). Specifically, the subject guide web pages that were selected for this study were those dealing with General Agriculture, Agronomy, Animal Sciences, Entomology, and Plant Pathology. Monthly browse statistics for these web pages were collected and tabulated in an MS Excel spreadsheet. In order to standardize the data across different disciplines, we assumed that the corresponding user groups might have affected the number of browses per web page. Thus, the total number of the supposed user population corresponding to a subject discipline was used to standardize the respective subject guide browses. As the first aspect of data analysis, a randomized complete block analysis was performed to analyze the variance among the mean number of browses of the different subject guides. The results were used to draw inferences about the comparative usage of agriculture subject guides. The second aspect was a study on the fluctuation of browses with respect to time. For this, monthly data were plotted on a graph. The results of both of these studies will be presented as part of this contributed paper. In addition to discussing the conclusions of this study, the authors will propose their vision on the use of web guide statistics as a prospective review tool. The possible role of marketing the agriculture web pages will also be discussed. It is our hope that dialogue among USAIN participants will shed more light on the use of web browse statistics of agriculture subject guides.

Students, Librarians, and Subject Guides: Improving a Poor Rate of Return

Librarians use subject guides to introduce students to library materials. Surveys, usability tests, and usage statistics demonstrate that students do not relate well to subject guides. We suggest that library resources organized or delivered at a course level are more in line with how undergraduate students approach library research.

Reaching and teaching new medical students.

Each year 150 new medical students enter UCLA. During Foundations week they are introduced to the resources and services, which will support their studies, as well as to the problem-based learning (PBL) approach of instruction. The library is responsible for introducing print and digital resources and illustrating how these support the PBL approach. This has been a challenge, given students' belief that they already know about libraries and the limited time frame (roughly 45 minutes) allotted to us. This year we developed a collaborative, student-centered, active learning approach. Students were exposed to a variety of relevant resources and given the opportunity to critique them for appropriateness to their PBL case of the week. Sessions were designed for 50 students at once in the instructional microcomputing facility (IMF), with two or three students sharing each workstation. Since the IMF is equipped with classroom control software, librarians could display resources on each workstation while discussing them. Since we wish to encourage students to begin at our Web page, we wore t-shirts with the logo "Start@Biomed" and our URL. Instruction started with a "Guided Tour of the Biomedical Library Web Page" during which we discussed general services, highlighted special features, including Web-based tutorials and subject guides, and illustrated how to connect to relevant resources such as PubMed, MDConsult, STAT!Ref, and MEDLINEPlus. The student groups then critically reviewed one resource identified by a card next to their workstation by answering the following questions in writing: Would this resource address your specific PBL learning issue? If not, what type of learning issue would it address? Describe an outstanding feature or a barrier to use for this resource? After ten minutes, students were asked to report to the entire group. The use of a hand-held mike, which we passed among the students, added an element of fun to the proceedings and simulated a talk show atmosphere. This emphasis on active learning, critical thinking, and problem solving was a successful way to introduce students to the library and its resources, and reinforced the library's role in PBL. The friendly, casual talk-show approach, coupled with our Start@Biomed t-shirts, created a setting in which we became real partners in the learning enterprise. Students reported they enjoyed the experience, and they are returning to us for additional help. Their written feedback, which we collected, summarized, and distributed to the entire class, illustrated a clear understanding of the resources and their usefulness. Both the medical school faculty and the librarians involved feel we have developed a useful, interesting, and appropriate way to reach beginning medical students, who often feel that they already know a great deal about using a library.

A Qualitative Study of Web-Mounted Pathfinders Created by Academic Business Libraries

The nature of academic business pathfinders or subject guides mounted on the Internet was examined by qualitative content analysis. Specifically, the research sought to understand the concept, purposes and principles of pathfinders; the terminology representing pathfinders; the navigational pathway through the library Website to the pathfinders; and their common contents. Ten Canadian and ten American academic library Websites were sampled for pathfinders on three business topics: company, industry and marketing. Findings showed that the traditional term ‘pathfinder’ was not used on these academic Websites; instead ‘subject guides’ or ‘research guides’ were the most popular synonyms. The content analysis identified that subject guides have two basic functions, which are to facilitate access and to provide a search strategy. Four principles were found for creating Webmounted, subject guides: accessibility, consistency, selectivity, and transparency. The research also found that subject guides are important library finding tools as evidenced by the time and effort devoted to their creation, and their placement on valuable library homepage screen space.

The Development and Structure of the Encoded Archival Description (EAD) Document Type Definition

SUMMARY Although there has been recent speculation about applying the Encoded Archival Description (EAD) Document Type Definition (DTD) to a host of descriptive outputs, including catalog records and subject guides, its perceived need, design, and development emerged from the American archival community's focus on that special subset of finding aids known as collection inventories and registers. This article briefly analyzes the traditional function and structure of these finding aids in a paper-based form and explores how longtime interest in disseminating these guides electronically led to the formation of the Berkeley Finding Aid Project in 1993, and five years later, to the version 1.0 release of EAD. The author provides a basic outline of EAD's structure and demonstrates that although much of its design stems from American archival practice, its developers tried from the outset to create a data model that would merit international support and address the needs of a wide variety of archival institutions both in the United States and abroad.

Animal Rights: A Subject Guide, Bibliography, and Internet Companion. John M. Kistler

Previous articleNext article No AccessNew Biological BooksAnimal Rights: A Subject Guide, Bibliography, and Internet Companion. John M. Kistler David FraserDavid Fraser Search for more articles by this author PDFPDF PLUS Add to favoritesDownload CitationTrack CitationsPermissionsReprints Share onFacebookTwitterLinkedInRedditEmail SectionsMoreDetailsFiguresReferencesCited by The Quarterly Review of Biology Volume 76, Number 3Sep., 2001 Published in association with Stony Brook University Article DOIhttps://doi.org/10.1086/394000 Copyright 2001 The University of ChicagoPDF download Crossref reports no articles citing this article.

Using Electronic Resources for a Thorough Nursing Literature Search

Using Electronic Resources for a Thorough Nursing Literature Search

Creating and Maintaining Web-Based Subject Resource Guides for Small Academic Libraries

The Mercer University World Wide Web Reading Rooms project can serve as a model for developing Web-based resource guides at other small academic libraries. There are many good subject guides on the Web and new tools such as Microsoft FrontPage 98 that are easy to master. Web-based subject resource guides can be a conduit to better relations with faculty and students.

The twofold promise of the CORC project

The two‐pronged approach of OCLC’s CORC project is described by a participant in the project’s beta test. One element is the building of a collection of catalog records of Internet accessible resources, reflecting two different metadata standards. The development of automated cataloging features and the issues of link maintenance are discussed. The second major element of the project is building a database of metasites or “pathfinders” that serve as subject guides to the Internet. The two types of pathfinders are examined along with the important role that they can play in a library’s organization of Web resources.