Subject Guides and Subject Librarianship Ndhlovu Phillip Assistant Librarian NUST Library SubjectsPlus ZULC National Workshop December 13, 2011

Outline Introduction Guided Search tools Roles of Subject Librarians Roles of Subject Guides Creation of Subject Guides: guidelines Key attributes of Subject Guides

Introduction Directing library patrons to useful e-resources in the electronic age is a much more difficult task, due to the sheer range and breadth of resources available. Guided search tools or subject guides can be very useful tools for helping patrons successfully navigate through your library’s resources

Guided Search Tools Static HTML Guides Database driven Subject Guides Course management systems Web 2.0 technologies 1. Blogs 2. Social bookmarking websites 3. wikis

Database Driven Subject Guides Software OptionFor more Information...Type LibDatahttp://libdata.sourceforge.net/O LibGuideshttp:// Library a la cartehttp://alacarte.library.oregonstate.edu/O Library Course Builderhttp://sourceforge.net/projects/libcb/O MyLibraryhttp://mylibrary.library.nd.edu/O ResearchGuidehttp://researchguide.sourceforge.net/O SubjectsPlushttp://

What is a Subject Guide? A printed or online resource that provides detailed information, instructions, and advice concerning the best strategies, techniques, and resources for research in a subject or field of study”. Reitz (2010) Subject guides list resources on a particular topic, broad discipline, or for a particular course. Lists of carefully selected resources that will help users begin finding the information they are looking for.

Role of Subject Librarians Subject Librarian Instruction Collection Development Reference

Role of Subject Librarian in Instruction Information Literacy Skills Training Subject oriented Library instruction

Role of Subject Librarian in Collection Development Select print and electronic resources Identify and evaluate free resources from the Internet

Role of Subject Librarians In Reference Provision of subject-specific reference and information services Answer patron questions In person On the phone By Via online chat

Roles of Subject Research Guides Research Guide Instruction Collection Development Reference

Role of Subject Guides in Instruction Adaptable teaching outline Guides may provide basic instruction in using reference works or databases and guidelines for developing a search strategy. Opportunities for participation and collaboration can also be made available to students and faculty through the use of Weblogs, Wikis, and social bookmarking software. Pre-selected resources

Role of Subject Guides in Instruction Librarians are challenged with presenting the many tools available to students without overwhelming them. Subject guides provide as a means of pulling together relevant resources into a single portal for student research on particular topics. Subject guides offer introductory explorations of different topics, relieving users of additional research legwork

Role of Subject Guides in Collection Development Highlighting of resources from throughout the library system Providing access to free networked information which would have otherwise been inaccessible to library users.

Role of Subject Guides in Reference Guide for non-subject specialists Raise the level of reference questions and improve the level of reference staff morale. Subject guides provides a platform for anticipating enquiries, e.g., online ‘frequently asked question’ feature in SubjectsPlus. Talk back feature in SubjectsPlus Resources that are reliable

Talk back

Creating Subject Guides :guidelines Create a standard template - allows the guides to be of a high quality with fairly consistent content, also permits quick implementation Use relevant labelling and easy access points to subject guides to ensure that students can find and use them. Provide a clearer description of the purpose of guides and how they can be used - may help to increase usage of the subject guides.

Creating Subject Guides :guidelines (continued) Guides which are based on specific topics or courses may appeal to students more than a broad- or discipline-based guide. Collaborate when building the subject guides Faculty Librarians to liaise with academics with regards to the specific resources that they may want included in the subject guides, course guides or topic guides Promotion and placement of the guides is important for high usage of the subject guides.

Key attributes of a Subject Guide Ease of use Ease of creation and maintenance Course-specific Shown and used in IL session Linked at courseware site Recommended by course's instructor Design and feature consistency with library's other research guides Good library home page real estate Interactivity / "human face" via embedded chat

“You can lead a horse to water but you can't necessarily make him drink: even when librarians demonstrate subject guides to students, students do not necessarily use them”. (Chad F. Boeninger (2006)

Major issues of Subject Guides Marketing (how to get users access/use them) Workload associated with their creation and maintenance.

Thank you! Phillip Ndhlovu