Conference Presentations (Past)  

Steven  Adams - Princeton University
Angela  Horne - Director, Management Library, Cornell University Library

 Springshare's LibGuides has inspired significant buzz in the library blogosphere. Touted for its "Web 2.0" functions, attractive interface, and ease of use for librarians, Libguides has transformed the way many libraries build web-based research guides. Cornell and Princeton Universities decided to collaborate on an assessment initiative to discover how these guides are valued on each campus. This study goes beyond the "2.0" dogma to empirically determine if LibGuides lives up to its publicity.

Jennifer Corbin - Reference Librarian / Instruction Coordinator, Tulane University

LibGuides are hot! Many librarians love the ease of creating subject guides that incorporate hip Web 2.0 features that are built into the LibGuides system. Some librarians create guides to accompany course-related instruction. How might we use the interactive and Web 2.0 features to facilitate active learning exercises during face-to-face instruction sessions? Does using a LibGuides page discourage students from learning the library website? What do your faculty think about LibGuides used during library workshops?

Noel  Kopriva - West Virginia University Libraries

Current West Virginia University Libraries web-based Subject Guides are static bibliographies. They do not allow students and faculty to navigate library resources from a single subject- specific access point or to interact with a librarian in real time. Nor do they allow librarians to customize or update information quickly in response to user needs or suggestions. Creating dynamic, interactive LibGuides pages will give students a contextualized research tool that promotes discipline-specific information literacy skills.

Diane  Schrecker MLIS University of Pittsburgh - Curriculum Librarian, Ashland University
Sara  Klink M.L.I.S. - Reference & Instruction Librarian, Ashland University
Kathryn  Venditti - Ashland University

Today’s millennial students set high expectations for academic libraries. It is not just enough for the library to own the resources, librarians must explore new ways to deliver those resources to engage their patrons. This session will illustrate how LibGuides can be successfully incorporated into a library web site, provide an overview of guide creation and use, and generate opportunity for participants to brainstorm fresh ideas on how LibGuides could be used in their libraries.

Jennifer  Little - Reference Librarian/Library Instruction Coordinator, The College at Brockport (SUNY)

The College at Brockport Library uses LibGuides for library subject and class guides but has also extended their use to other parts the library and campus community. As a part of the new diversity initiative, librarians have worked with the diversity officer to create a libguides for diversity resources. The government documents librarian has used libguides to organize the government documents collection, including many of the microform collections. Librarians are involved in a faculty research community, "Using Research as a Teaching Tool," and are collaborating with faculty to design a research portal. This page provides a one-stop place for students and faculty to find information for all aspects of research, including the library, institutional research, and human subjects review board. It also has given the library a chance to promote libguides to faculty in several departments.

Angela  Horne - Director, Management Library, Cornell University Library

How are you and your library using LibGuides? This web 2.0 interactive software allows us to rethink and redefine what library guides are and how they function. We would like to share and discuss our LibGuides best practices, techniques, innovations, and suggestions.

What is a library subject guide? Will students still browse bibliographies in the Google age? How interactive is a guide if no one is interacting with you? How do you pronounce LibGuides?

Laura  Harris - Government Documents Librarian, Grand Valley State University
Maura  Seale - Research and Instruction Librarian, Georgetown University
Ken  Liss - Communication Librarian, Boston College
Emily  Frigo - Liaison Librarian, Grand Valley State University

Research guides have been part of the librarian's arsenal for decades. Migrating from print to online, these widely-used tools have changed drastically from their earliest incarnations. But many questions about these guides and their effectiveness have persisted over time. Librarians at two academic libraries will tell how they use LibGuides, a research guide management system, together with student feedback, to answer those questions and move research guides into the era of Library 2.0 and beyond.