Learn about library guides and open source software to create them, presented by Katie Lynn in March 2010 for Get On The Bus Wyoming: http://getonthebuswyoming.wordpress.com/.

1. Get on the Reference Bus! Wyoming
– Open Source Library Guides
Rev up your reference skills.

2. Learning Outcomes
3/11/2010Katie Lynn
 Identify benefits and challenges for creating library
guides.
 Learn about various open source software for
creating and managing library subject/course
guides.
 Identify benefits and challenges for various library
guide software systems.
 Choose a software system that might work for your
library.
 Create a guide.

3. Challenges of library guides
3/11/2010Katie Lynn
 Significant staff time
 Technical & content expertise
 Difficult to consistently update
 Quickly become stagnant, out-dated
 Readability & usability vary widely
 Lack of consistent design and content
 Text-heavy
 Poor promotion and visibility
 Easy to bury in a web site full of resources and services
 Users fail to recognize what a library guide is and how to
use one
 Course guides
 Gaining faculty buy-in

4. Benefits of library guides
3/11/2010Katie Lynn
 Users find the best place to begin research
 Connect with users at their point of need
o Students
o Community
o Librarians
 Human element - connect with subject librarian
 Chat widget, photo, contact info
 Faculty involvement
 Positively impact job tasks & career
 Knowledge of resources and curriculum
o Enhanced collection development
 Annual review

5. Solutions for Library Guides
3/11/2010Katie Lynn
 Offer guides in new ways
 Consistent look and feel
o Customizability
 Scanability – avoid text-overload
o Blocks of content (re-usable content)
o Images
o Video
o Audio
 Library content with Web 2.0
o Actionable content
o Tag cloud, RSS, widgets, etc.

6. Solutions for Library Guides
3/11/2010Katie Lynn
 Make guides
contextual to user’s
needs
 Course guides
 How-to guides
 Homepage real
estate
 Cataloged

7. Open source library guide software
3/11/2010Katie Lynn
 Eric Lease Morgan
 Relational databases
 Provide different interfaces that interact with the
background database
 Meredith Farkas
 Low-threshold and sustainable
o Easy to create
o Easy to update – without having to change information on
each guide individually

8. Open source library guide software
3/11/2010Katie Lynn
 Web 2.0 technologies – blogs & social bookmarking sites
 Easy to use
 Local installation and hosted options
 Limited customizability and flexibility
 Stability?
o 3rd party host
o Software development & support
 Database-driven and content/course management
systems
 Local installation
 High level of customization and flexibility
 Higher level of technical expertise necessary
 Stability?
o Software development & support
o Beware of extensions

9. Choosing a system
3/11/2010Katie Lynn
 Local infrastructure and support
 Staff time, administrative support, project
procedures and policies
 Technical expertise
 Open source does not mean free
 How much is necessary? What can the library
afford?
 Stability?
o Still being actively developed and supported?
 Desired functionality
 Simple access to resources, faculty involvement, user
interest, instructional tool
 Goals of the project

10. Delicious
3/11/2010Katie Lynn
 The College of New
Jersey Library
 Easy to use & maintain
 Text only format
o No options for
embedding video or
audio
o No option for adding
additional content
 Not customizable
 Stability?
o 3rd party vendor

11. Delicious
3/11/2010Katie Lynn
 Coastal Bend College Learning Resource
Center & Library's Bookmarks

12. Delicious
3/11/2010Katie Lynn
 Coastal
Bend
College
Internet
Resources
 Non-
standard,
non-
contextual
tags

13. Scriblio
3/11/2010Katie Lynn
 Local installation
 Apache, PHP, MySQL
 Plymouth State University Library Subject Guides
Library-
speak
Created by
librarians for
libraries

14. WordPress
3/11/2010Katie Lynn
 Local
installation
 Apache,
PHP,
MySQL
 George
Mason
University
Library
Research
Portals
Actionable
content

15. pbworks
3/11/2010Katie Lynn
 Easy to use
 Lack of
design control
 Stability?
 3rd party
vendor
 Champlain
College
Library
Valuable space
taken by static
element
Nice visual image,
but takes up
vertical space

16. MediaWiki
3/11/2010Katie Lynn
 Can be hosted or installed locally
 Web server, PHP, MySQL or PostgreSQL
 Customizable (though difficult)
 Popular and well-supported open source system

17. MediaWiki
3/11/2010Katie Lynn
 Norwich University Library

18. MediaWiki
3/11/2010Katie Lynn
 Ohio University Libraries Wikis

19. ResearchGuide
3/11/2010Katie Lynn
 Local installation
 Web server, PHP,
MySQL
o Recommend
programming
expertise and
readiness to provide
instruction on how
to use the system
 Stability
 No longer being
developed or
supported
Created by
librarians for
libraries
 Eastern Michigan University Library Subject Guides

20. SubjectsPlus
3/11/2010Katie Lynn
 Local installation
 Web server, PHP, MySQL
 Ithaca College Research Guides
Created by
librarians for
libraries

21. LibData
3/11/2010Katie Lynn
 Course & subject guides
 Local installation
 Apache, PHP, MySQL
 Well documented
 Stability?
 St. Cloud State University Library
Created by
librarians for
libraries

22. MyLibrary
3/11/2010Katie Lynn
 Local installation
 Web server, Perl, MySQL
 User personalization
 Import MARC and OASI-accessible data
 Syndicate this data to other portals and systems
 Well documented
 Stability?
Created by
librarians for
libraries

23. MyLibrary
3/11/2010Katie Lynn
 University of Notre Dame Hesburgh Libraries

24. Drupal
3/11/2010Katie Lynn
 Full CMS with suggested modules to create
guides
 Biblio, CCK, Links Package, Organic Groups, Panels,
Views, Taxonomy
 Popular and well-supported open source system
 Growing community of library users
 Local installation (easy install)
 Apache, PHP, MySQL
 Fully customizable and extensible
 High costs in staff time

25. Drupal
3/11/2010Katie Lynn
 Stanford University Falconer Biology Library
Drupal
LibGuides

26. Drupal
3/11/2010Katie Lynn
 University of Mississippi Libraries Subject Guides

27. Drupal
3/11/2010Katie Lynn
 Indiana University Purdue University Library

28. Library à la Carte
3/11/2010Katie Lynn
 Course & subject guides
 Local installation
 Apache, Ruby on Rails, MySQL, RMagick Graphics
Interface, ReCaptcha Key
 Fully customizable and extensible
 Based on usability study that showed students
were looking for a starting point to their research
Created by
librarians for
libraries

29. Library à la Carte
3/11/2010Katie Lynn
 Oregon State University Libraries

30. Library à la Carte
3/11/2010Katie Lynn
 CSU San Marcos Library

31. Library à la Carte
3/11/2010Katie Lynn
 University of Wyoming

32. Homework
3/11/2010Katie Lynn
 Explore examples of library guides in the various
technologies discussed by Marilyn and Katie
(LibGuides, Library a la Carte, Drupal, LibData,
etc.).
 Which software application would you choose for
your library?
o Why or why not?
Post your comment on Get on the Bus:
Library Guides:
http://getonthebuswyoming.wordpress.
com/library-guides/.

33. Optional: for more challenge
3/11/2010Katie Lynn
 Request a Library a la Carte demo account
(http://alacarte.library.oregonstate.edu/demo/)
and play.
• (If your email address does not have a .org, .edu or .gov domain,
contact them and ask for a demo account.)
OR
 Create a guide using Delicious, pbworks, or
WordPress.
Place a link to your sample guide on Get on the Bus:
Library Guides:
http://getonthebuswyoming.wordpress.com/library-
guides/.

34. Questions?
3/11/2010Katie Lynn
Thank you!
Katie Lynn
klynn@courts.state.wy.us
307.777.6487
 Links to references & resources
 http://www.getonthebuswyoming.pbworks.com
http://getonthebuswyoming.wordpress.com