This document summarizes a pilot project conducted at University College Dublin (UCD) Library to evaluate the use of subject guides created using the LibGuides platform. The project team introduced LibGuides subject guides for all disciplines over the course of one year. Usage statistics and student feedback were collected to analyze awareness, usage patterns, and perceptions of the guides. Key findings included very low student awareness, high usage of introductory pages and database links, and a preference for finding information via search engines. The project team concluded that greater promotion, integration with instruction, and collaboration with academic staff could help increase visibility and use of the subject guides.

1. Image: Richard Lee https://www.flickr.com/photos/70109407@N00/2097402250/
snakes
or
ladders?
ladders?
libguides
ucd library
michelle dalton
ucd library
@mishdalton
or
evaluating
at
project team:
ros pan & josh clark
(outreach)
julia barrett, jane nolan &
michael ladisch
(research services)
jennifer collery, lorna
dodd & michelle dalton
(client services)

3. academic-
led
librarian
-led
online
self-
directed

4. self-
directed
retrieving
online

5. self-
directed
online
libguides
subject
guides

6. one year
subscription
limited range
of guides
live date:
may 2013
scope of the pilot

7. project phases
preparation design content
management promotion evaluation
1 2 3
4 5 6

8. content
3

9. a
first
principles
approach

10. “They are not designed to serve either
the experienced scholar or the
reference librarian.
They are for beginners who seek
instruction in gathering the
fundamental literature of a field new
to them in every respect”.
(Stevens et al., 1973, p. 41)

11. “it’s not information
overload, it’s filter
failure”
clay shirky (2008)

12. introductory
level
integrated
with existing
offerings
self-directed
‘take away’
solution
the content

14. evaluation
6

15. preference for
using the open
web
lack of awareness
of their existence
perception they
‘don’t need them’
why students don’t
use subject guides
(ouellelte, 2011)

16. evaluation process
start may
13
semester 1 nov/dec 13 end of pilot
feb 14
ongoing
feedback from
academic staff
& library staff
qualitative
feedback from
students via face
to face survey
quantitative
analysis of
usage stats &
analytics

17. student feedback
very low awareness
of guides (18%)
referencing
information
identified as
particularly helpful
“it covers everything
you need“
“having everything
in one place”
“useful, pretty
inclusive”

18. Map Collections 9260
Theses Information 2815
Bibliometrics 1681
English, Drama & Film 1269
Economics 750
Sociology 708
Languages, Literatures & Linguistics 648
History & Archives 484
Applied Social Science 451
Politics & International Relations 445
quantitative data
top ten guides by usage from sept-13 to feb-14

19. guide level usage: sociology
most students don’t explore libguides in fine detail:
sociology libguide,
views by page, feb 2014
Page Name Views
Journal Articles & Databases 157
Introduction 152
Books & Websites 27
Datasets & Statistics 27
Newspapers & Sociology 13
Government & EU Information 12
Citing Information & Avoiding Plagiarism 12
400

20. link level usage: sociology
sociology libguide,
clicks per link, feb 2014
Name Click-throughs
Sociological Abstracts 121
JSTOR 45
Social Sciences Citation Index (ISI) 17
Social Sciences Full Text 14
Applied Social Science Index & Abstracts 6
Irish Social Science Data Archive (ISSDA) 3
Irish Qualitative Data Archive (IQDA) 3

21. google analytics
Region Sessions New Users Pgs/Session
Ireland 1714 1196 2.59
United States 140 135 1.85
United Kingdom 118 112 1.94
Australia 31 28 1.45
Canada 23 23 1.96
France 9 8 3.33
India 9 9 1.67
Spain 7 7 1.43
Philippines 7 7 1.14
Brazil 6 6 1.50
Total 2165 1628 2.43
890 (52%)
from UCD
campus
ethernet
all libguides, feb 2014
data: josh clark, ucd library

22. increase visibility
& promotion
further extend as
cms for all elearning
supports
mainstream to all
subject areas
the outcome

23. collaboration with
academic staff
think of the end
user
my five
‘take aways’
avoid information
overload
promote via f-to-f
instruction
integration with
other supports

24. Image: Druyts.t http://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Snakes_and_ladders2.JPG
thank
you http://libguides.ucd.ie
project team:
ros pan & josh clark (outreach)
julia barrett, jane nolan & michael ladisch
(research services)
jennifer collery, lorna dodd & michelle
dalton (client services)
read the paper:
http://hdl.handle.net/10197/5653
michelle dalton
ucd library
t @mishdalton