Academic Subject Guides: A Case Study of Use at San José State University

Abstract

Subject guides are lists of resources created to assist students with their research needs. While academic librarians ascribe great importance to subject guide development, it is difficult to tell whether students find them useful. A review of the literature reveals a lack of user-centered data in this area. This study investigates students’ use of subject guides in three areas of study—Nursing, Journalism & Mass Communications, and Organization & Management. Results indicate that students who have received library instruction tend to use subject guides more frequently and find them useful.

Snakes or Ladders? Evaluating a LibGuides Pilot at UCD Library

“…The aspect most frequently highlighted as being of help was referencing and citation information, so this could potentially be used as a 'carrot' to help drive traffic to the subject guides going forward. This finding was somewhat surprising, compared to other studies which find that databases are often the most utilised and popular content (Oulette, 2011;Staley, 2007).…”

El papel de las bibliotecas en el acceso a recursos web de calidad

“…Las guías temáticas son listas de recursos creadas para ayudar a los estudiantes en sus necesidades de investigación (STALEY, 2007). En un principio, antes de la aparición de internet, se limitaban a los recursos de que disponía la biblioteca.…”

Bringing in the Experts: Library Research Guide Usability Testing in a Computer Science Class

“…In spite of their ubiquity and the amount of time librarians devote to creating such guides (Gonzalez & Westbrock, 2010;Hintz et al, 2010;Jackson & Pellack, 2004;McMullin & Hutton, 2010;Sinkinson, Alexander, Hicks, & Kahn, 2012;Sonsteby & DeJonghe, 2013), there is little research assessing how students use these guides (Hintz et al, 2010;Ouellette, 2011;Sinkinson et al, 2012;Staley, 2007;Vileno, 2007). The "if you build it they will come" approach has been disputed, as research shows students are not using research guides (McMullin & Hutton, 2010;Ouellette, 2011;Reeb & Gibbons, 2004;Staley, 2007).…”