Extending Our Reach: Automatic Integration of Course and Subject Guides

Abstract

Librarians at the Utah State University (USU) Merrill-Cazier Library started working with LibGuides in 2007, and USU subject librarians quickly adopted the system. USU is a land-grant institution with a main campus of 14,000 students and several smaller regional campuses and centers throughout the state, many of which rely heavily on online resources. After seven years of working with LibGuides, a product of Springshare, approximately seven hundred research guides had been published. The guides varied in purpose and design, and we did not have a consistent or clear view of how students found or used them. We also did not have a template or a structured design, beyond some general best practices. Over time, we started to consider questions around the visibility of LibGuides, more effective ways to integrate LibGuides into courses, and possibilities of using emerging technologies to reach students where they study and conduct research. While the library had already begun manually integrating guides into Canvas, USU’s learning management system (LMS), as a way to extend our online presence, we sought a more automated integration with course and subject guides.

Collaboration and Integration

“…They looked to find a way to maximize the effectiveness of Springshare's library guides when they assessed the design and reach of library guides within their LMS. 14 They took a unique approach to build an LTI tool that automatically pulled in the most appropriate library guide when the "Research Help" link in Canvas was activated by a professor. They also saw this as an opportune time to redesign their subject guides and ensure there were guides for all disciplines.…”

Connecting with Faculty and Students through Course-Related LibGuides

“…In many cases, face-to-face meetings and library instruction sessions are not possible, and some librarians see opportunities for LibGuides to help fill the gap for distance and online programs (Fagerheim, Lundstrom, Davis, & Cochran, 2017;Gonzalez & Westbrock, 2010). The Association of College and Research Libraries' (2008) standards specify that all constituents of an educational institution should have equitable access to its library's resources and services, regardless of where or how they work or take classes.…”

“…Many libraries with the necessary staffing and technological support have chosen to embed LibGuides into classes via the course management system, or learning management system (LMS) (Adebonojo, 2010;Fagerheim et al, 2017;Gonzalez & Westbrock, 2010;Hristova, 2013). The most popular method of integrating LibGuides into LMS courses is to use a learning tools interoperability (LTI) tool to automate the process.…”

“…The most popular method of integrating LibGuides into LMS courses is to use a learning tools interoperability (LTI) tool to automate the process. Many libraries use the LTI tool available in Springshare's own CMS package (Richards, 2016), but some institutions have created their own LTI program (Daly, 2010;Fagerheim et al, 2017). Automating the integration process can present technical or logistical challenges, but the alternative of manual linking has been viewed as unsustainable and/or inconsistent (Chiware, 2014;Fagerheim et al, 2017;Garofalo, 2014;Hristova, 2013).…”

“…New Mexico State University saw high usage of the guides that were embedded by faculty (Gonzalez & Westbrock, 2010). Jarrell and Wilhoite-Mathews (2014) observe that the most effective marketing typically takes place one-on-one, and Fagerheim et al (2017) believe that subject librarians should make an effort to follow up on an individual basis with faculty members to encourage them to promote LibGuides.…”