Web Content Strategy in Practice within Academic Libraries

McDonald, Courtney Greene; Burkhardt, Heidi

doi:10.6017/ital.v40i1.12453

Cited by 3 publications

(4 citation statements)

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“…As previously defined, content strategy is "the practice of planning for the creation, delivery, and governance of useful, usable content." 5 Content strategy is "the practice of planning for the creation, delivery, and governance of useful, usable content. "…”

Section: Web Content Strategy and Its Practice In Librariesmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…These responses align broadly with findings from the previously mentioned 2021 research paper indicating "higher levels of maturity in the elements of planning, creation and UX, and lower levels in the elements of delivery and governance." 30 Finally, participants were asked to self-assess the content strategy maturity of their organization, with four responses each for "basic" and "intermediate" and one response of "advanced. "…”

Section: Content Strategy Practicesmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…This frequency in practice, along with the aforementioned use of institutional guidelines, aligns with past research findings around the prominence of style guides as a Web content strategy tool within academic libraries. 31 In discussions of style guides, many of the participants also brought up guidelines for voice, tone, or both, an important foundation for creating Web content. Voice is the organization's personality as it comes through in writing, while tone changes to fit the situation.…”

Section: Planningmentioning

confidence: 99%

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Web Content Strategy in Academic Libraries: Methods and Maturity

McDonald¹,

Burkhardt²

2022

portal

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This paper presents a qualitative analysis of nine interviews with academic library practitioners discussing their approaches to Web content strategy work. Findings reveal shared challenges and suggest that, while awareness of content strategy appears to be growing, its practice remains intermittent for many. An updated version of a Content Strategy Maturity Model for Academic Libraries, reflecting participants' comments regarding planning, creation, delivery, governance, and user experience, provides a means to address these challenges flexibly within an institution's culture, resources, and circumstances. Participants also discuss the purpose of the library website and impact of the COVID-19 pandemic.

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Section: Web Content Strategy and Its Practice In Librariesmentioning

confidence: 99%

Section: Content Strategy Practicesmentioning

confidence: 99%

Section: Planningmentioning

confidence: 99%

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Web Content Strategy in Academic Libraries: Methods and Maturity

McDonald¹,

Burkhardt²

2022

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“…Some researchers have explored content management at the institutional level. Notably, McDonald and Burkhardt (2021) summarized findings from a survey of content managers at academic libraries and found that "web content strategy as a community of practice in academic libraries is operating at, or just above, a basic level" (p.15). This is similar to Logan and Spence's findings.…”

Section: Commentarymentioning

confidence: 99%

Academic Libraries Report Minimal Standardization and Oversight of LibGuide Content

Schroeder¹

2021

EBLIP

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A Review of: Logan, J., & Spence, M. (2021). Content strategy in LibGuides: An exploratory study. The Journal of Academic Librarianship, 47(1), Article 102282. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.acalib.2020.102282 Abstract Objective – To determine what strategies academic libraries use to govern creation and maintenance of their LibGuides. Design – Online survey questionnaire. Setting – A selection of academic libraries that use Springshare’s LibGuide system, mainly in the United States and Canada. Subjects – Academic libraries with administrator level access to LibGuides at 120 large and small, private and public schools. Methods – Researchers made their online questionnaire available on a Springshare lounge and recruited participants through electronic mailing lists. Respondents were self-selected participants. The survey consisted of 35 questions, including several about their institution’s size and type, the number of LibGuides available through their library, and how their guides are created and reviewed. There was space available for comments. The survey stated that the researchers’ goal is to complete an “environmental scan of content strategies” in LibGuides at academic institutions. Main Results – Of the 120 responding institutions, 88% are located in either the United States or Canada and 53% reported that they do have content guidelines for LibGuide authors. Content guidelines might include parameters for topics, target audiences, or purpose. Parameters for structural elements, including page design, content reuse policies, naming conventions, and navigation, were most commonly represented at those institutions that reported having guidelines. Seventy-seven percent of respondents reported that their LibGuides do not go through a formal review process prior to publication. Regarding LibGuide maintenance, 58% reported that LibGuides are reviewed as needed, while 27% indicated a more systematic approach. In most cases, the LibGuide reviewer is the author, though sometimes a LibGuide administrator may take on a review role. The most common considerations for LibGuide review are currency, accuracy, usage, and consistency. Of the responding institutions, 74% reported that they do not conduct any user testing of their guides. Two of the biggest barriers to introducing and maintaining LibGuide guidelines identified in the survey were lack of time and a sense of librarian ownership over content and workflow. The strong culture of academic freedom may make some librarians resistant to following institutional guidelines. Survey respondents noted that, where content guidelines are present, they tend to address “low hanging fruit” issues, such as page design and naming conventions, rather than more complex issues around tone and messaging. Conclusion – Content creators tend to have many competing priorities, so a workflow and guideline system might help librarians spend less time on their guides. Despite a large amount of research on LibGuide best practices regarding content strategy, few institutions seem to be taking systematic steps to implement them. Further research examining the experiences of LibGuide authors and administrators and on the effectiveness of content strategy practices is necessary.

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