Reaching your audience LibGuides Part 2:

Author and User Practices

Gaby Castro GessnerAdam Chandler

Wendy WilcoxCUL Career Development Week

April 2, 2014

LibGuides Part 1 Summary• Springshare log server data• Nov 2011 – Feb 2012• Logs system filtering• IP address• Time stamp• Referrals• User search terms

• 637 LibGuides

LibGuides Part 1 Summary

1260330%

2921170%

Cornell affiliatedNon-Cornell affiliated

This paper: Reaching our Cornell audience

Our Data - Cornell affiliated use

11 author interviews20 LibGuides

User Search Termsonly CU affiliate use

PRODUCERS:

CONSUMERS:Info

rmat

ion

1. Where and how are we trying to meet our users?

2. Where and how are our users encountering us?

Research Questions

Framework

• Library-centric• Student-centric

mental models

LibGuide ProducersCornell University

Background: 20 LibGuides

• Various disciplines

• Undergrad & Grad

• Function:• Course guides• Subject guides• Skill Guides

Questions to Authors1. What is the purpose of a library guide?2. Where is the most important content located?3. Where is your libguide promoted (linked from)?4. How do you think users use your libguide?

Authors:purpose of library guides?

0

2

4

6

8

10

12

14

16

18 17

9 9

6 64 4

32

Authors: location of most important content?

• All the content is important• Depends on faculty preferences for course instruction• Depends on user needs

• Rank in order of importance preferable

• Tab 2 – most frequently cited

102483%

534%

706%

454%

393%

Home Tab (1)Tab 2Tab 3Tab 4Tab 5

TABS

Home tab: key content location

High Use LibGuiden= 1231 total page views

Authors: Libguides linked from where (promotion)?

TOP 3:Unit Library home page (n=14)

CUL LibGuides page (n=12)

Blackboard (n=6)

Source of Links

High Med -High Med-Low Low0%10%20%30%40%50%60%70%80%90%

100%

BB

CUL LG

UNIT

?OTHR

BB

CUL LG

UNIT

?OTH

R OTHR

UNIT UNI

T

CUL LG CUL

LG

BBBB

Authors: how do you think users used your LibGuide?

0123456789 8 8

4

2 2 21 1

Coun

t

LibGuide ConsumersCornell University

Users Data

1. Referrals from search engines2. User search terms

unmediated

Users:Referrals from 85

%5%7%

Users: 1325 Search terms in 9 categories

1. Course name and/or course number2. Libguides or library guides3. E-resources / databases4. Library staff name5. Person name6. Library7. Cornell8. Subject9. Unclear

Users:Categories & search terms

Course # / Name• ENGRC 3500• STS 1126 cornell• English 2060• Cornell English Writing and

Sexual politics

LibGuides• Libguides cornell• Guides library cornell

cheme 4620• Cornell historical guides• Library guides cornell

E-Resources / databases

• Scifinder cornell• Cornell library ebook• Springerlink cornell sign in• Cornell books 24x7

Unclear• 01• Senders• Labyrinthine casa poli• writ

Users:Search Categories to locate LibGuides

Course

# name

LibGuid

es

Librar

ian na

me

eReso

urces

/ data

bases

Cornell

Librar

y

Perso

n nam

esub

ject

uncle

ar0.0

10.0

20.0

30.0

40.0 38.9

21.113.1 12.8

6.2 3.1 2.9 1.1 0.7

Perc

ent

UsersSearch Terms by Location

Cornell3%

Course5%

eRes8%

LibGds25%

Staff

48%

Li-brar

y6%

Person6%

Library Staff Computers

Cornell1%

Course

44%

eRes5%

LibGds

44%

Staff4%

Library2%

Subj1%

Library Public Computers

Cornell7%

Course

45%eRes14%

LibGds

20%

Staff7%

Li-brary3%

Person3%

Subj1% Unclr

1%

Campus Computers

Where is the intersection between

Producers & Consumers?

Consumers

1. Receive little feedback2. Reliance on page views – Springshare statistics 3. LibGuides as teaching tools mean a duality of purpose ; important

content may be buried within the guide4. Promotion in library webspaces

Producers

1. Home Tab – greatest session views 2. Use Google to find information3. Search for primarily courses4. May search for LibGuides after exposure

For Producers:• Tabs• Linking• Tagging• Interactivity in LibGuides

For Springshare:• Context statistics (i.e.

affiliation based on IP address)• Include a tool to ingest

campus wide list of course numbers for search engine indexing

Recommendations for the future

Thank you• Feedback?• Questions?

Linking - NOT USED

BB15%

CUL Guides Page30%Unit Library Home

35%

Don’t know5%

other15%