Get on the Reference Bus! Wyoming – Open Source Library Guides Rev up your reference skills.
Get On The Reference Bus! Wyoming
Aug 29, 2014
Learn about library guides and open source software to create them, presented by Katie Lynn in March 2010 for Get On The Bus Wyoming: http://getonthebuswyoming.wordpress.com/.
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Get on the Reference Bus! Wyoming – Open Source Library Guides
Rev up your reference skills.
Katie Lynn
Learning Outcomes
3/11/2010
Identify benefits and challenges for creating library guides.
Learn about various open source software for creating and managing library subject/course guides.
Identify benefits and challenges for various library guide software systems.
Choose a software system that might work for your library.
Create a guide.
Katie Lynn
Challenges of library guides
3/11/2010
Significant staff time Technical & content expertise
Difficult to consistently update Quickly become stagnant, out-dated
Readability & usability vary widely Lack of consistent design and content Text-heavy
Poor promotion and visibility Easy to bury in a web site full of resources and services Users fail to recognize what a library guide is and how to
use one Course guides
Gaining faculty buy-in
Katie Lynn
Benefits of library guides
3/11/2010
Users find the best place to begin research Connect with users at their point of need
o Studentso Communityo Librarians
Human element - connect with subject librarian Chat widget, photo, contact info
Faculty involvement Positively impact job tasks & career
Knowledge of resources and curriculumo Enhanced collection development
Annual review
Katie Lynn
Solutions for Library Guides
3/11/2010
Offer guides in new ways Consistent look and feel
o Customizability Scanability – avoid text-overload
o Blocks of content (re-usable content)o Imageso Videoo Audio
Library content with Web 2.0o Actionable contento Tag cloud, RSS, widgets, etc.
Katie Lynn
Solutions for Library Guides
3/11/2010
Make guides contextual to user’s needs Course guides How-to guides Homepage real
estate Cataloged
Katie Lynn
Open source library guide software
3/11/2010
Eric Lease Morgan Relational databases Provide different interfaces that interact with the
background database
Meredith Farkas Low-threshold and sustainable
o Easy to createo Easy to update – without having to change information
on each guide individually
Katie Lynn
Open source library guide software
3/11/2010
Web 2.0 technologies – blogs & social bookmarking sites Easy to use Local installation and hosted options Limited customizability and flexibility Stability?
o 3rd party hosto Software development & support
Database-driven and content/course management systems Local installation High level of customization and flexibility Higher level of technical expertise necessary Stability?
o Software development & supporto Beware of extensions
Katie Lynn
Choosing a system
3/11/2010
Local infrastructure and support Staff time, administrative support, project
procedures and policies Technical expertise
Open source does not mean free How much is necessary? What can the library afford? Stability?
o Still being actively developed and supported? Desired functionality
Simple access to resources, faculty involvement, user interest, instructional tool
Goals of the project
Katie Lynn
Delicious
3/11/2010
The College of New Jersey Library Easy to use &
maintain Text only format
o No options for embedding video or audio
o No option for adding additional content
Not customizable Stability?
o 3rd party vendor
Katie Lynn
Delicious
3/11/2010
Coastal Bend College Learning Resource Center & Library's Bookmarks
Katie Lynn
Delicious
3/11/2010
Coastal Bend College Internet Resources Non-
standard, non-contextual tags
Katie Lynn
Scriblio
3/11/2010
Local installation Apache, PHP, MySQL
Plymouth State University Library Subject Guides
Library-speak
Created by librarians for
libraries
Katie Lynn
WordPress
3/11/2010
Local installation Apache,
PHP, MySQL
George Mason University Library Research Portals
Actionable content
Katie Lynn
pbworks
3/11/2010
Easy to use
Lack of design control
Stability? 3rd party
vendor
Champlain College Library
Valuable space taken by static
element
Nice visual image, but takes up
vertical space
Katie Lynn
MediaWiki
3/11/2010
Can be hosted or installed locally Web server, PHP, MySQL or PostgreSQL
Customizable (though difficult) Popular and well-supported open source
system
Katie Lynn
MediaWiki
3/11/2010
Norwich University Library
Katie Lynn
MediaWiki
3/11/2010
Ohio University Libraries Wikis
Katie Lynn
ResearchGuide
3/11/2010
Local installation Web server, PHP,
MySQLo Recommend
programming expertise and readiness to provide instruction on how to use the system
Stability No longer being
developed or supported
Created by librarians for
libraries Eastern Michigan University Library Subject Guides
Katie Lynn
SubjectsPlus
3/11/2010
Local installation Web server, PHP, MySQL
Ithaca College Research Guides
Created by librarians for
libraries
Katie Lynn
LibData
3/11/2010
Course & subject guides Local installation
Apache, PHP, MySQL Well documented Stability? St. Cloud State University Library
Created by librarians for
libraries
Katie Lynn
MyLibrary
3/11/2010
Local installation Web server, Perl, MySQL
User personalization Import MARC and OASI-accessible data
Syndicate this data to other portals and systems Well documented Stability?
Created by librarians for
libraries
Katie Lynn
MyLibrary
3/11/2010
University of Notre Dame Hesburgh Libraries
Katie Lynn
Drupal
3/11/2010
Full CMS with suggested modules to create guides Biblio, CCK, Links Package, Organic Groups,
Panels, Views, Taxonomy Popular and well-supported open source
system Growing community of library users
Local installation (easy install) Apache, PHP, MySQL
Fully customizable and extensible High costs in staff time
Katie Lynn
Drupal
3/11/2010
Stanford University Falconer Biology Library
Drupal
LibGuides
Katie Lynn
Drupal
3/11/2010
University of Mississippi Libraries Subject Guides
Katie Lynn
Drupal
3/11/2010
Indiana University Purdue University Library
Katie Lynn
Library à la Carte
3/11/2010
Course & subject guides Local installation
Apache, Ruby on Rails, MySQL, RMagick Graphics Interface, ReCaptcha Key
Fully customizable and extensible Based on usability study that showed students
were looking for a starting point to their research
Created by librarians for
libraries
Katie Lynn
Library à la Carte
3/11/2010
Oregon State University Libraries
Katie Lynn
Library à la Carte
3/11/2010
CSU San Marcos Library
Katie Lynn
Library à la Carte
3/11/2010
University of Wyoming
Katie Lynn
Homework
3/11/2010
Explore examples of library guides in the various technologies discussed by Marilyn and Katie (LibGuides, Library a la Carte, Drupal, LibData, etc.). Which software application would you choose for
your library?o Why or why not?
Post your comment on Get on the Bus: Library Guides:
http://getonthebuswyoming.wordpress.com/library-guides/
.
Katie Lynn
Optional: for more challenge
3/11/2010
Request a Library a la Carte demo account (http://alacarte.library.oregonstate.edu/demo/) and play.
• (If your email address does not have a .org, .edu or .gov domain, contact them and ask for a demo account.)
OR
Create a guide using Delicious, pbworks, or WordPress.
Place a link to your sample guide on Get on the Bus: Library Guides:
http://getonthebuswyoming.wordpress.com/library-guides/
.
Katie Lynn
Questions?
3/11/2010
Thank you!
Katie [email protected]
Links to references & resources http://www.getonthebuswyoming.pbworks.com
http://getonthebuswyoming.wordpress.com
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