1. Users’ Impressions of LibGuides: Feedback from a Student Focus Group Rebecca Payne, University of Wisconsin Madison LOEX Conference, 5/9/14 University of Wisconsin-Madison Libraries Madison, WI 53706 Phone: (608) 262-3193 www.library.wisc.edu

2. Overview Context & Background Methods Findings & Recommendations Outcomes Sharing & Questions University of Wisconsin-Madison Libraries Madison, WI 53706 Phone: (608) 262-3193 www.library.wisc.edu

3. Context & Background University of Wisconsin-Madison Libraries Madison, WI 53706 Phone: (608) 262-3193 www.library.wisc.edu

4. University of Wisconsin-Madison University of Wisconsin-Madison Libraries Madison, WI 53706 Phone: (608) 262-3193 www.library.wisc.edu

5. UW-Madison Academic Programs University of Wisconsin-Madison Libraries Madison, WI 53706 Phone: (608) 262-3193 www.library.wisc.edu Program TypeNumber of Programs Undergraduate Majors 132 Master’s Degree Programs149 Doctoral Programs120

6. UW-Madison Students University of Wisconsin-Madison Libraries Madison, WI 53706 Phone: (608) 262-3193 www.library.wisc.edu Enrollment, Fall 2013 Undergraduate Students 29,504 Graduate Students 9,430 Professional Students 2,526 Special Students 1,815 Total43,275

7. UW-Madison Libraries 40 libraries including subject, professional, and special purpose 202 FTE librarians & professional staff 11 th largest research library collection in North America (ARL survey) Collections developed & managed by subject specialists/bibliographers University of Wisconsin-Madison Libraries Madison, WI 53706 Phone: (608) 262-3193 www.library.wisc.edu

8. LibGuides Available from Springshare since early 2007 http://www.springshare.com/libguides Web-publishing platform for libraries Content management system used by academic, public, school, and special libraries Types of guides: course, topic, subject, & how-to guides; library Web sites; etc. University of Wisconsin-Madison Libraries Madison, WI 53706 Phone: (608) 262-3193 www.library.wisc.edu

9. LibGuides @ UW-Madison Subscription since 2008 Administered by LibGuides Team Use for subject and topic guides Branded as “Research Guides” 421 published guides as of April 2014 University of Wisconsin-Madison Libraries Madison, WI 53706 Phone: (608) 262-3193 www.library.wisc.edu

10. Research Guides Homepage University of Wisconsin-Madison Libraries Madison, WI 53706 Phone: (608) 262-3193 www.library.wisc.edu

11. Background Project of LibGuides Team and Romance Languages Bibliographer “Library Usability Funding Pilot” program to provide incentives and compensation for participants in library focus groups and usability studies University of Wisconsin-Madison Libraries Madison, WI 53706 Phone: (608) 262-3193 www.library.wisc.edu

12. Purpose Gain feedback on French and Italian literature guides in particular, and research guides in general, concerning: – usefulness – content – usability – discoverability – marketing University of Wisconsin-Madison Libraries Madison, WI 53706 Phone: (608) 262-3193 www.library.wisc.edu

13. Study Timeline – Spring 2013 DateActivity Early FebruarySubmitted funding proposal February to mid-MarchStudy planning Mid-MarchRecruitment via “interest form” survey Late MarchOnline questionnaire distributed March 23-31Spring Recess Early AprilOnline questionnaire responses due Preparation for focus group Focus group meeting April-MayData analysis, report writing June-JulyReporting to library staff University of Wisconsin-Madison Libraries Madison, WI 53706 Phone: (608) 262-3193 www.library.wisc.edu

14. Study Team Paloma Celis Carbajal, Bibliographer Erin Carrillo, LibGuides Team member Rebecca Payne, LibGuides Team chair with assistance from: Giso Broman, Bibliographer's student assistant Phyllis Holman Weisbard, LibGuides Team member Steve Frye, Web Services Management Team Liaison Nola Walker, Assessment Librarian University of Wisconsin-Madison Libraries Madison, WI 53706 Phone: (608) 262-3193 www.library.wisc.edu

15. Study Team University of Wisconsin-Madison Libraries Madison, WI 53706 Phone: (608) 262-3193 www.library.wisc.edu

16. Recruitment 8 graduate students via Graduate Association of French and Italian Students’ Listserv and Qualtrics survey University of Wisconsin-Madison Libraries Madison, WI 53706 Phone: (608) 262-3193 www.library.wisc.edu

17. Methods University of Wisconsin-Madison Libraries Madison, WI 53706 Phone: (608) 262-3193 www.library.wisc.edu

18. Two-Part Study 1. Online questionnaire 2. One-hour focus group University of Wisconsin-Madison Libraries Madison, WI 53706 Phone: (608) 262-3193 www.library.wisc.edu

19. Online Questionnaire 1.View three research guides of other libraries 2.Rank research guides in order of preference 3.Explain ranking of research guides University of Wisconsin-Madison Libraries Madison, WI 53706 Phone: (608) 262-3193 www.library.wisc.edu

20. Focus Group Preparation Consulted Assessment Librarian – Simplify questions – Use space to facilitate exchange – Develop rapport – Listen, paraphrase, and summarize Conducted practice run – Get feedback on questions – Test recording devices University of Wisconsin-Madison Libraries Madison, WI 53706 Phone: (608) 262-3193 www.library.wisc.edu

21. One-Hour Focus Group Examine French & Italian Literature guides and provide feedback as a group University of Wisconsin-Madison Libraries Madison, WI 53706 Phone: (608) 262-3193 www.library.wisc.edu

22. Facilitation University of Wisconsin-Madison Libraries Madison, WI 53706 Phone: (608) 262-3193 www.library.wisc.edu

23. Space University of Wisconsin-Madison Libraries Madison, WI 53706 Phone: (608) 262-3193 www.library.wisc.edu

24. Recording University of Wisconsin-Madison Libraries Madison, WI 53706 Phone: (608) 262-3193 www.library.wisc.edu

25. Analysis Transcribed audio and compared to notes Identified emerging themes Developed codes for themes Independently coded, then compared and came to consensus University of Wisconsin-Madison Libraries Madison, WI 53706 Phone: (608) 262-3193 www.library.wisc.edu

26. Findings and Recommendations University of Wisconsin-Madison Libraries Madison, WI 53706 Phone: (608) 262-3193 www.library.wisc.edu

27. Findings: Lack of Awareness None of the participants familiar with research guides University of Wisconsin-Madison Libraries Madison, WI 53706 Phone: (608) 262-3193 www.library.wisc.edu

28. Findings: Usefulness Good starting point for beginning graduate students University of Wisconsin-Madison Libraries Madison, WI 53706 Phone: (608) 262-3193 www.library.wisc.edu

29. Findings: Content Especially useful: search boxes, electronic resources, reading lists, reference works Additional content suggested: academic career information; subject areas Appropriate amount of content University of Wisconsin-Madison Libraries Madison, WI 53706 Phone: (608) 262-3193 www.library.wisc.edu

30. Findings: Usability Easy to navigate Clear naming of tabs and boxes Limited page length and content University of Wisconsin-Madison Libraries Madison, WI 53706 Phone: (608) 262-3193 www.library.wisc.edu

31. Findings: Discoverability University of Wisconsin-Madison Libraries Madison, WI 53706 Phone: (608) 262-3193 www.library.wisc.edu

32. Findings: Marketing Tell faculty and ask them to add to syllabi and course sites Introduce in library orientations and instruction sessions Use library news and marketing resources such as social media and posters University of Wisconsin-Madison Libraries Madison, WI 53706 Phone: (608) 262-3193 www.library.wisc.edu

33. Study Limitations Based on small group of students From one department Group self-selective Possible influence of group and presence of bibliographer University of Wisconsin-Madison Libraries Madison, WI 53706 Phone: (608) 262-3193 www.library.wisc.edu

34. Recommendations University of Wisconsin-Madison Libraries Madison, WI 53706 Phone: (608) 262-3193 www.library.wisc.edu

35. Recommendations When creating a guide for novices to the subject area, include such content as search boxes, electronic resources, program reading lists, and reference works. When creating a guide for advanced graduate students, add writing and career advice. University of Wisconsin-Madison Libraries Madison, WI 53706 Phone: (608) 262-3193 www.library.wisc.edu

36. Recommendations To prevent the guide from becoming overwhelming, limit the number of resources included and minimize the explanatory text. Use tab and section headings that clearly and accurately reflect content. University of Wisconsin-Madison Libraries Madison, WI 53706 Phone: (608) 262-3193 www.library.wisc.edu

37. Recommendations To aid in discoverability, add a link for research guides to the Library homepage and department Web sites. To promote research guides, advertise through faculty, encouraging them to add research guides to syllabi and course sites, and highlight guides in orientations and instruction sessions. Also, use existing library marketing resources such as social media and posters in the library. University of Wisconsin-Madison Libraries Madison, WI 53706 Phone: (608) 262-3193 www.library.wisc.edu

38. Outcomes Introduced research guides as a resource Changes to specific guides University of Wisconsin-Madison Libraries Madison, WI 53706 Phone: (608) 262-3193 www.library.wisc.edu

39. Outcomes Stronger relationship with the Department Recommendations for best practices Developed a model for future user studies University of Wisconsin-Madison Libraries Madison, WI 53706 Phone: (608) 262-3193 www.library.wisc.edu

40. Next Steps LibGuides Team will continue assessment efforts to include feedback about research guides from undergraduate students. University of Wisconsin-Madison Libraries Madison, WI 53706 Phone: (608) 262-3193 www.library.wisc.edu

41. Sharing & Questions University of Wisconsin-Madison Libraries Madison, WI 53706 Phone: (608) 262-3193 www.library.wisc.edu

42. Your Turn! Discuss with your neighbor: What are you doing at your institution? How do you get feedback from your users? What would you like to learn from your users? How might you apply the methods we used? University of Wisconsin-Madison Libraries Madison, WI 53706 Phone: (608) 262-3193 www.library.wisc.edu

43. Questions? University of Wisconsin-Madison Libraries Madison, WI 53706 Phone: (608) 262-3193 www.library.wisc.edu

44. Contact Information Rebecca Payne Reference & Instruction Librarian University of Wisconsin-Madison rpayne@library.wisc.edu University of Wisconsin-Madison Libraries Madison, WI 53706 Phone: (608) 262-3193 www.library.wisc.edu