1. Web & Mobile Services Librarian Northwestern University
We Took the Plunge. Now What? Update on a LibGuides Integration Project
John Hernandez
Web & Mobile Services Librarian
Northwestern University

2. LibGuides @Northwestern
Main Library adopted LibGuides in Summer 2008.
Upgraded to V2 in Fall 2014 and CMS/LibApps in Summer 2016.
Existence of guides not widely known, but when discovered they are universally appreciated.
Course guides get lower usage than subject guides.
2018 LibTech Conference
March 15, 2018

7. Goals for LibGuides Increase awareness, usage and satisfaction
Provide support for instruction and learning needs at the course level
Match course content to appropriate resources, tools, and expertise
Create more opportunities for faculty-librarian contact
2018 LibTech Conference
March 15, 2018

8. Canvas Integration Plan
Worked with Academic & Research Technology. Began as pilot Spring 2017, we phased installation of LTI tool in late April.
We use “auto-magic” with translation table for 1-to-1 match of each course to guides and subjects. A lot of work!
If there is no course match, LTI loads a landing page that allows users to search for a guide.
2018 LibTech Conference
March 15, 2018

11. Criteria for Determining Success
Significant increase in overall LibGuides usage.
25% of guide traffic attributable to Canvas.
Evidence of “word of mouth” among faculty.
2018 LibTech Conference
March 15, 2018

12. Success Stories
Since we began in the middle of the Spring Quarter, we compare the May-Feb period pre and post.
Total number of sessions for 10-month period increased by almost a third from 200,435 to 263,715 visits.
Modest but significant increase in referral traffic. 14% of referral traffic was via Canvas (4.4% of all sessions).
Faculty awareness is slowly increasing. Requests to create guides for more courses are starting to come in!
2018 LibTech Conference
March 15, 2018

14. Overall guide usage has gone up, but some of this is likely part of general upward trend.
We haven’t reached the 25% goal for Canvas traffic, but we are seeing significant traffic.
Faculty are noticing and asking for more course guides.

15. Things to Look At More Closely
About 2/3 of traffic from Canvas is auto-loaded (mostly non- matching), but only 1/3 are user click-throughs.
How to measure “indirect impact” or what traffic results from users becoming more aware of guides without going through course sites.
2018 LibTech Conference
March 15, 2018

16. Next Steps
Conduct a formal user study to observe students interacting within Canvas to learn how we might increase click-throughs.
Develop some automatic updating of the matching table.
Encourage more customized guide creation, especially for “non-traditional” course needs. Build on successes so far.
2018 LibTech Conference
March 15, 2018

17. Thanks! John Hernandez Web & Mobile Services Librarian
Northwestern University
2018 LibTech Conference
March 15, 2018