Doing Better with LibGuides in 2019: Creating a Departmental LibGuide Template for an Evolving Library

Abstract

Objective: In the spring of 2018, a campuswide LibGuides Task Force initiated a peer-review process with the goal that all guides would be updated and reviewed by the summer of 2019. However, many of the Ruth Lilly Medical Library librarians who created departmental LibGuides no longer work at the library. As responsibilities were re-assigned, librarians who inherited responsibility for guides were overwhelmed by the task of updating them without guidance from the creators. To address this issue and to come into compliance with institutional standards, a Departmental LibGuide template was created. Methods: Two librarians researched library-wide institutional guidance for LibGuides, best practices for LibGuides and writing on the web, in general, and other Health Sciences departmental Libguides. Further, they analyzed existing departmental Libguides to determine most-used page headings. Based on this research and analysis, the librarians created a departmental LibGuide template. This was presented to librarians, and changes were made in response to feedback received. Results: Since initial implementation, the template has been tweaked in response to Departmental feedback and additional input from librarians. It is anticipated that once all Guides are updated, future Libguide updates will not be as cumbersome for librarians. Conclusions: It is hoped that using a simple LibGuide template will make it easier for librarians to maintain Departmental LibGuides. In the future, we plan to streamline the process further by creating an asset list of ebooks to be maintained by the library’s Content Management department and to conduct usability research on the departmental LibGuides.