Libraries and Student Success

 By Angela Naranjo 

    Many academic libraries have LibGuides that focus on “point-of-need research,” that help guide students through using the databases and properly citing your research (Burchfield and Possinger 2). These LibGuides have easy to read step-by-step instructions on how to plan your research and use the databases to find peer reviewed works with proper evidence, other forms of LibGuides help with citing your found article correctly in the format needed. These LibGuides are created by librarians and are created to focus student success and guide them in making the research process easier. 

Although these LibGuides have been created for students to have an easier time doing their research, statistics have shown that librarians who are subject specialists in their areas may not have all the necessary skills to translate their knowledge in ways students can understand (Burchfield and Possinger 2). In order for more student success with LibGuides, it's important to take into account the needs of the students and their learning patterns. Some common problems with the style of LibGuides that students find hard to understand are the terms and phrases used, organization, and too much information. Research has shown that many students are not attracted to guides that have too much information and don’t get to the point, leading to many students using online guides to not bother scrolling to the bottom of the page (Burchfield and Possinger 3). 

  One of the best solutions brought up by students for student success with LibGuides is proposing a template that “ensures the use of standardized language for labeling guide content and tabs” (Burchfield and Possinger 3). This ensures that the organization of the LibGuide is easy to understand and the language is simple enough to follow and feel comfortable enough to continue reading through. Lee University conducted a study using the template method and found that students felt more successful using LibGuides organized this way because they felt more confident going through the research steps and writing their citations (Burchfield and Possinger 11). Student success concerning LibGuides can be achieved by listening to the students' needs and allowing them to have a say in the way they learn. 

Burchfield, Julie, and Maggie Possinger. “Managing Your Library’s LibGuides: Conducting A Usability Study to Determine Student Preference for LibGuide Design.” Information Technology & Libraries, vol. 42, no. 4, Dec. 2023, pp. 1–18. EBSCOhost, https://doi-org.ezproxy.palomar.edu/10.5860/ital.v42i4.16473.