Gone are the days of static and infrequently updated PDF resource guides and pathfinders. In their place, a Web 2.0 platform for librarians to share knowledge and information and collaboratively author and update online guides on various subjects to aid patrons in their research.

Many libraries, especially those with sizable collections, face the challenge of presenting to their patrons the many resources available to them. Resource guides, widely known as subject guides as well as research guides, pathfinders, electronic library guides, and webliographies, serve as a means to pull together relevant materials into a single ‘portal’ for research on a particular topic. However, while useful, these guides are often infrequently updated due to technical limitations and difficult to navigate as they are not searchable separately from the library’s website. The National Library of Singapore (NLS) had the same concerns. Also, some of our PDF resource guides and bibliographies were rather substantial in size and slow to load.

Reinventing Resource Guides
A team was set up to review several Web options in early 2009, including wikis, LibGuides (by Springshare), Delicious bookmarks and open source software. LibGuides, then used by over 400 libraries worldwide, was chosen for its ease of use and real-time online publishing capabilities, and NLS Resource Guides (http://libguides.nl.sg/) was launched on 26 September 2009.

Today, the website is home to 69 resource guides and bibliographies created and maintained by librarians from the National Library Singapore. Not only can patrons now locate our guides using search engines (indeed, this accounts for 62% of all traffic), they can also perform a full-text search of the guides as well as browse the guides using popular tags. Users can also sign up to receive email alerts, and share their favourite guides on Delicious, Digg and over 280 other networks. They are also able to access our guides on Facebook via the LibGuides app.

With LibGuides, librarians can add multimedia to the resource guides by embedding videos and podcasts, as opposed to the static text and images of PDF documents. This also gives us the ability to reach out to users with different learning styles. RSS feeds can also be incorporated into the guides, hence allowing users to utilise the guides as a one-stop portal for updates on particular subjects they are interested in. Librarians are also able to interact and gather more feedback from users via polls, comments and ratings. Instant messaging is also available should librarians choose to enable the function.

More exciting developments await the library community as Springshare continues to enhance the LibGuides system. For example, a recent improvement now allows librarians to utilise a new account type, “Collaborator”, to freely invite experts and fellow librarians from other institutions to join in and help enrich the content in individual guides without giving them editing access to the other guides or access to the Admin functions. Enhancements have also made it easier for us to link up related guides.

To date, NLS Resource Guides has received 23,000 visits (85,400 page views) by users from 122 countries, the majority from Singapore (61.5%), followed by China, Malaysia, US, Philippines, India, Hong Kong, United Kingdom, Indonesia and Australia. Over two-thirds of visits are by first-time visitors. The top 3 all-time most popular guides are: Singapore’s Education System, (4,500 views), The Integrated Resorts: A Select Guide (English Version) (3,536 views) and Modern Art of Southeast Asia: A guide to selected resources in the Lee Kong Chian Reference Library  (2,460 views).

In addition to resource guides, the website could be expanded to accommodate other resources. Past issues of NLS’ very own quarterly, BiblioAsia, have recently been uploaded, adding variety to the type of resources that are available on the website. Individual guides created can also serve as mini blogs or even newsletters to our users. Librarians may share their professional profiles on the website, which automatically links up to the various guides and articles they have published, hence allowing users to get to know more about the librarians and the library profession.  The LibGuides system can also be used as a virtual activity site, gathering and generating content from the users instead. The possibilities are simply endless and its affordability (S$1250-S$4175 for annual license) makes it an attractive option for libraries. Through the online community The Springshare Lounge, our librarians can share ideas and best practices with over 21,000 librarians in the 1,400 libraries using LibGuides.

Contributed by National Library Board