As a school librarian, I find that LibGuides provides a good practical solution for helping with library instruction, including teaching the research process, using databases, emphasizing age appropriate information literacy skills, and providing subject-specific resources for individual class assignments.
A student recently told me they were looking for information for a common task on Sparta. She commented that she used the LibGuide and found I had linked to information from PBS.org so she incorporated that into her research paper. No one had directed her there- she just remembered using the LibGuide for other assignments.
Over the last few months, I have received quite a few inquiries as to why I love LibGuides so much, so I thought it might be helpful to share a brief post highlighting my ten favorite features. In no particular order, here is why I invest in LibGuides for The Unquiet Library...
I have a favorite tool. I know I shouldn’t, but there are tools that I like more than others. I find them more helpful. They seem to be just a bit more easy to work with. And frankly, they may be more responsive.
I have found LibGuides to be an excellent tool for building a school library website.
I find them particularly helpful in shepherding students towards the most appropriate databases, web resources, weaving in source evaluation checklists/instruction, embedding videos, promoting print and ebook collections…I could go on and on. I’m not ashamed, I’ll just say it: I heart Libguides.
Lately, I find myself using LibGuides in ways never expected. Sure, as a member of the community, I can ask a fellow curator if I might use his/her guide as a template in building my own. But way more often, I simply link to the Guides of others as resources or links in my own guides. You don’t have to be a paying member of the community to do that.