Adoption of LibGuides as a reference service in academic libraries: Insights from Aga Khan University,Uganda |
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| Institution: | 1. Aga Khan University, Kenya, 3rd Parklands Avenue, off Limuru Road, P.O. Box 30270, 00100, Nairobi, Kenya;2. Aga Khan University, Uganda Col.Muammar Gaddafi Road, P.O. Box 8842, Kampala, Uganda;1. Middle Tennessee State University, Walker Library, MTSU Box 13, 1301 East Main St., Murfreesboro, TN 37128, United States of America;3. Seminole State College of Florida, 100 Weldon Blvd., Sanford, FL 32773, United States of America;4. Northeastern University, Snell Library, 300 Huntington Ave., Boston, MA 02115, United States of America;1. Department of Library and Information Science, Fu Jen Catholic University, No. 510, Zhongzheng Rd., Xinzhuang Dist., New Taipei City 242062, Taiwan;2. Bachelor''s Program in Information Innovation and Digital Life, Department of Library and Information Science, Fu Jen Catholic University, No. 510, Zhongzheng Rd., Xinzhuang Dist., New Taipei City 242062, Taiwan;3. Graduate Institute of Applied Science and Technology, National Taiwan University of Science and Technology, No. 43, Sec. 4, Keelung Rd., Taipei 106, Taiwan;4. Digital Content Management Division, HyWeb Technology Co., LTD, 5F.-6, No. 8, Taiyuan 1st St., Zhubei City, Hsinchu County, 302, Taiwan;1. Rutgers University, 4 Huntington Street, New Brunswick, NJ 08901, United States of America;2. Rider University, Moore Library, 2083 Lawrenceville Road, Lawrenceville, NJ 08648, United States of America;3. William Paterson University, 1600 Valley Road, Room #4082, Wayne, NJ 07470, United States of America;4. Rutgers University, 1320 Eagle Point Road, Kutztown, PA 19530, United States of America;5. William Paterson University, David & Lorraine Cheng Library, 107D, 300 Pompton Road. Wayne, New Jersey 07470, United States of America;6. Rutgers University, James Dickson Carr Library, 75 Avenue E, Piscataway, NJ 08854-8040, United States of America;7. The College of New Jersey, University of New England, 716 Stevens Avenue, Portland, ME 04103, United States of America;8. Raritan Valley Community College, Evelyn S. Field Library, 118 Lamington Rd., Somerville, NJ 08876, United States of America;9. Bergen Community College, Sidney Silverman Library, Bergen Community College, 400 Paramus Rd, Paramus, NJ 07652, United States of America;10. Lawrence High School, 2525 Princeton Pike, Lawrenceville, NJ 08648, United States of America;1. Charles E. Young Research Library, University of California Los Angeles, Box 915175, Los Angeles, CA 90095-1575, USA;2. Knight Library, University of Oregon, 1501 Kincaid St., Eugene, OR 97403-1299, USA;1. Champlain College, Burlington, VT, USA;2. Department of Education, University of Vermont, USA |
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| Abstract: | Creative ideas and technology across the world for utilization have influenced the ways academic libraries present themselves to their users. Before digital era, librarians developed print subject guides and pathfinders to highlight important information resources in different fields, and the guides were brought online as libraries created web sites and started to depend on web resources.With the emergence of Web 2.0 technologies, librarians across the globe saw an opportunity to create more appealing and interactive online guides for the millennial patrons. These technologies simplified the creation and maintenance of guides such as wikis and FAQ's and subject guides to provide access to electronic resources.Academic librarians in the Sub-Saharan Africa as their counterparts in the rest of the world, are under pressure to offer relevant information services to satisfy varied client needs. Studies have shown that librarians believe that creating LibGuides enhances their knowledge of subject resources as reference service. According to Springshare (2020), 6100 libraries in 82 countries have implemented the LibGuides platform. There is however no clear indication of how many institutions in low middle-income countries have implemented libguides. This paper gives insight into the context of Sub Saharan Africa and lists the specific institutions that have adopted libguides. The Aga Khan University in Uganda prides itself as the pioneer of libguides implementation as a reference service. Since implementation in 2014, usage statistics have shown a gradual and steady improvement in access and use of e-resources such as journal and ebooks. This is largely attributed to the ease of reference and awareness aided by libguided. Many universities in Uganda have benchmarked with the Aga Khan University library and it is hoped that in the near future a number of other libraries will also implement libguides as reference service tools. |
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