A Content Analysis of Engineering LibGuides, Research in Progress

Abstract

LibGuides, a content management system provided by the Springshare company, is a commonly used tool for aggregating library resources by topic. While their use is practically ubiquitous in academic libraries, the content, layout and pedagogical approach of these guides varies widely. Before making a concerted effort to update and improve the engineering LibGuides at our university, we are conducting a content analysis to discover current trends in the composition of engineering LibGuides at other R1 institutions. In this work in progress, we have started with an analysis of the Chemical Engineering guides to gain insight into their contents and make decisions to guide the further data collection of our entire data set. In addition to surveying the specific content included in these guides, we will analyze how it is presented pedagogically; whether it is user-centered or learner-centered. Our study considers LibGuides from 50 R1 institutions, including the top 20 from the US News and World Report 2023-2024 Best Engineering Schools and a random sample of 30 other institutions. Each guide analyzed was saved as a PDF in the summer of 2024 and uploaded to NVivo for coding of the layout, content, and pedagogy used in the guide. This presentation will discuss our findings thus far and how we will use this pilot analysis to move forward with the full analysis; in particular, the goal is to optimize the coding process and address any issues that arise and adjust our study accordingly. By examining the pedagogical approach behind these guides we can identify areas where they can be better aligned to meet the needs of our students, ensuring that resources are not only accessible but also supportive of their learning experience. This addresses Equitable Access to Information and Library Services and Transforming Libraries, which are both ALA Key Action Areas. In addition, by using a systematic method of analysis we are not allowing our personal beliefs to interfere with our research results.