A Preliminary Investigation of Technical Services Librarians’ Contributions to Library Guides in Academic Libraries

Abstract

Online library guides are one of the bridges that librarians build to connect users to available resources and services. Since the time when library guides were conceived in the pamphlets and book lists of the early days, a historical brand bearing public and instructional services librarians’ merit and reputation has been watermarked in their presentation. In the internet age, have technical services librarians also played a role in contributing to library guides in academic libraries to assist students’ learning and faculty teaching? If so, do technical services librarians who are working as faculty tend to produce more library guides than ones as professionals? Do librarians working in six functional areas, namely, Acquisition, Cataloging &Metadata, Collection Development, Continuing & Electronic Resources, Preservation, and Technical Services (Solo) have similar contributions to library guides? What types of library guides do they tend to produce more? Any recommendations for future library guide work which technical services librarians will engage in? This research examined 233 colleges and universities and examined 296 academic libraries, attempting to find answers to these questions.

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