Provision of
Information Services

ISCI 703, Reference and Instruction, encouraged us to be creative in how we offered reference services to our patrons and developed instruction to meet the ever-changing needs of a librarians communities. The LibGuide and Tutorial project, linked above, sought to help librarians not only experiment with technology applications but to enhance general information and instruction services for various reference needs within the various library types. As I started to think about the project, at first, I couldn't decide what topic to do my LibGuide on. It took a lot of frustrating back and forth before the idea hit me (almost literally), with the changing political and academic landscape creating a reference or research guide on mis-information, dis-information, and/or mal-information seemed not only appropriate but useful.

The creation of this LibGuide truly was a labor of love, as I will continue to discuss in my reflection below. I had previously created LibGuides, but the specifications that were required for this project tested both my patience and my creativity. The biggest thing I believe I learned in the completion of this project was that images and graphics should be used intentionally and not just as a method to take up space or reduce white area on research guides; Every piece of information should be fact checked multiple times, and it is important to think "what is it that the audience needs, not what do I need?" because oftentimes there is a discrepancy between the terminology I or someone in a graduate program might use, compared to undergraduate or community members. 

For this project, I designed a LibGuide that utilized a variety of information services to meet the needs of diverse user groups. Ideally this LibGuide could be used by those physically in the library, remote users, and users who stumble upon it. I did struggle a bit with balancing plain language and the more official terminology used at times but feel like any user can read and understand the offered information. Throughout my research I worked to identify and evaluate information resources and sources effectively as well as manage which ones were best suited for the intended audience. 

My goal was to apply as much up-to-date resources and technology to enhance my patrons' access to information resources and their understanding of mis-, dis-, and mal-information. Previously, I had worked with LibApps and have created several different LibGuides for academic institutions. I had not, however, been asked to create an all-encompassing LibGuide using only one page with an informational video attached to it. There was, admittedly, some anxiety when it came to creating the video itself. I struggle with putting myself, voice or face, on camera. I have been working diligently throughout this program to become more comfortable with that type of instruction and artifact creation. Looking toward the future, I am more comfortable with creating concise research guides that are one page versus the longer, more elaborate ones that I previously have worked on.