Provision of Information Services

LibGuid and Tutorial Assignment

The artifact for this competency is the LibGuide below. It is interactive within this window or it can be opened in a new window by using this hyperlink or web address:

LibGuide and Tutorial on Manga Libraries

https://sclis.libguides.com/c.php?g=1363814&preview=7227483c033f16d31170ea780a4b94ff#s-lg-page-section-10073913

I have demonstrated the provision of information services core competencies in the creation and application of constructing a LibGuide site and user Tutorial for the ISCI 703 Reference and Instruction course. The LibGuide is a working functional website that states and describes the subject matter of manga libraries, detailing what manga is as well as its various genres, explains why these types of books are important, details the challenges that many libraries face due to the stigma around manga, and provides resources and a walk-through tutorial for users to use in their process of collecting manga. The site has a description of the resource list, along with its purpose and development processes; this includes a description of the resource selection in various formats, as well as the scope of the resource list. The LibGuide states the selection criteria for the resources used on its site and includes both an annotated resource list and bibliographic citation for each resource that summarizes the content, main purpose, and scope of the work avoiding the use of jargon, ambiguous statements, or technical language. The tutorial created for the LibGuide site is a short instructional video on the processes of what to look for when collecting manga, using one of the resources provided to search and evaluate each book; for functionality, the video is embedded in the site with decent audio. The content and design of the LibGuide site were applied using up-to-date technology that strategically improves services and enhances access to information resources that have been more frequently requested at local libraries with the rising popularity of manga and anime in Western culture.

This assignment I found to be very exciting, fun, and practical; while I had previously never used LibGuide before, I did have experience in making websites, so I had a lot of fun focusing on researching this topic. I wanted to create a functioning site that could be used by both librarians and patrons in the collection curation process and selection of appropriate manga, as I have gotten many questions regarding this topic. I had to identify, evaluate, manage, and use information resources and sources effectively by thinking and applying critical thinking, information-seeking, and problem-solving skills to analyze users’ inquiries and match them with appropriate and accessible resources; or identify frequently asked questions people have about manga, evaluate what resources would be most useful in answering these questions, and manage said resources and information in a user-friendly way. I did this by designing a variety of information services to meet the needs of diverse users, including onsite, remote, and underserved users. This was made possible through the use of applying up-to-date technology strategically to improve services and enhance access to information resources through the use of the LibGuide site and creating a tutorial on how to use some of the various resources provided. While I found the making of both the LibGuide and tutorial enjoyable they could have been improved without my oversight of citing the graphics used (so that users could find the specific series I used as examples if it piques their interest) and making the video tutorial a bit lengthy when it could have been more concise. Still, I was able to learn how to use the LibGuide platform successfully to organize and provide valuable information to users.

Considering what I have learned from this experience, along with my enthusiasm for both the topic and website creation, I would love to remake this LibGuide for my local libraries and any curious online users; whether that is through LibGuide or another website builder. There was a lot of research I couldn't include, so I would love to make a similar website in the future that is a bit more detailed, organized, and concise; so that it is a bit more extensive of a resource for users to rely on. While I struggled a bit with the creation of the tutorial due to my presentation skills, I would love to create more as I think they come in handy for many users who struggle with searching or knowing what to look for when it comes to manga. I would love to continue to destigmatize this subject matter by providing useful information and resources through the applications of up-to-date technology, perhaps even including manga recommendations for users based on my evaluation and resource selection criteria. As the application LibCal was recently added to my local libraries (with the potential of adding LibGuide), I would be very excited to continue to make LibGuides in the future to further provide useful and accessible information services to our library users.