3.1: Guide Overview and Information (1 - 9)

Standard 1: Guide includes a “Start Here” tab with Welcome and Getting Started content.

Look for the first tab of the library guide to be labeled as "Start Here." The introductory paragraph of the library guide should welcome the learner to the library guide home page.

Standard 2: The Guide defines the term “library guide” and provides instructions for finding local guides and guides outside of the university.

Look for evidence that the author defines the term library guide. This definition should be presented within the Start Here page (whether it be a written definition, a link to a more expansive explanation such as "What is a Library Guide?" or a SpringShare page, or part of an introductory video or an infographic).

Standard 3: Guide provides an overall orientation or overview.

Look for evidence that the library guide author provides an overview of information on the landing page. This information may be presented in a paragraph or be a part of an introductory video or infographic. The purpose of the overview is to contextualize the guide's purpose. Here is an example pulled from this (LGAS) guide: "This library guide will point librarians to the Library Guide Assessment Standards (LGAS) rubric for Quality-Checked Review for creating, building, and designing library guides.”

Standard 4: Guide links to the contact information of the library guide author.

Look for the name of the library guide author with contact information relevant to the library's institution. This may include the following: email, phone, picture of the library guide author, name of the library, building, room, etc.

Standard 5: Guide objectives/outcomes are defined and measurable. (Note: See Bloom's Revised Taxonomy).

Look for evidence of clear objectives to be listed on the guide's landing page. Use Bloom's Revised Taxonomy to ensure verbs are measurable (i.e., the learner will:

• define the term database.
• locate the library's subject-specific databases lists.
• describe reasons for using a subject-specific database.)

Standard 6: Verbs used for guide objectives reflect the appropriate level for what is being introduced.

Look for evidence that the measurable verb from Bloom's Revised Taxonomy list is not mismatched with the level of the guide. (i.e., if the guide is introductory by nature be sure to choose verbs from the Bloom's Revised list that reflect the levels of "Remember," "Understand," or at the "Apply" levels. If the guide is for more advanced researchers, use verbs from levels such as "Analyze," "Evaluate," or "Create." For guidance or clarification, you may consider consulting with your peer review coordinator or check with your institution's instructional design department.

Here is an example online resource for Bloom's Revised Taxonomy from Vanderbilt University's Center for Teaching: https://cft.vanderbilt.edu/guides-sub-pages/bloomstaxonomy/.

Standard 7: The guide provides contact information for library liaison services.

Check to see if the library guide author lists librarians that serve as liaisons to subject areas on the guide or whether they link to a list of applicable librarians servicing the subject area of the guide. Otherwise, see if the author links to a general list of librarians and/or staff servicing their library.

Standard 8: Guide links to pre-requisite knowledge (i.e., other library guides) when presenting non-introductory information.

Look for the library guide author pointing to other library guides as prerequisite content to the guide. The guide author may hyperlink to other guides or embed guides directly in their guide. For example, if the guide's author uses learning objectives verbiage at the “Apply” to “Create” levels, they may link or embed pre-requisite guide information in their guide. A working example may be if an author creates a guide about a citation management tool such as RefWorks. Pre-requisite guides to include in the RefWorks guide may include the "What is a Citation Style?" guide or the "How Do I Cite My Sources?" library guide. If no pre-requisite guides are present but the verbiage is between “apply” and “create,” check with your peer review coordinator or your institution's instructional designer for guidance before marking the standard as “Not Met.”

Standard 9: Guide links to the library homepage.

Look for evidence that the author adds a hyperlink to the library homepage to differentiate the library guide from the library homepage, whether it be a link on the landing page or the library homepage embedded into the guide--the important factor is that the library guide author educated a novice user that a library guide is not the library homepage.

---