Content Analysis of Engineering LibGuides

LibGuides has become one of the most widely used software for the display and access to information in academic libraries. The many technical characteristics and options of this content management system provide engineering librarians with several options, and the easy-to-use architecture allows for utilizing these options after a short training period. In this paper, using well established bibliometric techniques the author analyzes the major characteristics, features and contents of a selected number of electrical and mechanical engineering LibGuides. Also, the selected LibGuides are subject to an assessment based on the criteria for the evaluations of LibGuides as presented in a recent work published by Whitfield and Clemens. 1 The results of the study are summarized in these areas: Main page characteristics, tabs and boxes used, most common databases, e-book resources, patents resources, technical reports resources, reference resources and others. Further, LibGuides are analyzed in two aspects: quality of technical design quality and quality of pedagogical design.