The Library Guide Assessment Standards are listed below in the Library Guide Assessment Standards Rubric. The rubric is a scorecard that provides the reviewer an area to mark whether the standard is "Met" or "Not Met." Reviewers should use the annotations listed below the rubric to seek clarity for making their decisions when marking standards as "Met" or "Not Met." Additionally, the reviewer can make comments regarding each standard. Peer reviewers are encouraged to begin with positive feedback and follow with constructive feedback. With a peer review team of two, the standard is marked "Met" with two reviewers independently reviewing the guide and marking the standard as "Met" (requiring 85% accuracy). An appointed peer review coordinator may act as the go-between for interpreting the standards when needed and can act as a facilitator when the peer review team meets to discuss their results and when they meet with the library guide author to share their feedback. The peer review team can designate a library guide as "Quality-Checked" once 85% of the standards are marked as "Met." To learn more about this process, consult the "Library Guide Assessment Standards for Quality-Checked Review Workbook" available on the Peer Review Training Materials tab of this library guide.
| Section 1: Guide Overview and Information | Met | Not Met | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1. Guide includes a Start Here tab with Welcome and Getting Started content. | |||
| 2. Guide defines the term library guide and provides instructions for finding local guides and guides outside of the university. | |||
| 3. Guide provides an overall orientation or overview. | |||
| 4. Guide links to the contact information of the library guide author. | |||
| 5. Guide objectives/outcomes are defined and measurable. (Note: See Bloom's Revised Taxonomy). | |||
| 6. Verbs used for guide objectives reflect the appropriate level for what is being introduced. | |||
| 7. The guide provides contact information for library liaison services. | |||
| 8. Guide links to pre-requisite knowledge (i.e. other library guides) when presenting non-introductory information. | |||
| 9. Guide links to the library homepage. |
|
Section 2: Guide Technology & Tools |
Met |
Not Met |
Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 10. Guide links to SpringShare Accessibility Statement along with any other promoted technology and/or tools listed in the guide. |
| Section 3: Guide Design & Layout | Met | Not Met | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 11. A logical, consistent and uncluttered layout is established. The guide is easy to navigate (consistent color scheme and icon layout, related content organized together). | |||
| 12. Large blocks of information are divided into manageable sections with ample white space around and between the blocks. | |||
| 13. There is enough contrast between text and background for the content to be easily viewed. | |||
| 14. Guide is free of grammatical and spelling errors. | |||
| 15. Text is formatted with titles, headings and other styles to enhance readability and improve the structure of the document. | |||
| 16. Flashing and blinking text are avoided. | |||
| 17. Sans-serif font with a standard size of at least 12 pt. is used. | |||
| 18. Information is displayed in a linear format instead of a table. | |||
| 19. Tables are accompanied by a title and summary description. | |||
| 20. Table header rows and columns are assigned. |
| Section 4: Guide Content & Activities | Met | Not Met | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 21. Each tab of the guide introduces the viewer to the purpose of the tabbed page. | |||
| 22. Unnecessary resources are not included. Information and resources on the guide are reflective of the guide's learning objectives. | |||
| 23. Text content is available in easily accessed format, preferably HTML. ALT text content is readable by assistive technology, including PDF or any text contained in an image. | |||
| 24. A text equivalent for every non-text element is provided ("alt" tags, captions, transcripts, etc.), and audio description is provided for video-only content. | |||
| 25. Text, graphics, and images are understandable when viewed without color. Text should be used as a primary method for delivering information. | |||
| 26. Hyperlink text is descriptive and makes sense when out of context (avoid using "click here"). | |||
| 27. The guide will indicate appropriate Creative Commons attribution and licensing. | |||
| 28. Guide explains alternatives for accessing library resources. For example, if a guide links to a database list, steps should be provided for how students can access the list through the library homepage. | |||
| 29. Learning objects (borrowed images, videos, graphics, rubrics, linked OER materials, etc.) are referenced using a standard citation style. | |||
| 30. Guide includes a Get Help page which provides detailed information about library services and connecting with librarians and staff. |
| Section 5: Assessment & Feedback | Met | Not Met | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 31. Guide includes the opportunity for learners to check for understanding (i.e., low-stakes quiz or poll). | |||
| 32. The guide enables the users to have the opportunity to provide descriptive feedback regarding the guide, the experience with the guide, guide design, content, user experience, & technology. |
Standard 1: 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: 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: Look for evidence that the library guide author provides overview 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: 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: Look for evidence of clear objectives to be listed on the guide's landing page. Use the 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: Look for evidence that the measurable verb from the 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/blooms-taxonomy/.
Standard 7: 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: Look for the library guide author pointing to other library guides as pre-requisite 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: 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.
Standard 10: Look for a hyperlink or an embedded web page that provides information regarding SpringShare accessibility. Thus, the library guide author should link to the SpringShare accessibility page directly. If the author embeds any other e-tools such as PowerPoint in a library guide, they should link to those accessibility pages as well.
Standard 11: This standard may be institutionally driven. First, check with your SpringShare administrator whether you have a Campus Guide on best practices for building library guides. If not, consider building one. Here is a working example:
Logical
Look for:
Consistent
Look for:
Uncluttered
Look for:
Ease of Navigation
Look for:
Standard 12: Library guide authors can show ample white space by organizing like-content under headings or by separating content by adding a new box to their guide's page. Also, a library guide author may build content with the tabbed box to successfully maintain white space for readability purposes.
Standard 13: Color contrast can be measured by using an accessibility tool such as WebAIM (https://webaim.org/resources/contrastchecker/). This website will provide you with the score of "pass" or "fail" score for color contrast.
Standard 14: Guide may be checked for grammatical issues in a variety of ways: a knowledgable editor, Microsoft Spellcheck, Grammarly, etc.). Reviewers will use what is available at their institution when evaluating the guide for grammatical and spelling issues.
Standard 15: Peer reviewers may choose to request a copy of the guide from the peer review coordinator (with editorial privileges) to check for formatting issues, or they may enter their browser's command to inspect web elements in their preferred browser. Additionally they may use WebAIM or their university's preferred accessibility tool to inspect the guide for errors.
Standard 16: Check each page to ensure there are no blinking or flashing text.
Standard 17: Peer reviewers may consider requesting a copy of a guide from the peer review coordinator to be able to open the guide in editing mode to highlight text and ensure that Sans-Serif font is used. If the library guide author uses the default text then it is Sans-Serif font.
Standard 18: Check that information is presented linear rather than in table format (unless both peer reviewers and/or the peer review coordinator reach consensus that a table presentation is sole conveyance for the material presented.).
Standard 19: Check for a title presented at the top of the table and summary information either below the title or below the table.
Standard 20: Peer reviewers may request editorial access to a copy of the guide to check for appropriate assigned rows and columns to any given table. Otherwise they may choose to enter their browser's command to inspect web elements in their preferred browser. Additionally they may use WebAIM or their university's preferred accessibility tool to inspect the guide for errors.
Standard 21: Because students find library guides through a Google search, and may not always start on the landing page, peer reviewers should check that the library guide author writes 2-3 sentences at the top of each page of the guide summarizing what is presented on the page and why it may matter to the student. This information will contextualize the page for the student--especially if they failed to land on the Start Here page.
Standard 22: Peer reviewers can differentiate between unnecessary and necessary resources by reviewing the library guide's learning objectives. If a resource is presented on the guide that does not align with a learning objective, it should be flagged as unnecessary. An additional example of an unnecessary resource is an outdated one. If the institution deems an assessment tool as outdated, they should not reference the assessment tool on the guide.
Standard 23: Check for accessible content by using an accessibility tool such as WebAIM or by requesting editorial access to a copy of the guide from the Peer Review Coordinator. Otherwise, they may choose to open their select browser with their browser's applicable command to view HTML coding.
Standard 24: Check for ALT text by using an accessibility tool such as WebAIM or by requesting editorial access to a copy of the guide from the Peer Review Coordinator. Otherwise they may to open their select browser to view HTML coding. Additionally, the peer reviewer will make sure that videos are captioned. Audio should include a transcription.
Standard 25: Check that text color does NOT represent an important directional or concept. For example, red text should not convey for a learner to stop nor green text to proceed. Convey directional and/or important information through verbiage and not color.
Standard 26: When hyperlinking to text be descriptive. Do not say "click here" and hyperlink the phrase. Instead state: Select the "What is a Peer Review Library Guide (and hyperlink the description of the text or the name of the resource.).
Standard 27: Check for Creative Commons licensing for the guide. Check the bottom of the landing page or the bottom of the last tabbed page for the license. Additionally, if the author borrowed content from elsewhere, check to see that the author assigned the borrowed content with the appropriate Creative Commons license.
Standard 28: Look for instructions for how to access library resources outside the guide. For example, if the library author highlights a subject database list, they should include step-by-step instructions in how to access the list from the library homepage. Another example: If a library author provides a list of peer-reviewed literature on a topic, the guide author should provide step-by-step information on how to replicate the search from the library homepage. A third example: If the library author highlights a list of e-books, then they should provide step-by-step instructions for finding e-books in their discovery tool or a database with instructions walking the student through the process starting from the library homepage.
Standard 29: Check that all videos, online games, images, embedded libguides, OER Resources, etc. are referenced. Typically, the reference will be located directly under the source needing a reference. For example, if the library guide author embeds a YouTube video or a library game, the item should be referenced following a citation manual of style rules (i.e., APA, MLA, Turabian, etc.).
Standard 30: Look for Get Help information on the guide. It may be part of a tabbed page or it may be its own tabbed page. Get Help information will include instructions for how to reach librarians and/or library staff members through the modalities that the library serves their population. For example, Get Help information may include one or more of the following: finding chat and how to use chat, how to book a research consultation with a librarian, how to text/email/phone the library, or how to reach library administration and their library liaisons.
Standard 31: Check for an embedded and/or link to a low-stakes quiz or poll that centers around the guide's content. The low-stakes assessment should align with the guide's learning objectives.
Standard 32: Check to see if there is a "Rate this Guide" section where students can provide feedback to the guide author. This may present itself as a short text response and/or a star rating or instructions for giving feedback (i.e., email us at xxx@yyy.edu to let us know what you like and/or dislike about this guide).
Note: This rubric and the annotations were created by remixing OSCQR Course Design Review (https://oscqr/suny.edu/). A UNF librarian created the assessment tool to specifically address the library guide as the online learning object.
The OSCQR Rubric, Dashboard, and Process are made available by the Online Learning Consortium, Inc. (OLC - http://olc.onlinelearningconsortium.org/) under the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License (CC By 4.0). To view a copy of this license, visit https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/. The OSCQR Rubric, Dashboard, and Process were originally developed by the State University of New York, through SUNY Online, Online Teaching (https://online.suny.edu/onlineteaching/). SUNY Online and its logo are registered trademarks of the State University of New York.
