LGBTQ+ health research guides: a multi-institutional analysis of usage patterns and user information needs.

Objective: LGBTQ+ health research guides can strengthen the LGBTQ+ community through connecting people to quality health services and information, and previous studies have recommended that health sciences libraries create and maintain these guides. Little evidence exists, though, on how these guides are used and how well they meet the needs of LGBTQ+ users. Using retrospective data retrieved from multiple LGBTQ+ health research guides, we examined the categories of LGBTQ+ health information most used, as well as how often guides were accessed. Based on these results, we hope to find patterns which can lead to best practices for libraries. Methods: Five North American academic health sciences libraries contributed select usage data from their LGBTQ+ health research guides, covering a three-year period (July 2018-June 2021). Data was analyzed in two ways. Firstly, the 20 most-clicked resources from each guide were categorized through open coding, to assess if certain information resource categories were more popular among guide users, allowing for inference of user needs. A time-series analysis was also conducted for two sites, using the Classical Seasonal Decomposition by Moving Averages method, to provide deeper insights into the data. Results: Open coding data showed consumer health information resources were used more often than other health resource categories. Resources from more locally based organizations and those with provider and services information were heavily used, indicating that users may be looking for information connecting to local health services and providers. The time series analysis allowed the potential positive effect of guide promotion to be showcased in ways that would not have been clear from the raw data. Conclusion: This study shows that people are accessing LGBTQ+ consumer health information through academic library research guides, with a preference for local information. Guide usage appears to be positively driven by outreach within one's institution and to the greater community. Locating external partners may increase guide impact and provide important links to local resources and services.

Analyzing COVID-19 Resources on Association of Academic Health Sciences Libraries' (AAHSL) Research Guides.

In this study, the authors analyzed 147 AAHSL member libraries' COVID-19 research guides to determine the volume and origin of links included. Through stratified sampling based on total enrollment of health sciences academic institutions, 51 eligible AASHL library websites were selected for inclusion in the study. Content from COVID-19 research guides was analyzed, and the origin of each link was categorized. Most AAHSL libraries have at least one COVID-19 research guide, while some have two or more. A total of 8,848 links within examined research guides were visited. Links to academic institutions including universities' own internal links were most common while news outlets, social media, and international government were linked least. Regarding individual organizations, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) and the National Institutes of Health (NIH)were most frequently linked. The overwhelming majority of sampled health sciences libraries use research guides to share COVID-19 information with their users. It is necessary to further investigate how libraries can optimize research guides to benefit their users. These results and conclusions reveal information resource patterns in research guides at health sciences academic libraries and are consistent with those reached by researchers investigating academic libraries' research guides in 2020.

LGBTQ+ health research guides at North American health sciences libraries: a survey and content analysis.

OBJECTIVES: Current literature recommends online research guides as an easy and effective tool to promote LGBTQ+ health information to both health care providers and the public. This cross-sectional study was designed to determine how extensive LGBTQ+ health guides are among hospital and academic libraries and which features are most prevalent. METHODS: In order to locate LGBTQ+ health guides for content analysis, we searched for guides on the websites of libraries belonging to the Association of Academic Health Sciences Libraries (AAHSL) and the Canadian Association of Research Libraries (CARL). Additionally, we searched the Springshare interface for LibGuides with the word "health" and either "LGBT" or "transgender." Content analysis was performed to identify major characteristics of the located guides, including target audience and the information type provided. RESULTS: LGBTQ+ research guides were identified for 74 libraries. Of these, 5 were hospital libraries, and the rest were academic libraries. Of 158 AAHSL member libraries, 48 (30.4%) had LGBTQ+ guides on their websites. Nearly all guides (95.9%) provided general LGBTQ+ health information, and a large majority (87.8%) also had information resources for transgender health. Smaller percentages of guides contained information on HIV/AIDS (48.6%) and women's health (16.2%). CONCLUSIONS: Even though literature recommends creating LGBTQ+ health guides, most health sciences libraries are missing an opportunity by not developing and maintaining these guides. Further research may be needed to determine the usage and usefulness of existing guides and to better identify barriers preventing libraries from creating guides.

Extending Our Reach: Integrating Librarians and Library Resources into Canvas.

A team of librarians developed and implemented a plan to create coordinated library access for all students through the Canvas learning management system. Partnering with campus information technology services, librarians developed a specialized role in Canvas. Librarians also used Springshare's LibApps LTI (learning tools interoperability) to integrate research guides in Canvas, using course metadata to map guides to the appropriate subject or course. Evaluation of the impact of adding a Librarian role and mapping research guides to the Canvas LMS is ongoing and indicates these changes have affected the way students are accessing library resources.

Establishing a Review Process to Evaluate Research Guides.

Springshare's LibGuide platform has become synonymous with online library pathfinders or research guides and instruction support. However, without oversight of the collection of guides and standards for their creation, unwieldy numbers and lack of uniformity prevail. The McGoogan Library of Medicine at the University of Nebraska Medical Center created a review process that not only governed the creation and approval of guides, but analyzed the usage and scope of guides that had already been created. This paper will outline the creation of standards and application of a review process to increase the value and relevance of guides.