Explores various aspects of dynamic online pathfinders (also known as subject guides, topic guides, information portals, etc.) Discusses the different Web 2.0, open source, and subscription tools available for creating dynamic pathfinders and will cover ways to maintain and market pathfinders with limited staff time and resources. Special focus will be paid to the product LibGuides.

1. Creating Dynamic Pathfinders:
Subject Guides of the Future
Tamara Murray, Westerville Public Library
slideshare.net/westervillelibrary
Last Updated: July 22, 2013

2. Traditional Pathfinders Are Static
QuickTime™ and a
decompressor
are needed to see this picture.
QuickTime™ and a
decompressor
are needed to see this picture.

3. What happens when…
A book is weeded?
A website goes belly up?
A domain name changes?
One resource covers two topics?
New content is added?
Patrons want to share?

4. Why Dynamic?
You can search it.
You can easily manage duplicate content.
You can offer content in multiple formats.
You can interact with your audience.
You can keep it current.

5. Social Bookmarking

6. What does it look like?

7. What can you do with it?
Organize or bundle by subject (i.e. tag).
Describe (i.e. annotated bibliography).
Feed into another website or blog.
Share with others.
Update all links in the same place.

8. (Random stuff you’ll want later.)
RSS feed:
http://feeds.delicious.com/v2/rss/YourDeliciousUsername/YourTag?count=15
URL example:
http://delicious.com/YourDeliciousUsername/YourTag
Firefox extension:
http://frayd.us/extensions/linkchecker/

9. Social Presentations

10. What does it look like?

11. What can you do with it?
Build tutorials and how-to’s.
Combine screenshots with instructions.
Embed into another website or blog.
Share with others.
Include voice narration.
Great for illustrating information step-by-
step.

12. Social Videos

13. What does it look like?

14. What can you do with it?
Build tutorials and how-to’s.
Combine screenshots with instructions.
Embed into another website or blog.
Share with others.
Include voice narration.
Great for showing motion and emotion.

15. Social Networking

16. What does it look like?

17. What can you do with it?
Focus on a niche.
Broadcast time-sensitive information to a
dedicated audience.
Interact with your audience.
Share multiple types of content.

18. Social Booklists (Next-Gen Catalogs)

19. Other Options
for Different Types of Content

20. Want to put it all together?
books
websites
presentations
Videos
articles
and tips

21. Websites

22. What can you do with it?
Create a landing page for different types of
content on the same subject.
Prioritize information based on importance
or usefulness.
Share with the world.
Make it clean.
Make it pretty.

23. Blogs

24. What can you do with it?
Keep the newest information at the top.
Create an archive of past information.
Interact with your audience via comments
feature.
Include multiple types of content.

25. Wikis

26. What can you do with it?
Link useful pages together.
Focus on text.
Allow others to edit.

27. Open Source Software

28. What can you do with it?
Host it on your own servers.
Maintain and customize it yourself.
Develop additional functionality and share
with the open source community.
Fix it when it breaks.

29. LibGuides

30. What can you do with it?
Pay a yearly subscription, then get
unlimited support.
Add and manage multiple types of content
easily.
Make it clean.
Make it pretty.

31. Recommend books.
Example: Catalog RSS feed or manual list
http://explore.westervillelibrary.org/business

32. Recommend websites.
Example: Delicious RSS feed
http://explore.westervillelibrary.org/smallbiz

33. Share videos.
Example: YouTube video
http://explore.westervillelibrary.org/emergency

34. Advertise upcoming events.
Example: Evanced events RSS feed
http://explore.westervillelibrary.org/bookclubs

35. Search other sites.
Example: WorldCat search widget
http://explore.westervillelibrary.org/genealogy

36. Share presentations.
Example: Slideshare.net presentation
http://explore.westervillelibrary.org/literature

37. Show recent articles.
Example: EBSCOhost RSS feed
http://explore.westervillelibrary.org/endangeredspecies

38. Right Time, Right Place
Create custom business cards with direct
URLs to related pathfinders.
Create QR codes to put in the stacks.
Add links to your website and brochures.
Share with students, teachers & parents in
the classroom.
Talk about them!

39. Questions?
Contact Me
tmurray@westervillelibrary.org
linkedin.com/in/ohiotamara