Book Review: Modern Pathfinders: Creating Better Research Guides

Abstract

Many libraries offer some type of online research guides to their patrons, and large academic libraries in particular rely on online guides to make their holdings accessible to undergraduate students. In theory, online research guides have the potential to be superior instruction and outreach tools. In practice, however, many online guides do not receive much use, leading some librarians to question whether staff time and skills might be better used elsewhere. In this slim and readable work, Puckett argues that low use is most likely tied to lack of usability, and he advises librarians to simplify their guides if they want them to be helpful to students. Throughout this book, Puckett follows his own advice about simplicity, presenting his readers with succinct, well-organized chapters that define core instructional design and web usability concepts in plain language and explain how these concepts should be incorporated into research guides.