Today, users are increasingly able to engage with information on the go. Indiana University mens basketball player, Miller Kopp tweeted earlier this summer about prioritizing learning on the go. It reminded me that users are now able to use time, usually spent commuting, meal prepping, and eating, absorbing information through mediums, such as audiobooks and podcasts. While I believe listening to music can be equally as instructive as listening to podcasts (it depends more on whether you’re critically listening), it would be neat if our libraries’ research guides reflected how today’s users are choosing to engage in scholarship, namely through podcasts, audiobooks, and YouTube videos.
This has led me to develop guidelines for what I’ve termed “On-the-Go Research Guides”. These guides target the modern listening habits of today’s users by linking users to bibliographies of books available as audiobooks/e-books, academic lectures found on YouTube, and interviews with scholars accessible through podcast episodes. Here is a complete list of possible platforms that could be used in a On-the-Go Research Guide:
- Audiobooks/E-books
- Podcasts
- YouTube Channels
- Twitter Accounts
- Facebook Communities
- Instagram Accounts
- Tumblr Communities
- Reddit Communities
- Blogs
The challenge would be of course gathering materials that are both convenient to use on the go without sacrificing quality. To avoid substandard scholarship, authors of research guides should do the following:
- Use materials that involves known scholars in a field of study
- Avoid media influencers who have been accused of spreading disinformation
- Use sites supported or followed by academic institutions
- Create reference list of academic institutions or scholars who follow the source to give credibilty
- Use cautionary language if the quality of the material is subject
- Use cautionary language if the material is outdated
Stay tuned for On-the-Go Research Guides to be featured on Wayne’s Wonder-Room in the near future.
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