Faculty Librarian Create LibGuides to Help Students Focus at ECPI University

Name: Shannon Simmons

Title/Campus: Librarian/ Raleigh

About Shannon:

Ms. Simmons has found a way to share her passion for conducting research and sharing available resources with students across the university through the creation of her LibGuides. One of her most recent LibGuides was created for the Crime & Intelligence Analysis Concentration within the College of Criminal Justice.

What do you like most about your work?

I enjoy showing students the resources that are available at the library. We have so many great things!  I love it when someone has a specific need and I can direct them right to the resources that meet their need.

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What kind of environment do you try to create within the library?

We want students to consider this as sort of a home base. We’ve recently reorganized our library in Raleigh so it is more open. We have seating for quiet study and a conference area for group work. I believe it is more inviting, and I encourage students to spend some time in their campus library.

What do you like most about LibGuides?

LibGuides are fantastic! I like to describe them as web pages on a specific topic that contain information and links to ECPI University resources on that topic, as well as faculty-approved outside resources. I like surprising people with what can be pulled together on a topic. There is so much information and data available, probably safe to say too much, and LibGuides allow us to efficiently highlight timely information.

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How would you best describe the benefits of LibGuides?

When students begin researching a topic, they may find it intimidating when they end up with a web search displaying hundreds or thousands of results, not knowing which ones are accurate and credible. With LibGuides, they can go to the guide on something like anatomy and physiology and be directed to a database that will help them with an assignment, to an encyclopedia in our reference section that will define a word they don’t understand, or be able to read an ebook that was recommended by librarians and faculty. We also offer links to reliable anatomy atlases, websites, and videos. LibGuides are a great place to start and we now have 44 guides on 25 subjects.