Library Guides for Graduate Students: A Content Analysis

This study looked at 117 Association of Research Libraries (ARL) academic library websites and identified 48 library guides that consider graduate students in general as their target audience. The broad and systematic content analysis of these library guides resulted in the discovery of four different types, which we categorized as Checklist, Orientation Module, Directory, and Comprehensive. We identify and describe content patterns that address the different roles graduate students might play as advanced library users, novice researchers, and teaching assistants/instructors. Academic librarians who have already created library guides for graduate students could use the results of this study to re-examine or enhance their guides for relevancy. The creators of new guides might consider using this content analysis as a benchmark for their projects to take a more holistic approach when addressing the multifaceted roles of graduate students.