Month: October 2025

Throughout this subject, my understanding of the teacher librarian’s role in provisioning dynamic information resources and services has deepened significantly. Developing the research guide prompted me to reflect on how effective design and curation can support students to engage confidently with information, rather than feeling overwhelmed by it.

In creating my guide, I examined examples of research guides and pathfinders, which provided me with valuable insights regarding what to consider when planning the structure and organisation of the guide (Reynolds, 2025, “Evaluating research guides”, para. 6). This process highlighted how excessive text, cluttered layouts, and a lack of white space can lead to cognitive overload. Lee and Lowe (2018, p. 222) recommend limiting the amount of content presented on each page to enhance user experience and reduce anxiety. Applying this principle, I aimed to create a more accessible guide that supports students’ information-seeking processes rather than hindering them. However, this remains an ongoing area for development. Designing for diverse learners in a large school of nearly 2000 students presents a continual challenge. The guide must meet the needs of all students across an entire year cohort, each with varying reading abilities and digital literacy levels. I am continuing to refine my ability to write concise, web-appropriate text. Puckett (2015, p. 12) notes that online readers scan and navigate information differently from print readers, reinforcing the need to craft content suited for digital environments.

Through this process, I also gained a stronger understanding of how the teacher librarian supports students’ information literacy development by modelling and explaining the research process. My goal moving forward is to design guides that explicitly teach aspects of the information process—such as evaluating sources and synthesising findings—within the context of the curriculum. I will continue to engage with peers to broaden my perspective on the evolving digital landscape. My school is currently developing a policy around the ethical and effective use of AI (Reynolds, 2025). As part of this process, I will contribute to professional learning regarding best practices. Lauren Hagan’s blog post on using EduChat to differentiate learning programs provided valuable inspiration (Hagan, 2025, “Reflective Practice: Harnessing Generative AI to Enhance Questioning Strategies in Education”, para. 2). I plan to share these insights in a professional learning session next term, demonstrating how EduChat can be used responsibly to enhance teaching and learning.

Whisken (2015) emphasises the teacher librarian’s vital role in curating the library’s physical and digital collections to support learning needs. This subject has demonstrated that effective curation extends beyond selecting resources—it involves creating meaningful guides that meet clearly meet user needs. I will continue to explore strategies for designing digital resources that reduce cognitive load, promote equitable access, and foster students’ confidence as information users. While I have strengthened my skills in evaluation and design, I recognise there is still more to learn about digital accessibility, inclusive design, and how students interact with AI-enhanced information environments.

 

References

Hagan, L. (2025, September 9). Reflective Practice: Harnessing Generative AI to Enhance Questioning Strategies in Education. Becoming a Teacher Librarian. https://thinkspace.csu.edu.au/laurenhagan/2025/09/09/reflective-practice-harnessing-generative-ai-to-enhance-questioning-strategies-in-education/

Lee, Y. Y., & Lowe, M. S. (2018). Building Positive Learning Experiences through Pedagogical Research Guide Design. Journal of Web Librarianship, 12(4), 205–231. https://doi-org.ezproxy.csu.edu.au/10.1080/19322909.2018.1499453

Puckett, J. (2015). Modern pathfinders: Creating better research guides. https://ebookcentral.proquest.com/lib/csuau/reader.action?docID=5888816&ppg=1

Reynolds, J. (2025, September 15). Reflection: GenAI in Education [Online discussion comment]. ETL501, Brightspace. https://learn.csu.edu.au/d2l/le/68841/discussions/threads/176938/ViewPostInContext?postId=437155#post437155

Reynolds, J. (2025, October 8). Evaluating Research Guides. Jo’s Reflective Journal. https://thinkspace.csu.edu.au/joreynolds/2025/10/08/evaluating-research-guides/

Whisken, A. (2015). Library collections as learning experiences. Synergy, 13(1). https://slav.vic.edu.au/index.php/Synergy/article/view/V1311512/155

The key difference between research guides and pathfinders lies in the additional support and contextual information that research guides provide. While both tools curate resources to help students locate information efficiently, research guides extend further, incorporating explanations, scaffolds, and guidance on the research process to help users develop information literacy skills and effectively undertake research (Lee & Lowe, 2018, p.206).

The Year 8 Geography: Changing Nations research guide (Redlands College, 2024) includes relevant resources from a variety of types such as websites, databases, videos, and images. However, there is limited contextual information provided about each resource. Students must access and evaluate each one independently to determine its relevance and reliability, as there are few annotations or usage suggestions.

The structure of the Changing Nations guide follows a traditional pathfinder format, with resources grouped by type rather than topic (Lee & Lowe, 2018). This has resulted in information-heavy pages that are difficult for students to navigate. The layout may contribute to cognitive overload for users.

A notable strength of the Changing Nations guide is its support for the development of information literacy skills. Brief comments about the reliability of the curated resources will encourage students to consider the quality of their sources. Additionally, the guide provides practical advice for accessing specific databases and digital tools. The Research Ready tab connects information literacy resources to key steps in the research process, helping students understand how to plan, locate, evaluate, and reference information effectively. Ideally, these resources would be connected to the curated resources.

While the quantity of information may be overwhelming for some learners, the guide integrates relevant sources and resources to support students in developing research skills. The inclusion of clearer annotations and more guidance on how to apply resources to specific inquiry questions could further improve this research guide.

This activity was very helpful in preparing for the design of my own research guide for Assessment Item 2. I found it particularly useful to compare the two examples provided to see the strengths and weaknesses of each design. While I know my design will not be perfect, I will hopefully avoid some of the mistakes identified in the structure and organisation of this guide.

 

References

Lee, Y. Y., & Lowe, M. S. (2018). Building Positive Learning Experiences through Pedagogical Research Guide Design. Journal of Web Librarianship, 12(4), 205–231. https://doi-org.ezproxy.csu.edu.au/10.1080/19322909.2018.1499453

Redland’s College. (2024). Resources – Year 8 Geography – Changing Nations – LibGuides at Redlands College. https://redlandscollege.libguides.com/year8geography