2026-06-04 –, Borduas-Krieghoff2 Language: English
Introduction:
Of the many Springshare-powered subject guides at our undergraduate, teaching-focused university, the Nursing Guide ranks as the most used, with over 30,000 annual visits, yet it has not undergone any significant revision in over 10 years. To that end, the Nursing librarian team, which includes our User Experience Librarian, are undertaking a mixed-methods, participatory research approach to redesigning the Nursing Guide that centres the Nursing student experience.
The primary research questions guiding our study:
1. When and why is the guide being accessed, for which contexts and purposes, and by whom?
2. How are students navigating and engaging with the guide? What are their challenges, blocks, unmet needs, or undiscovered gaps? What do students want from the Nursing Guide?
Methods:
We are using a mixed-methods approach to data collection:
Phase 1: Quantitative data will be collected via a survey sent to all Nursing students. It will collect demographic information, such as year of study and current courses, as well as questions related to the use and relevance of the Nursing Subject Guide.
Phase 2: Applying UX principles through a participatory research lens, we will conduct think-alouds to collect rich qualitative data on how students navigate the guide in practice.
Results:
We will share the results of our quantitative data analysis, as well as our experiences, observations, and preliminary insights from the student think-alouds. Participants will have the opportunity to learn about our student-engaged UX approach and how this can be applied to their own quality improvement initiatives for library users.
Ali Foster (they/she), BEd, MLIS, is a librarian with MacEwan University in Edmonton, Alberta. With over 10 years in libraries, Ali’s professional interests include the application of universal design (UD) principles to library services and resources and evidence-informed design of web resources. As the Web & User Experience Librarian, Ali supports UX and assessment initiatives within the library in addition to acting as the library liaison to Psychology and contributing to the Nursing Librarian liaison team. When not engaged in library work, Ali can be found out and about in Edmonton’s parks.
Jody Nelson is a Nursing Librarian at MacEwan University, providing information literacy instruction and research support to nursing students and faculty. Jody holds an MA from Carleton University and an MLIS from the University of Alberta. With a keen interest in the scholarship of teaching and learning, Jody has been involved in several collaborative research investigations into the impact of teaching interventions and modalities on nursing student learning and self-efficacy.
Danielle Deschamps (she/her), MLIS, is a Nursing Liaison and Open Education/Copyright Librarian at MacEwan University in Edmonton, Alberta. She is dedicated to supporting students and instructors in the discovery, dissemination, and creation of knowledge through evidence-based methodologies, evidence-synthesis approaches, and open scholarly practices. Danielle also serves on the editorial board of Technical Services Quarterly and is the Treasurer of the Association of Alberta Health Libraries for the 2025–2027 term.