Let the Right Ones In: Supporting Patrons as Content Creators with LibGuides and LibGuides CMS

Jeffrey M. Mortimore, Georgia Southern University
Ruth L. Baker

Abstract

With flexible access and permission features, LibGuides and LibGuides CMS offer an adaptable platform for hosting patron-created content. This paper highlights how librarians at Georgia Southern University opened their LibGuides CMS platform to host faculty and student projects and portfolios. Employing similar techniques, libraries can host a wide range of patron-created content while protecting library-managed guides and assets, controlling access to patron-created content, and protecting patron privacy. This paper provides a detailed overview of access and permission features available in LibGuides and LibGuides CMS, presents two case studies, and offers considerations and best practices for hosting patron-created content.