Performance review: online research guides for theater students

Abstract

Purpose

This study aims to assess current academic library services to theater students through an examination of online research guides.

Design/methodology/approach

This study uses a representative sample of 100 universities that offer theater degrees; the library website at each of these institutions is examined for the existence of a theater research guide. Each research guide was analyzed in depth.

Findings

The vast majority of the universities in the sample did create research guides for theater students, though the contents of these guides varied greatly. The study highlights findings including popular databases and journals for theater students, as well as media resources and common subjects for subsections or course guides.

Research limitations/implications

This study only examined a sample of 100 institutions; many theater research guides were not examined for this study. Additionally, analysis of online content is a time-specific endeavor: a guide may look significantly different from one month to the next, though the recommendations in this article might prove useful even if the sites at these institutions have since been updated.

Practical implications

Through an examination of a great number of guides, a few practical suggestions emerge for librarians looking to create theater research guides, such as highlighting playscripts and other print materials and including hyperlocal information (such as university production history).

Originality/value

Though several studies have been performed on research guides in various disciplines, this article is the first on those to theater students.

Citation

Furay, J. (2018), "Performance review: online research guides for theater students", Reference Services Review, Vol. 46 No. 1, pp. 91-109. https://doi.org/10.1108/RSR-09-2017-0037