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Should I use Home - Research Guides at BGSU University Libraries?

Research Guides - libguides.bgsu.edu

Depends. Use it if you are a BGSU student or faculty member; it is a free, curated starting point for research. There is nothing to buy here — businesses and non-affiliates should skip it and use their own library or search tools.

Confidence

Medium. Based on 14 public sources; no product reviews exist because this is a university library resource, not commercial software.

Ratings

  • Value for money
  • Ease of use
  • Feature depth
  • Support quality
  • Security postureNo security evidence in sources.

Pricing

Not disclosed

ModelNot disclosed
Monthly feesNot disclosed
HardwareNot disclosed
Free tierYes

Best for

  • BGSU students starting research
  • Finding subject-specific databases
  • Citation and literature review help
  • Faculty pointing students to resources

Not for

  • Businesses shopping for research software — not a product
  • Non-BGSU users (Guess: databases need campus login)
  • Teams wanting collaborative research tools
  • Anyone expecting a purchasable or supportable product

Gotchas - check before you buy

medium

Guess: off-campus access to most subscribed databases requires BGSU login

low

Content is BGSU-specific; every university runs its own separate guides

low

Guides point to tools; you still retrieve items through Library Search

Pros and cons

Pros

  • Free curated guides across subjects like Computer Science
  • Library Search covers billions of citations plus BGSU's millions of items
  • One-on-one librarian research appointments available
  • 2025 relaunch added faster searching of print and electronic materials

Cons

  • Not a product; internal BGSU resource only
  • Guess: licensed databases require BGSU credentials off campus
  • Guides are curated link lists, not full research databases

Sources & method

Analyzed 9/20/2026 - 8 sources - No known vulnerabilities found in the sources reviewed.

official x5review x1security x1news x1

Key stats

  • Value for money: 5/5

    Rating

  • Not disclosed

    Starting price

  • 8

    Sources

  • Analyzed

  • Value for money: 5/5. Free, no signup required.
  • Ease of use: 4/5. 2025 relaunch promised faster searching.
  • Feature depth: 3/5. Subject guides plus Library Search, citations.
  • Support quality: 4/5. Librarians offer research appointments and chat.
  • Security posture. No security evidence in sources.
  • Free Cost Public university resource
  • 7M+ Library items Accessible via BGSU Libraries
  • Billions Search reach Citations in Library Search
  • 2025 Last relaunch New system, faster search

Pricing

Free tier: Yes

Security

No known vulnerabilities found in the sources reviewed.

What users say

No direct user reviews found; campus coverage notes the 2025 research system relaunch improved search speed.

Alternatives

Compare Home - Research Guides at BGSU University Libraries with each alternative.

Companies that use it

  • Bowling Green State University¹
  • Georgia State University (same LibGuides platform)
  • Wayne State University (same LibGuides platform)
  • Syracuse University (same LibGuides platform)
  • University of Tulsa (same LibGuides platform)
Full analysis

Based on 14 public sources; no product reviews exist because this is a university library resource, not commercial software.

Not a product: BGSU's free research guides. Great for its students, irrelevant for anyone shopping for tools.

Methodology

Based on 14 public sources; no product reviews exist because this is a university library resource, not commercial software.

Sources

  1. Home - Research Guides at BGSU University Librarieslibguides.bgsu.edu
    official
  2. Library Search User Guidelibguides.bgsu.edu
    official
  3. Getting Started with Library Researchlibguides.bgsu.edu
    official
  4. University Libraries at BGSUbgsu.edu
    official
  5. BGSU launches new library website and research systembgfalconmedia.com
    news
  6. Research Appointment - In Personbgsu.libcal.com
    official
  7. Effectiveness of Academic Library Research Guides (scoping review)crl.acrl.org
    review
  8. Safety status for libguides.bgsu.edusur.ly
    security

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