Four students from the Library and Information Science Study Program, Faculty of Humanities, Universitas Diponegoro, introduced a Library Pathfinder innovation during their Job Training program at the Faculty of Law Library of Universitas Diponegoro, which took place from 29 December 2025 to 20 February 2026. This innovation was developed as a solution to provide a more structured and systematic reference search tool for the academic community of the Faculty of Law.
Library Pathfinder: A Reference Search Solution in Legal Studies
The Library Pathfinder was developed in response to the needs of law students who often experience difficulties in finding relevant and credible references. The Library and Information Science students designed a structured and user-friendly guide. It contains a list of reference sources categorized into 12 fields of study, including criminal law, Western civil law, business law, agrarian law, customary law, Islamic law, procedural law, administrative law, constitutional law, international law, law and society, and the foundations of legal science.
The Pathfinder also provides recommended reference sources in various formats, ranging from printed and electronic books to national and international journals, as well as selected YouTube video links.
In the development process, the students conducted an analysis of users’ information needs, subject mapping, and selection of authoritative sources. The format was organized systematically to ensure practicality and applicability. This innovation emphasizes the role of librarians as facilitators of information literacy and as partners in supporting academic research.
Practical Experience Strengthening Professional Competence
The development of the Library Pathfinder was supported by comprehensive hands-on experience during the internship period. In technical aspects, the students were involved in collection management activities, including inventorying, classification, cataloging, labeling, RFID installation, and shelving. These activities provided direct insight into collection structure and information retrieval systems.
The students also contributed to the management of scholarly articles in Diponegoro Law Journal, particularly in the layouting process and format checking prior to publication. This experience broadened their understanding of academic publishing standards and research dissemination processes.
In addition, the students conducted data entry and management of undergraduate theses from the Faculty of Law into the institutional repository of Universitas Diponegoro. This process included metadata input and document uploading as part of digital preservation efforts. Their involvement in developing the library’s social media content also enhanced their skills in creative information communication, from idea planning to publication.
Contribution and Future Prospects
Through the Library Pathfinder innovation, the Library and Information Science students not only gained practical experience but also produced a valuable output for the Faculty of Law Library of Universitas Diponegoro. The Pathfinder is expected to serve as a sustainable guide that facilitates the reference searching process and improves the quality of students’ research.
In the future, this innovation has the potential to be continuously developed and updated according to users’ needs. The Library Pathfinder can also serve as a model for adaptive and collaborative reference services in higher education institutions, while strengthening the culture of information literacy within the Faculty of Law of Universitas Diponegoro.
