LibGuide Design
This section will review the basic guide structure and how each part interacts with each other. It will also provide advice on how to ensure all our LibGuides have the same elements and feel to them.
LibGuides are like Matryoshka dolls, that is, they are similar to a large doll with many smaller dolls inside. All elements work together to give structure to the LibGuide.
In LibGuides:
- A Guide is the outermost "doll" and contains the pages, boxes, and content.
- A Page provides structure for the guide and the content within it.
- A Box contains the content for the page. There are four types of boxes you can use:
- Standard - used most of time and contain text, images, etc.
- Tabbed - similar to standard except you can create multiple tabs within the box; each having its own content.
- Gallery - displays images.
- Profile - displays the user profile in the system. This is the only content this box can contain.
- The Content is the information conveyed in the box; it can include text, links, databases, widgets, videos, RSS feeds, etc.
A GUIDE can contain many pages, a PAGE can contain many boxes, and a BOX can contain many pieces of content.
In LibGuides v2, all ASSETS are stored in a central repository and divided into three categories:
- Content Items this where you manage all of the links, books, documents/files, media/widgets, and RSS feeds. You can also export the asset list into Excel (entire list or use the filter). Content items may also be added at the guide level.
- A-Z Database List this is where you manage all of the database assets. This is what populates the A-Z Database page on the public side of the site. These also may be exported to Excel.
- Icons this is where you add/manage the resource icons you use with your links.
There are two ways ASSETS can be used:
- Mapped - connected to the original, all changes to the original will automatically update the mapped versions.
- Copied - these are independent of the original. You can change the description, subject, icon, and add a thumbnail and it will not affect the original. However, content items are still mapped to the original if you copy a guide, page, or box.
Databases and Icons cannot be copied. They are mapped to the guide from the Assets - the original remains in the repository when you delete the page, box, or guide.
Content Items immediately appear in Assets when created in a guide. They can be mapped or copied. If you delete a guide, page, box, or individual content item at the page level, the original content asset will remain in the repository even though it is no longer associated with your guide, page, or box. If you want to permanently delete a Content Item, you must delete it from the Content>Assets>Content Items. CAUTION - be careful deleting at this level as it will delete the Content Item anywhere it is used in the system.
General Guidelines
- All guides should have side-navigation.
- All profiles should be on the left under the side navigation
- Please do not change the color of the tabs.
For each page in your LibGuide, ask yourself:
- Does this need to be on its own page?
- Is this information needed and relevant?
- Could 'like' boxes be grouped together?