Creating a New Guide

1. Get to the "Create New Guide" screen

From the Home/Dashboard page, click Create Guide in the LibGuides Shortcuts box.
Or go to Content > Guide Index and click the + Create Guide button at the top of the page.

2. Choose Layout or Reuse 

Start Fresh will be selected automatically. 

If you are creating a course guide, select Copy content / layout from an existing guide.

Local Guides will be automatically selected.

Select the guide titled "Course Guide Template"

If you are reusing an existing guide, please do not check the box next to Copy Assets. We want as many of our assets mapped (not copied) as possible. If the assets are copied instead of mapped, they are no longer linked to the original. If we have to update an existing asset, we can edit the original one and it will automatically update on every guide it has been mapped to. If assets are copied, they all need to be updated individually.

3. Guide Name

Choose a guide name that is short, sweet, and to the point. Be sure to adhere to the naming conventions outlined within this guide.

4.  Guide Description

Add a brief description outlining the information contained within your guide.

5. Guide Type

When creating a new guide, be sure to categorize it properly!

General Purpose: Used when your guide won't exactly fit the criteria for any of the other guide types

Course Guide: Used for guides that focus on a specific course

Subject Guide: Used for guides that discuss a certain academic program/subject area/discipline

Topic Guide: Used for guides that focus on a single topic, like citation styles

Internal Guide: Used for guides that will never be used by the public. Internal guides will not appear in guide lists or search results and are only viewable by users with accounts in the system. If the guide is set to Published or Private, it will be visible to anyone if they have the URL.

Template Guide: Used for guides that will act as blueprints for future guides to maintain consistency. Template guides will not appear in guide lists or search results. If the guide is set to Published or Private, it will be visible to anyone if they have the URL.

6. Share Guide Content?

No: No one can copy this guide's content.

Internal: Only other authors in our system (Drew University) can copy this guide's content.

Community: This guide can be copied by other authors in our system (Drew University) and by other authors outside of our system in the wider SpringShare Community. Private guides are not listed in the Community, but they can be copied using the guide's URL.

Reference the following tips to ensure that guide, page, and box titles are consistent, short, and descriptive! For more related information, see *Writing for the Web* and *Editorial Guidelines*.

• Vocabulary: Avoid library jargon and use action words.
• Be Specific: A box labeled "Encyclopedias" or "Overviews" is much more descriptive than "Reference Resources". Avoid vague titles like "Other" or "Additional Resources".
• Keep it Short: Titles should be short and to the point while still accurately reflecting the content within them. 
• Use &: Use an ampersand (&) rather than "and" in guide, page, and box titles.
• Capitalization: Use Sentance Case in Guide, Page, and Box Titles.
• Naming the Home Page: Rather than calling the opening page of a guide "Home," name it something a bit more meaningful like "Getting Started" or "Overview". If your guide walks users through a process, consider naming the home page "Start Here".

• Studies on usability, eye tracking, and similar topics found that people generally have an easier time seeing and using side navigation.
• Users scan/read pages in an “F” shape.
  • We tend to avoid the right side of the screen entirely because we’re so used to websites putting ads there.
  • So if we have pages with multiple columns on them, there’s a pretty significant chance that users may unconsciously skip over important information.
• Side navigation keeps things tidy and organized.
  • We want to reduce users’ cognitive load.
  • Don’t make them use brainpower just to decipher the layout and structure of the guide!

How to Change to Side-Nav

• First, select the Guide Layout button (the photo icon) located near the top right of the screen and select Guide Navigation Layout.

• Next, select System Default - Side-Nav Layout. Be sure to also check the boxes next to Show all subpages in side navigation and Show box-level navigation for selected page.
• Finally, click the Guide Layout button again and select Prev / Next Links, then check the box in the window that pops up.
  • This adds previous and next links at the bottom of all your guide pages to allow users to navigate through your pages in order.

Friendly URLs are updated URLs that are easier for users to remember and type. Instead of a guide having a URL with a long string of numbers, we can customize it to something short yet descriptive.

• To assign a friendly URL, click the pencil icon next to URL or PAGE URL.
• Make sure to give every page within your LibGuide a friendly URL, not just the main page.
• Keep it as short yet descriptive as possible, use only lowercase, and use underscores in place of spaces.
• Course guides should follow the format of "xxx123" (where "xxx" is the subject and "123" is the course number). Do not use spaces, hyphens, or underscores to separate the course subject and course number.
  • For example, the friendly URL for SOC 101: Introduction to Sociology would be "soc101"
• DSEM section course guides are very similar to regular course guides. However, instead of the course number, use the course section. Do not use spaces, hyphens, or underscores to separate the course subject and course section. Add the last two digits of the year to the end of the URL preceded by an underscore
  • For example, the friendly URL for DSEM 100-008: Gender Questions in the fall of 2024 would be "dsem008_24"

• Avoid using subpages whenever possible! They can quickly become buried and are easy to miss.
• Try to stick to ten pages or fewer in your guide.
  • Any more than this and things can become quite cramped.
  • If you have more than ten pages, consider:
    • Can any of these pages be combined?
    • Should this guide be split up into two?
• Ensure that your pages are all distinct from one another.
  • Don't have one page titled "Reference Resources" and another titled "Online Resources."
    • These pages could both easily fit within each other, as many reference resources are available online.
• Do not have pages that automatically redirect users away from the LibGuide. Being repeatedly redirected away from a research guide can become very annoying for users!
  • For example, do not have a page called "Center for Academic Excellence" that brings users straight to the CAE's website when they click on it.
  • If you want to link to an external page, include it in a list as a link asset with a description.

We need to ensure that our guides work well on mobile devices!

• LibGuides are built with Responsive Design.
  • This means that content is resized and reorganized automatically depending on the screen size of users’ devices.
  • When viewed on a mobile device, guides with side nav (all of ours) will reorient to display the page tabs first, then the boxes beneath the navigation tabs, and finally the main content boxes.
• Group similar content together in columns so they don’t get separated in the mobile layout
  • The left column will be shown first in the mobile layouts.
  • Is the content in an order that makes sense?

• With this in mind, it’s important that we test every guide for mobile usability to make sure that everything looks okay.
  • To simulate what the page will look like on different devices, right-click, click “Inspect,” then click “Toggle Device Toolbar” (Ctrl + Shift + M).
    • You can see what your guide will look like on various devices by selecting them from the “Dimensions” drop-down menu.
  • You can also resize your browser window to test usability, as well.

• Always include a profile box on the guides you create so users know exactly who to contact if they have any questions.
• Profile boxes should only ever be on the main landing page of the LibGuide ("Welcome," "Getting Started," etc.).
• Profile boxes should include:
  • Your name and title
  • A photo
  • Your contact information (email and phone)
  • Your office location