LibGuides Guidelines: Updated guidelines - in process

Text

• Keep text to a minimum
• Use bullets and other skimmable formats
• If copying from Microsoft Word, you may need to edit the HTML to format text correctly and neatly
• Use the default font and size for main text
• Use style headers for headers (don't simply change the size and look of text)

Guides

• Choose the appropriate guide type for the content (general, course, subject, events, internal, special collections)
• Create a friendly URL for the guide
• Assign appropriate subject headings
• Assign tags other than subject headings to help users find your guide
• Use a profile box on at least one page of your guide and label it descriptively
  • Librarian for [subject] or For more information
  • Profile boxes can be system produced or custom but must contain contact information and up-to-date contact information
  • Some general guides such as Cite Your Sources may use a general profile for BLRef, Archives, or Circulation
  • If a photo is added, it must be of you and be professional looking
  • Profiles can include links to social media accounts, personal chat, scheduling an appointment, open zoom meetings if these are checked regularly

Page Layout

• Keep pages fairly short with just a few boxes
• Main content should be on the left because that will show first on smaller screens
• Use tabs to organize content
• Keep tab names short and simple
• Use tabbed boxes to break up large amounts of information
• Links should open in the same tab unless a user is likely to go back and forth between the guide and the new page
  • List links or databases in the order of importance
• Keep text to a minimum
  • You can add descriptions to links, books, databases and set those descriptions to appear below the item, when the user hovers over the link, or when the user hovers over an icon the system inserts

Interactions

• Abide by SDSU web styleguide as much as possible
• QuestionPro or Google Forms can be used for feedback

General Guidelines

• Copy content that already exists whenever possible
  • Content can be found on another guide or on **Resusable Content which is a shared guide
• Videos may be embedded on the webpage or linked from the page
  • If you embed a video, do not set it to play automatically as that does not meet accessability guidelines

Acceptable Content

• Content linked in guides must be freely available to all students, faculty, and staff at SDSU
  • Exceptions might be made with permission of Briggs Library Staff for links to material available to a specific department (e.g. APHA is purchased by and for Pharmacy students, faculty, and staff)
• If commercial resources are linked, they must be freely available and not promotional (publishers' materials that promote purchase of a textbook are not acceptable)

Maintenance

• Content on guides should be checked at least once a year
  • Include checking all URLs (you may use the link checker in the tools)
• If you want to save an old version of a guide, add OLD to the name and change its status to PRIVATE or UNPUBLISHED
• You can add hidden pages to track your updates and changes (LibGuides call these draft pages)
• It is good practice to add a box describing your updates (who, what, and when)