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Creating a LibGuide

This guide will help you design an accessible, user-friendly LibGuide.

Getting Started

To create a guide from a template, complete the following steps.

  1. Under Content choose Guides.
  2. Click Create Guide.
  3. Choose Copy content/layout from an existing guide.
  4. Under Select a Guide and choose a template. 
  5. Select the box next to Copy Assets to create copies so that your changes will not affect the template.
  6. Name, describe, and assign a guide Type/Group.
  7. Click Create Guide.

Note: When reusing pages or content from another guide, carefully consider whether or not you'll be making changes to that content. If you do plan to make changes, please choose Copy Assets so that another person's guides are not affected by the changes you make on your own guide.

Reminder: Before publishing your guide, review the Best Practices for creating a LibGuide to ensure that your guide meets the recommended guidelines. 

Before creating a new guide from scratch, run a search for an existing LibGuide on your subject or course topic to avoid duplicating content unnecessarily.

If a new guide is necessary, complete the following steps.

  1. Under Content choose Guides.
  2. Click  Create Guide.
  3. Choose Start fresh.
  4. Name, describe, and assign a guide Type/Group.
  5. Click Create Guide.

Note: When reusing pages or content from another guide, carefully consider whether or not you'll be making changes to that content. If you do plan to make changes, please choose Copy Assets so that another person's guides are not affected by the changes you make on your own guide.

Reminder: Before publishing your guide, review the Best Practices for creating a LibGuide to ensure that your guide meets the recommended guidelines. 

How to Name Your Guide

The format of your guide name depend on the type of guide you are creating. Course guides have a specific format that should be followed in order to establish consistency in our collection. 

Course Guides

If you are creating a course guide you should include the course prefix and number followed by the course name. Many students do not know their course numbers so if you do not include additional identifiers your students may have a hard time finding your guide. 

  • Bad Example: "MGMT 100"
  • Good Example: "MGMT 100: Introduction to Management" 

Other/Subject Guides

If your guide isn't course specific, try to use a short, but descriptive name. 

  • Good Example: "African American History, Culture, Race and Identity"
  • Better Example: "African American Studies"

Setting Guide Types and Groups

When creating a new LibGuide or updating an existing one, you need to set the Guide Type and Group. This option can be found at the top of the page under the guide description. Please be sure that both options are set to the same type in order for your guide to show up in the correct categories. 

To set the Guide Type/Group, click on the gear icon located in the upper right corner and choose Guide Type & Group.

Guide Types

Guide type tells users the purpose of the guide. For more information on guide types and specific examples of content for each type, see Choosing a Guide Type.

Type Description Is it public?
How To Guide Guides created to show how to use library tools or display other (non-course) instructional information. Yes
Course Guide Guides made specifically for classes. Yes
Subject Guide Guides developed as a starting point for users interested in a particular subject or topic. Yes
Workshop Guide Guides made specifically to supplement a workshop or event. Yes
Internal Guide Guides developed for internal staff and faculty only, and display internal documentation or training information. No
Template Guide Guide that is intended to be copied and used as a blueprint or boilerplate template. Similar to the internal guide, this guides will not be added to guide lists or search results. No

Guide Groups

Guide groups determine how guides are organized into collections. When possible the guide group should match the guide type. For example, a Course Guide belongs in the Course Guides group.

Guide Description vs. Introduction

Guide Description

Located under the guide name at the top of the page, a guide description is a brief sentence that gives the user a quick overview of the type of content that is included within a specific guide. 

location of guide description under guide title

This description also appears on the Subject Guides list, when you hover over the information icon () next to a guide.

example of guide description in preview window

If you need to include more information, or want to give more of an introduction to the content of your guide, consider including an introductory content box or section within the body of your guide.

Introduction to a Guide

If you want to give users more information on the guide content or give details as to how the guide is organized an introduction section might be something to consider. Please note: a introduction section on a guide is not necessary and may not be appropriate for all guides.

See the Accounting Guide for a specific example.

Publication Status

There are three options for publication status within LibGuides - unpublished, published, and private. Below are brief descriptions of each.

Status Visible to public? Included in guide list? Included in search results?
Unpublished No No

No
Private Yes, but only if they know the URL No No
Published Yes Yes Yes

For more information on when to use a specific status or changing the status of your guide, see the Change Publication Status section.