The Power of LibGuides: Using the Interface and Creating Content

Michael Johnson, MLSCirculation Librarian, Shawnee State UniversityApril, 23rd 2012

What we will cover in the next hourQuick review of the last class

The main page options

Creating a new research guide

Creating pages and ordering them

Creating content boxes and content

The limitations of a WYSIWYG

Gathering statistics from libguides

ReviewLibGuides is a content management system

Easy to share or aggregate information Can set up permissions

Choices to made before you start Color, language, formatting etc…

Best practices aka Think of the User Use the system to save time Users want less not more Run a user analysis

Main/Home/Dashboard options

Creating a new research guide: Before ClickingStart on paper

Pencil and paper are easy to erase and move around

This saves time

Making a blueprint Not for every bit of content Big parts

How many tabs Major boxes

Like a blue print this will change

Creating a new research guide: Lets take a tour

Creating a new research guide: Lets take a tour

Creating a new research guide: Lets take a tourAdd a page

Adding a tap

Reorder/move pages

Reorder boxes

Resize columns

Delete a page This can’t be undone

Creating a new research guide: WARNINGDon’t create subpages under the tabs

Hard to use on Mobile The drop down menus that appear under the tabs

are confusing Users don’t like them

Instead create a new guide with the headers being the drop down menu Link back with a related guides box at the bottom

Creating a new site: Lets move some stuff aroundLets take a look at the practice cyber bulling

guide I made: http://sandbox.campusguides.com/cyber-bullying

We will go over content types in a bit

What’s in a box: Types of contentRich Text/Dynamic Content/Scripts

This is the most versatile box Allows for HTML and embedding

Link Boxes This is you want to make a list of links I like Links & Lists

Multimedia Boxes Use it only for RSS Feeds and Books from Catalog Everything else can be done in Rich Text better

What’s in a box: Types of content pt. 2User Input Boxes

Don’t use them

Miscellaneous Boxes Dates and events is useful

Google Boxes Aren’t we trying to show other sources then

Google?

Play Around Explore and learn the options

The power of listsLists are very useful

Databases Similar resources Providing out going links

Descriptive Text At the top there is room to write

Users like lists Short and related material

Non-Link list Use Rich Text

Lets make a link list together

Rich text box: WYSIWYGStands for “What you see is what you get”

Allows for a graphical system to interact with XHTML and CSS Like Microsoft word for a website

Pros Interacting in a way that your used to Short learning time, almost “natural”

Cons Not versatile Can fight you

Rich text box introduction

Getting statisticsWe live in a quantitative world

LibGuide Statistics can be another statistic that can show library usage

First are statistics for all the guides

Then statistics for an individual page

Getting statistics: The entrance

Getting statistics: All the my guides

Getting statistics: A certain guide

Thank you! Questions?Email: mjohnson2@shawnee.edu

Twitter: @mwjthelibrarian

April 23 2012

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