To enable side navigation, when you create a new LibGuide, under “Choose Layout or Reuse”, select “Start Fresh”.
Then under “Choose Layout”, select “Side-Nav Layout”. See below:
Provide a description of the purpose of the guide
Provide an introduction with context for the guide on the home page. Who was the guide designed for? How can users best use the resources?
Example text: "Welcome! This guide was created for students in Prof. ABC’s course [insert course name, insert semester/year]. This guide provides links to resources for researching ABC. Here, you'll find information on books, databases, [insert resources]. Use the tabs on the left side to navigate through the pages of this guide."
Use clear, concise language in your LibGuide. Be as explicit as you can!
Add either of the following widgets to your home page: “Contact Us” or your librarian profile box
To add a profile box, click on “Add Box” and select the box type “Profile”. You can title the box “Librarian” or “Contact” or whatever you feel is appropriate.
To add the “Contact Us” box, click on “Add Box”, then “Reuse Existing Box”. Under “Guide”, scroll down to “Subject Guide Template by Julia Furay” and under “Box” select “Contact Us”.
Create page titles that are short (ideally, 3 words or less) and meaningful
For example, “Recommended Resources” is more informative than a generic title like “Databases”
Limit guides to 7 pages (if possible) to ease cognitive load
Use appropriate heading level structures (to help them be better read by Screen Readers)
Use Heading Level 3 to 6 for your content; this is what is available in the Rich Text Editor
Heading Level 1 is reserved for page titles (If you are editing the HTML, do not use this.)
Heading Level 2 is reserved for box titles (If you are editing the HTML, do not use this.)
Avoid using headings for stylistic reasons in Rich Text/HTML. Headings should be used semantically.
Create lists instead of paragraphs when possible
This helps maximize white space for cognitive load
