Images on a page or in a particular box can serve several purposes. They can liven up a page. They can catch the user's eye. They can break up text. They can provide graphical clues about content.
It's important to adhere to copyright and accessibility standards when using images.
The following are three useful resources for adding images:
In addition to text based resources consider adding podcasts, videos and other multimedia. They can add interest and appeal to guides as well as useful information.
It's important to adhere to copyright standards when using multimedia.
Links to resources should be added as link assets.
If you add links directly into a rich-text box then those links can't be managed by the link asset manager.
Instead, use link or database assets to link to resources from your guides.
If you must use links inside a rich-text box then check that these links open in a separate page or tab.
Links should make sense if the linked text is read by itself. Screen reader users may choose to read only the links on a web page. Avoid phrases like “click here” and “more”.
Use these tips for giving a short and descriptive name for pages and content boxes.
Home page
The profile box should only be on the “Getting Started” (Home) page of your guide, in the top right column.
For research or course guides the title of the profile box should read Subject Librarian. Also consider editing the profile box title to refer to your subject specialty: Art Librarian.
Other guides should have a profile box titled Guide Author or Subject Librarian.
The profile box should include
Additional information can be found on this Introduction to profiles page.
Try to have as much of the important content of the guide clearly visible without having to scroll down. Many users will only read what’s near the top of the screen. If need for scrolling is excessive, consider reorganizing the material.
Every guide should be assigned appropriate tags and subjects that specify the content of the guide.
Friendly URLs make it easy to quickly see and understand the purpose of the page. For example, /g=46515&p=365289 is not intuitive but /libguidesintro/thebasics carries meaning.
The friendly URLs can be set in the following ways:
Avoid subpages as much as possible. Before putting content in a subpage, think about whether it can be put in a separate box on the parent page or homepage without making that page too long.
The organization of pages should be consistent. Subjects and formats should not be mixed. For example, if one has an Education guide and one tab is “Educational Psychology” and another “Journal Articles” students may be confused how to find an article on educational psychology.