LibGuideLines

New! Check out the UK Libraries' Quick Start guide for getting up and running in Springshare applications. 

Springshare's LibGuides system is an effective content management system for creating and maintaining web pages to help users find and use library sources. This UK Libraries "LibGuidelines" guide is our policy and "how to" guide.  It includes helpful technical tips for guide creators and policy guidelines and requirements intended to ensure that our collection of guides is a cohesive and useful collection of resources.  The LibGuidelines guide is created and maintained by the UKL Springshare committee.

We use LibGuides for specific kinds of library content:

• Subject guides provide information and links to resources in a particular academic subject area.  Most guides include links to recommended databases, searching tips, and contact information for more help. Only the primary academic subject guides should be tagged as subject guide type. If you have any questions regarding where your guides should go please reach out to Beth Kraemer.
• Course guides are tailored for a specific course.  Course guides typically include help and resources developed for a specific course assignment, like a final research paper.  Course guides should be assigned the course guide type.
• "How to" guides provide help and information by type of resource or for different patron types.  Examples include the E-book guide, "Research 101" for undergrads, and the EndNote guide. These guides are gathered together by assigning them to the "How to Use" group.  
• "Topic Guides" provide information topics or subjects related to an academic subject guide.  These guides may be on topics sub-disciplines taught in a college (e.g., British Literature, Chemical Engineering), of focused interest, or current events, and may be "sunset" after a shorter period of time. i.e. COVID-19 Guides. Topic guides should be assigned as topic guide type.

Not all online content delivered by UK Libraries belongs in LibGuides!  Information about library services or departments fit nicely on the Libraries' main Drupal website and can be linked to from a guide. Contact Shanna Wilbur to start a conversation.

Assigning Guides to Groups

Most guides don't belong to a group, but we have several useful groups that should be used for certain types of guides. Groups can define look-and-feel of a set of guides and provide access to the set through a single URL.  Examples of Groups include our How to Use guides and the Med Center Library guides.  If your guide should be in a group, you can assign that by using the Group field also at the top of the guide editor page.  If you would like us to create a new group, please contact a Springshare Administrator.

What about Types?

Please use these Types for these kinds of guides:

• General Purpose:  Default.  Use for anything that doesn't fit in the types below.
• Course Guide:  Use only for Course guides.
• Subject Guide:  Use only for Primary Academic Subject Area guides.
• Topic Guide:  Use for topics not direct connected to an academic department or program.  Appropriate for "current event" type guides.
• Internal Guide:  For guides used by library staff.  Remember to make these guides "private" rather than "published".
• Template Guide:   Intended to become a "blueprint" guide that can be copied by others.  We don't tend to use this type much at UK.

Guides for main subject areas should be assigned an appropriate Subject, in order to show up on the main LibGuides page which displays guides by subject. 

Assign a pre-defined Subject using the "Subjects" field at the top of the guide edit page.  Subjects match the listing on the main library website and managed LibGuides by the Springshare committee. They are applied to guides and databases.  

Topic Guides, Course Guides, and "How to" Guides should not be tagged with any subject. In general, only Subject Guides should be tagged with a subject.

All published guides - even those without a Subject - will show up on the "All Guides" list. Click the "Browse All Guides" button in the left navigation tabs. The search box at the top also searches all published guides.