LibGuides Instructions and Guidelines

If this is your first time creating a LibGuide (or you'd like a refresher), please follow Springshare's detailed instructions on the process.

This information is scheduled to change at some point .

When creating a new guide, you have three options: create a guide from scratch, reuse an existing UO Guide, or reuse a guide belonging to another library. The instructions for all three options are below.

Keep in mind that if you reuse another library's Guide, you will need to go through and update its settings and style to comply with UO best practices.

Changing the layout of an existing guide

In the UO LibGuides system, guide template choices are limited. Currently, most guides are assigned a Group, which also forces them into a three-column layout. 

If you would like to change the layout of an existing guide to the two-column layout seen on some guides, simply remove the Group assignment in the field near the guide title.

Keep in mind that when you change a guide from three-column to two column, all content originally in the right-hand column will be hidden. To move these boxes into the visible columns, follow the instructions below.

Guide Name: Select a Guide Name that describes the content of the guide succinctly using 1-6 words. 

When creating a new guide, follow the naming conventions described below.

• Subject/Topic Guides should be given the discipline/topic name 
  • Education
  • Artist's Books
  • Digital Humanities in Special Collections
• Course Guides for CRN Courses follow the format: SUBJECT Number: CourseName - Instructor (optional)
  • HPHY 123: Human Physiology and Sports
  • BA 308: Leadership & Communication - Nuetzman
• Course Guides for non-CRN classes (like FIG's) use the full course name
  • FIG: Stories We Tell
• How-To Guides can either start with a verb (using, making, etc.) or "How to..." 
  • Finding Primary Sources
  • How to Choose Data Analysis Software
  • Exploring Academic Integrity in Your Research

Guide Descriptions are optional and should only be used if they provide information that's not addressed elsewhere in the guide.

If you choose to use a Description, it should be no longer than 20 words.

Pick the appropriate type for your guide. Do not leave it as "Choose Guide Type from the list below."

Subject/Topic Guides
Subject/Topic Guides address a particular academic discipline, department, program, or major, and a wide variety of specialized topics including supporting special events, or highlighting special topics or collections.

Course Guides
Course Guides are designed to meet the needs of a specific class. They support the research assignments the students will have to complete throughout the term and are often used as a part of library instruction sessions.

How-To Guides
How-To Guides are designed to show the user how to do something. These Guides also include tutorials.

Internal Guides
Internal guides are only visible to users who are logged into the back-end of UO's LibGuides system. This type should be used for internal staff training documentation and similar materials.

Note: Course and Subject Guides should always use the 2-column layout so they appear properly in Canvas

Do Not assign Groups to new LibGuides.

The Groups feature will be sunset once new Guide templates are made available. Currently, assigning a Group forces guides into three-column layout, a restriction being removed soon.