LibGuides: An Introduction and How-To Guide: Page Elements

Download and print this PDF for an always-handy guide on the basics of creating and editing a LibGuide.

Adding Boxes & Box Types
A new box can be added to any column by clicking the "Add New Box" sticky note found at the bottom of that column. There are almost 20 different types of boxes you can add to your LibGuides. For details about each box type and how best to utilize them, please see: http://help.springshare.com. But for the purposes of getting started, let's look at the few you'll be using the most:

• Rich Text Box: best if you just want to add text and images, but you can also use it to add anything you would to an HTML page (eg, JavaScript).
• Simple Web Links/Links & Lists Boxes: these are best for just what they say--lists of links. Can you put a list of links in a Rich Text Box? Sure, but boxes specifically designated for links also have special features. For instance, they autoformat for you, making your job quicker and easier. They also let you track how often a link gets clicked on. Then you know if a resource is actually being used. Perhaps best of all, they automatically check links so when one breaks, you get notified automatically. Can't get any of these things with a Rich Text Box.
• Books from the Catalog Box: this box allows you to list books and other items from the Library catalog. Some neat features of this box are that it will pull cover art for you and automatically add other descriptive information you designate. It also keeps statistics on how many people click through to your catalog through these links.
• Link to Guides Box: If you want to link out to other LibGuides on a particular subject/author, most popular guides, and more, this is the box to use. Why? Because it will automatically sort and update these lists for you everytime a new guide is added to the system. It's extremely helpful for pointing users to guides that might be related to yours.
• Profile Box: This box is for your professional and contact information, so the users know with whom they're dealing. Also, one change to this box will update your information across the system. For information about what's appropriate to put in this box and how to set it up, see Creating Your Profile.

Reordering Page Elements & Resizing/Removing Columns
To reorder the boxes on your page, simply select "Reorder Boxes" under the "ADD/EDIT PAGES" tab in your tool bar:

Resizing columns or removing columns altogether can also be done using the "Resize Columns" option under this tab. You can drag the columns to the width you want, or add specific values.