Guides should use side navigation because it displays better on mobile devices, which many UNC students use instead of computers.
It's also a good idea to test your guides on a mobile device before sharing them with users. Guide elements will display in this order:
As we transition away from the subject librarian model, we recommend using a generic box with contact information for the libraries, instead of your individual profile box. The box below this one is an example. Here's how to access it:
In some situations it might be more appropriate to use your own SpringShare profile box. Here's information from SpringShare on how to do it:
ResearchFollow the University Libraries:
Text: Use the default font in the template, which is designed to be accessible. If you want to change the font, 14 point or larger sans serif is recommended for readability.
Before you can add an image to your guide, you'll need to upload it to your SpringShare Image Manager. At the bottom of this box is information from SpringShare on how to do it. You can also use images in the shared folders. However, only SpringShare admins can add images to shared folders. Contact Natasha Floersch or Kazi Jestribek with questions.
Don't forget to add alt text to all images in your guide. Alt text enables those using screen readers to hear a description of the image. You can add alt text when you first upload the image to your Image Manager, or when you add it to your guide.
If an image merely decorative, you can mark it "decorative image" in the alt text field instead of describing it.
The template uses the official "UNC Bears Blue." The hex code for this color is #013c65. SpringShare's default blue is close to this shade, so it's fine to keep the default if you don't want to change it. The hex code for the official "UNC Bears Orange" is #f6b000. However, as you can see, it doesn't show up well against a white background or SpringShare's default gray background--so it's best to use the orange sparingly!
Accent colors can be found in the UNC Style Guide.
*Checking links is one of the easiest and most important things you can do to keep your guides current. URLs change often, and it's frustrating for users to click on broken links. We encourage you to check the links in your guides regularly.
If you've entered text in a box on your LibGuide, you can turn that text into a link:
The link will appear within your text, in a different color, like in this sample link to the Libraries website.
This is a quick and convenient way to create links, but it has some important limitations:
Assets are different types of items (including documents, widgets, LibWizard forms, and links) that are saved in a library and can be reused across guides. You can reuse both assets that you created, and assets that other users created. Springshare explains what assets are and how to use them here:
Link assets look different from rich text links (see below), but they have some advantages:
This article explains how to reuse an existing link asset, and how to create a new link asset if needed. This is also an example of what a link asset looks like.
How to Reuse an Existing Link Asset:
How to Add a New Link Asset:
4. Click Save
This is a "floating box," which means that users won't see the blue heading (with the box name in white) and the gray border around the box. However, you can see these features when you're logged into SpringShare. Some LibGuide creators think that floating boxes look better, since they add more white space to a guide page--but it's up to you to decide if you want to use them.
If you reuse a floating box from another guide, the "floating" feature won't automatically apply to your new copy of the box. You need to manually set it to be floating. Here's how to do it:
Follow this same process when you create a new box and want it to be floating.