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LibGuides Guide: Getting Started: HBLL Guidelines

Guide for HBLL librarians to create and publish subject guides

Guidelines

The goal of our Subject Guides is to enable users to:

  1. Understand quickly what a particular guide or page offers and how it is organized.
  2. Move efficiently through the content on that guide or page to get the information they need.

 

 The Web Working Group can provide suggestions regarding format and aesthetics. Here are some general tips:

  1. Focus on making your guides less text-heavy and more clearly organized.
  2. Break content into distinct segments, both visually and conceptually.

Better Usability & Design

  1. The home page should have 2 or 3 columns, with your profile box on the top right side.  Be mindful of the empty space created by the layout of boxes.  A balanced combination of boxes is what we are looking for.
     
  2. Break up long lists. There is no magic number, but if you have more than 10 resources in a single content box, you should create other boxes for the information.
     
  3. Two columns are better than one for multiple boxes. If you have more than one content box on a page, using two columns will make more apparent what the page offers.  Be careful using text-only information on 3 columns, it could be visually too much information to process.
     
  4. Use the top of the left column for introductory or descriptive information. If you have a list of resources with brief descriptive text at the top, consider moving the descriptive information to a separate box at the top of the left column. It makes the descriptive information stand out and the list of resources less cluttered.
     
  5. Don't list resources alphabetically if there is a better way. Alphabetical lists are helpful if a user is looking for a specific source, but in guiding users to the best sources, alphabetical order is not much more than random order.
     
  6. Break up long boxes of text with bullets, numbered lists, sub-headings, bolded key terms, or images.  Our guides are not only lists of resources, but also instructional tools, telling users not just where but how to do research.This often requires some text. However, be concise and avoid exhaustive paragraphs of text that make it harder for users to understand quickly what is offered. Bullets, sub-headings, different sizes of fonts, and images can help break up and highlight the content both visually and conceptually. Remember to be consistent in the variations. Avoid preambles and unnecessary descriptions of historical aspects, background information, or highlighting info about internal units. Use short sentences and short paragraphs.
     
  7. Use images. Images can liven up a page, break up text, and provide graphical clues about content. There are many issues and concerns about the use of images, including technical or copyright issues. Be sure to use images that fit in the boxes, don't appear distorted, have good resolution, and don't overpower the page. Small images are more effective.
     
  8. Be careful with the use of tabs! Too many tabs are confusing and unclear to point out the sub-categories. One row of tabs is best; two rows if necessary; three rows, extreme cases ony!