LibGuides Cheat Sheet

This page outlines protocols to help you build your guide. These protocols and guidelines were established by the UC Libraries Web Advisory Group and have been in effect since September 2011. They have been revised to include accessibility requirements. The protocols and guidelines must be followed when creating LibGuide v2 guides.

Last Updated: June 20, 2025

The following protocols are mandatory procedures that must be followed - use these as directions on how to build your guide:

1. Use the colors and fonts pre-selected based on accessibility requirements for LGv2 guides. Colors and fonts must be consistent across all guides for accessibility. More information on color.

2. Use left-hand navigation for your pages.

3. Include the default UC/UCL banner/header on all guides.  

4. Include a navigational element to help users return to the UCL homepage and/or your library homepage.

5. Include a homepage for your guide and label it "About" or "Guide Home".

6. Include a profile page or a page with complete contact information in your guide.

7. Include off-campus access information in your guide.

8. You are encouraged to reuse link assets whenever possible. Refer to #8 for database links. Do not create a new hyperlink in a rich text box. 

9. To add links to databases in your guides, use the A-Z database list only. To do so, click on "Add/Reorder" in the content box and select "Database". Then search for the desired database. 

10. Use a friendly URL - how to: https://ask.springshare.com/libguides/faq/1115

11. Associate subjects when you publish your guides and list subjects in your profile. To do so, click on the pencil icon next to "Subjects" under the title of the guide.

The following guidelines are general rules and/or advice that are not mandatory:

1. Include a Guide Description for each guide.

2. Create a local backup for your guide.

3. Add at least one co-editor to your LibGuide who will be able to edit your guide in your absence if needed. If you do not appoint someone as a co-editor, the WMG or LibGuide subgroup will edit your guide if needed during your absence. To do so, click on the gear icon at the top of the guide on the right and select "Guide Editors", then type in editor name. 

Guides fall under four different types: Course, Research Help, Subject, and Special Topic. Be sure to assign the corresponding type to each of your guides. 

Course Guides: Guides for specific courses

• Guide title: consider including both the official course name, abbreviated course name, and respective campus.
• Professor information: Include the information of the professor teaching the course for your guide, especially if there are multiple sections of this course.
• You can use tags to specify a course number and which semester this course was taught in for discoverability and organization.

Research Help: Instructional and how-to guides that are not discipline specific 

Subject Guide: Guides for specific subject areas

Special Topic: Guides on unique topics that are not instructional, subject specific nor discipline specific