LibGuide Sustainability & Troubleshooting

LibGuide Content Tips

When writing, remember when people are online, they browse, scan, and read a little at a time:

• Less is more, always ask yourself- do users really need that information?

• Layer and chunk the content on your pages into manageable pieces and into groups/categories that make sense

• Use pictures, fragments, lists, and phrases, don't write prose

• Minimize use of library jargon

Add Friendly URLs

• Choose a friendly URL for user-friendly sharing

• Friendly URLs make it easier to share & remember guide links.

• Each page can also have its own friendly URL. Example: https://library.fiu.edu/citation/apa

More than List of Links

• Your guide should be a resource that provides depth & breadth to a subject

• Think about the goal and focus on what you are creating

• Stay focused on a topic, a course, an assignment, or an outcome

•  If you find your guide getting unwieldy - you have a bazillion pages and are wishing for sub-sub-pages

  • Maybe it's time to break it up

  • Narrow the focus of your guide

  • and create a separate guide with the other info

Guide Description

Create a short description of the guide. Add a description to give further insight into what the guide is about.

• Keep it simple

• Keep guide names to the point and descriptions focused

• Use the language your users would use vs. jargon (unless they'd use the jargon, too - then that makes total sense)

Good Web Writing​

• is like a conversation. Think of your content as a focused conversation started by a busy person. When users come with questions, you provide answers. When users come to do a task, you help them. But because you aren't there in person, you have to build your side of the conversation into the site.

• answers people's questions. If you think of the web as a conversation, you'll realize that much content is meant to answer people's questions. You do not want pages of FAQs. You do want to think about what people come wanting to know and how to give them that information as concisely and clearly as possible.

• lets people grab and go. Breaking information into pieces for different users, topics, and needs help patrons grab just want they need and go on to look up their next question, do their next task, make a decision, or whatever comes next.

• Web writing is more informal than other formats. For FIU Libraries, you should aim for a voice that is clear, credible, trustworthy, and welcoming.

• Our web content is an extension of our interaction with users.