USC LibGuides Committee Toolkit

Boxes

• Standard - used most of the time, general boxes contain text, links, databases, books, etc.
• Tabbed - similar to standard, except you can create multiple tabs within the box. This makes it possible to add more content without making your users scroll far down the page.
• Gallery - displays images which rotate within the box

Assets

• links - any URL to a website that is NOT a database. Check the database list before adding a resource as a link. URLs must be secure (start with https://).
• Rich Text/html - simple text format
• books - an image of the book cover, call number, and URL to the catalog record
• RSS feeds - a web feed that publishes frequently updated information, such as blogs and news sites
• media/widgets - Search boxes, YouTube Videos, etc.
• polls - a list of questions for your visitors to answers.

Databases

• Databases - mostly subscription/paid resources. Also includes some library catalogs and free sources.

It is always better to re-use an existing asset instead of creating a new one. Every user of the LibGuides system can create new assets. Any asset in the system can be re-used by another user in our same system.

Re-use of assets reduces time and effort it takes to create and update guides: there is one asset representing a specific journal, book, or website that is re-used throughout the whole system. When we change vendors for a journal and need to change the URL, when a website gets a new name,  when the new edition of a book comes out, only the single asset needs to be updated and this change is perpetuated through all USC LibGuides.

If you create an asset, you are responsible for ensuring its accuracy and updating it. It is always better to re-use an existing asset instead of creating a new one.

Editing and updating assets

The individual who made the asset is responsible for ensuring its ongoing accuracy and function, and for identifying a new owner and transferring ownership of assets if their job changes. The Link Checker tool can identify when a URL breaks and needs updating. In addition to using this tool, users should periodically review the assets they own and update names of products, names of publishers, holdings for journals, locations of physical holdings, editions of books, or other information that might change that cannot be caught by the Link Checker.

The easiest way to find assets is to go to Content-->Assets and search the asset database by name of asset, or limit by owner name.

If you find an asset in the system that needs updating, the owner of the asset is named in the asset database. Contact that individual and ask them to update the asset.

If the asset is not updated in an timely manner, or, the asset owner is no longer at USC Libraries, contact the LibGuides Committee for assistance in updating an asset that you do not own.

How to re-use a link asset

Step 1: Click Add/Reorder and select the type of asset you wish to include. "Link" is used for links to free websites, to individual articles, to government reports, to individual journals, or other content that is not a book.

Step 2: Click Reuse Existing Link.

Step 3: Put your cursor in the Search for Link box and begin typing the name of the item you want to add.

Please try a few searches, as individual librarians may have named the asset in an unexpected way: U.S. CDC, United States Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, C.D.C, US Centers for Disease Control, or Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, are all potential names for this government organization and all start with different characters.It can sometimes be easier to search the asset library directly, find the asset, and then use these instructions to add the previously-identified asset.

Step 4: Select the item you want to add from the drop down list.

Step 5: On the next popup menu, DO NOT SELECT the copy command. You can place the asset in the box by using the position pulldown.

Step 6: click save.

Optional Step 7: If you want, you can adjust the description on the asset after adding it. This edited description will only appear on this use of the asset. Click the down arrow next to the asset and select edit.

Optional Step 8: Add the description you wish and click save.

How to re-use a book asset

Step 1:Click Add/Reorder and select  "Book from the Catalog".

Step 2: Click Reuse Existing Book.

Step 3: Put your cursor in the Search for Book from the Catalog and type the title of the book. Try several searches as the book titles are entered by librarians and may have errors, might elide subtitles, etc.

Step 4: Select the item you want to add from the drop-down list. On the next popup menu, do NOT select the copy command. Instead, place the item in the box by using the position pulldown.

Step 5: Click save.

Optional Step 6: If you want, you can adjust the description on the book after adding it. This edited description will only appear on this use of the book. Click the down arrow next to the book and select edit.

Optional Step 7: Write your custom description in the box and click save.

Making new assets

Only make a new asset if there is not an existing asset in the system.

How to make a new journal asset

Step 1:Click Add/Reorder and select Link, the asset type we use to represent subscribed journals.

Step 2: Type in the information by hand for this journal. Use the guide below for the minimal information needed to add a journal asset. Leave the Use Proxy? as No. If you would prefer not to use the permalink and link directly to the journal, use the instructions on this page to learn how to convert a journal link to allow for the proxy.

Step 3: click save.

How to make a new book asset

Step 1: Click Add/Reorder and select Book from the Catalog, the asset type we use to represent ebooks and print books.

Step 2: Enter the ISBN of the book into the search box and click Get Book Info to auto-populate many fields in this record. This search does not always work. Try different ISBNs. If no auto-population is possible, you need to type in the information by hand.

Step 3: If you have used the auto-populate function, review the data populated by the form. It will be displayed exactly like this on the guide. You can delete any data you do not want shown (e.g., the month and day of publication), or consider adding additional data. For example, in the screenshot below, the subtitle for the book was not included automatically, but it did include a 500-word description. This might not be what I want; I can edit anything here. Leave the Use Proxy? as No. If you did not get any data from the auto-population, you need to type in the title, publication date, and author/editor names as the minimal data needed.

Step 4: Add USC Libraries holdings to this asset. If this is a print book, include the call number and library location in the call number field. If this is an ebook,  find the permalink to this book in the library catalog and insert the permalink in the URL box. Or, use the instructions on this page to learn how to convert a book link to allow use of the proxy.

Step 5: click save.

How to make a new website asset

Step 1: Click Add/Reorder and select Link.

Step 2: Type in the information by hand for the website you wish to link to. Use the guide below for the minimal information needed to add a link asset. Leave the Use Proxy? as No.

Step 3: Click save.

This guide instructs you to use a permalink from the USC Library Catalog when creating a new asset to a licensed resource. This is always an acceptable method: a user who clicks a link will go to the catalog, click again, and be asked to log in with their NetID and  gain access.

It is also possible to create a proxy-enabled link to a resource. When a user clicks the link in your guide, they will be asked to log in with their NetID and passed to the full text book, journal, or database. However, you cannot just copy a URL from a licensed resource and re-use it. The link will eventually fail. You need to create a specially formatted link that includes the proxy server only once, at the very beginning of the URL.

Step 1: Navigate in your browser to the licensed item you want to link to.

Step 2: Find the URL in the browser and copy the entire URL. It will be lengthy. Notice how the word "LibProxy" appears deep in the text of the link, not at the very start. This is a clue that this URL needs to be reformatted to ensure the proxy is at the start.

Step 3: In a new window, open the USC Libraries EZ Proxy URL Converter tool.

Step 4: Paste the URL from the resource into the box, and use the converter to translate the URL. Notice how after being converted, the letters "libproxy" appear immediately after the letters/symbols "https://".  This link will send a user to the proxy server first, which is what we want.

Step 5: Copy the entire converted URL from the EZ Proxy URL Converter tool.

Step 6: Create a new asset. In the URL field, insert the entire URL copied in step 5. Leave the Use Proxy? as No.

Unlike other assets, only some individuals can add database records to LibGuides. Database records are added to the Database A-Z list by Technical Services staff when licensed. If a database is not available in the list, contact Technical Services and ask for it to be added.

STEP 1: Click Add/Reorder and select Database

STEP 2: Begin typing the name of the database you want to add. Select it from the drop down menu. 

STEP 3: At this point you may customize the database description and determine how you would like the description to be displayed. If you do not make any custom changes, the default description will appear directly beneath the item title.

STEP 4: Click Save!

Links - any URL to a website that is NOT a database. Check the database list before adding a resource as a link. All URLS must be secure (https).

Databases - mostly subscription/paid resources. Also includes some library catalogs and some open access resources

Media/Widgets - Search boxes, YouTube Videos, etc

RSS Feed- a web feed that publishes frequently updated information, such as blogs and news sites. The following is a feed of new e-resources at NUL