Best Practices and Standards (NEW VERSION)

• Make use of the LibGuides link checker feature monthly to ensure that all your links are active.

• Before the beginning of each semester, review all guides to see if there are any resources (databases, ebooks, etc) that can be added to the guide.

• Each time a course is being offered, allow the instructor to review any relevant course guides so that they can suggest any updates.

• Promptly remove database links to resources that we no longer subscribe to.

• Guide authors should continue to monitor new and changed resources for inclusion in their Research Guides. Keep the guides in mind whenever a new database (or a link change) is announced, or when new editions of books (especially reference books) become available.

• If a guide is no longer relevant or was created for a class that is no longer taught then consider changing its status to private or unpublished. 

• A private guide is different to an unpublished guide because anyone with the guide URL will still have access to it. Unpublished guides are hidden from all users.

• If the guide is no longer needed, follow the steps for deletion. Be sure to get sign off from your Manager and other stakeholders first.

When a guide is deleted, related assets (e.g. links and A-Z lists) are not. Best practice is to delete unused assets from the system. This makes remaining assets more findable, and can increase reusability.

How to find unused assets

1. Click on Content in the LibGuides ribbon at the top of the screen, then select Assets in the dropdown list
2. Click on Owner then select your name to see all assets associated with your guides.
3. Toggle on Mapping count to show lowest to highest.
4. For any assets not being used in guides (zero count), you should
   1. Move then to a  hidden guide to save them
   2. Delete them from the system (see below)

How to delete unused assets

1. Click on 'Content' in the LibGuides ribbon at the top of the screen, then select 'Assets' in the dropdown list
2. Click on 'Owner' then select your name to see all assets associated with your guides.
3. Toggle on 'Mapping count' to show lowest to highest. Any assets with a 0 count are not being used anywhere and can be removed. 
4. Assets must be deleted one at a time. Delete each by clicking on the ‘x’ on the RHS of the row.
5. You could also investigate your assets with a count of 1—it may be that some have been copied rather than mapped, or sit in unused guides. Consider replacing duplicates with mapped versions of the asset.

• Check your guide on multiple devices with different screen sizes to ensure that your guide functions well and important content is still on top.

• Shrinking and expanding your browser window can show a similar effect of how your guide will appear on a smaller or narrower screen.