NOAA Library has adopted LibGuides CMS (content management system) for its website. Created by SpringShare, LibGuides CMS is designed for librarians to easily create and organize content like subject guides, research tools, and general information pages.

Visit the SpringShare Help Center for an overview and help getting started with LibGuides.

This Best Practice guide is intended for NOAA Library staff, and provides recommendations and standards for the creation and maintenance of library webpages and subject guides.

Librarians will be assigned different roles as content providers:

• Admin: Limited to the library system admin, web developer, and IT support for system-wide settings.
• Regular: For librarians managing subject areas and group of guides. This role allows creating new guides.
• Editor: For staff updating existing guides but not creating new guides.

When assigning a Regular or Editor role, make sure to also assign it to the appropriate group if needed.

Guide and Page Naming

All guides and pages require proper names. The guide and page names appear in the browser tab, breadcrumb, visit history, bookmarks, and search engines results. Example:

Follow the screenshot below to assign proper name to each guide and page, if applicable.

Guide and Page URL

All guides and pages require proper, user-friendly URLs. LibGuides CMS auto-generates a guide/page URL with a numbered ID, which should be replaced with a more descriptive, user-friendly term.

Follow the screenshot to edit the guide and page URLs.

Use lowercase only, leave no spaces in the URL, and connect multiple words with - if needed. (E.g., "/ebooks/overdrive")

NOAA Library uses Groups to help organize created guides. Every guide (except general info page) must be assigned to one of the pre-defined groups listed below. 

• Subject Guides group: contains all guides created for subject guide purpose. Guides assigned to this group are automatically listed under library's Subject Guides page;
• Services group: contains all guides related to the services library provided, matching Services category in the website's top menu.

Follow the screenshot to assign guide to a pre-defined group (Subject Guides or Services are our current options), or leave the field blank for general info page.

NOAA Library has pre-built two navigation layouts. Every guide must use one of these two layouts:

• NOAA - Tab Layout: For a single-page guide to maximize space for content boxes, or for top navigation on a multi-page guide (e.g. Training page  )
• NOAA - Side-Nav Layout:  For left-side navigation on a multi-page Guide, to help users navigate between the landing page and subpages (e.g. Ebooks guide)

The text style (including font, color, and size) has been configured in the website stylesheet to ensure consistency and align with NOAA web branding guidelines throughout the library website. Follow the instructions below to adopt the pre-set style in the text editor:

• Use the Paragraph Format by selecting Normal or Heading 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, or 6;
• Leave Font and Size as Default (size 16 is the default site-wide)
  • Note: the font-size may appear smaller than size 16 while in edit mode, but will be applied in Preview and on the live site. 
• Apply Bold for highlighted text.

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Link to an internal page (NOAA Library same domain)

Select Protocol <other>, input page URL without domain, examples:

• link to the Ebooks page 
  • NO: https://library.noaa.gov/ebooks
  • YES: /ebooks
• link to Wiley Online Library guide: /ebooks/wileyonlinelibrary

Link to an external page

• To maintain a consistent user experience on NOAA Library website, when adding a hyperlink to an external page, ensure to open the external page in a new tab by clicking Target, then select Net Window (_blank).
• Avoid listing the URL directly; always hyperlink the text unless the URL itself needs to be displayed.

Link to library subscribed E-Resources

To ensure a consistent access experience for NOAA users, use the correct URL when linking to OpenAthens-enabled e-resources (databases, journals, books).

• Use the correct links listed on Databases A-Z
• Visit OpenAthens@NOAA Guide to learn how to create direct OpenAthens-enabled URLs for e-resources (articles, ebooks, and databases)

To add an image for illustration in a guide, follow the steps shown in the screenshot:

1. Click the Image button on the Rich Text Editor to open the Image Properties box;
2. Click Browse Server to open the Image Manager Library. Select Shared Library for images to be shared across the site, or stay in the Personal Library. Then choose a folder that matches the group of your guide, and click Upload New Image;
3. Return to the Image Properties box to adjust the image size and Alignment to position the illustration, or consider adding a Border for better presentation;
4. Ensure the Alternative Text field is filled in to meet web accessibility requirement.

Create your profile page

Create a new guide, Choose Layout or Reuse the existing template/guide called Template: Profile of ***.

Make sure to check the box for Copy Assets, and name the guide to be Profile of your name.

On your newly created profile page:

• Update the page URL to be https://library.noaa.gov/profile-your-name
• Fill in the required fields, including your picture, email, ORCID id,  and Expertise
• Additionally, complete the optional but recommended fields, such as Experience, Degrees and Certifications, Publications, Presentations & Acknowledgements.

You may use your picture from Library Staff page by copying the image address and insert it as your picture.

Activate your profile page

After completing and successfully publishing your profile page, click your email account in the top-right bar, then select My Profile - Profile Page

Enter Redirect URL as: https://library.noaa.gov/profile-your-name, and mark the Profile page Enabled.

Once enabled, your profile will be available for embedding on any guide/page, by adding a new Box with type of Profile.

Finally, upload your picture to the Profile Box - Profile Image: