Guidelines for Research Guides

The following templates can be duplicated for new LibGuides:

• Freedman Center 2 Column
• Freedman Center 3 Column (avoid if possible; these get very busy)

Freedman Center pages, defined as pages tagged as "freedman center" group on LibGuides, should have the following visual elements:

1. 18 pt. font size for general text
2. Top-level headers (heading 3) should be CWRU blue (hex 003071)
3. Boxes should largely be displayed without borders, padding, or box titles; you can use lines (insert horizontal line on rich text editor) to break up text, if it is useful
4. Blue arrows (shared Freedman Center image folder; more here) should be used to draw attention to important elements
5. Use side navigation and set navigation so all subpages are visible in the navigation (instructions here)
6. Create friendly URLs (instructions here)

Reusable content boxes for Freedman Center pages live at the FC Content Boxes LibGuide. 

1. You should add content boxes you intend to duplicate to this page. 
2. You should not edit boxes on this page unless you want them to change on every LibGuide. Do not do this unless it is after conversation with the DS team lead.

When you are reusing a content box, it should be mapped not copied unless copying is necessary. If it is mapped, the boxes will all look the same and update together. If it is copied, it no longer has a relationship to the previous box and has to be updated manually. This is why our default is to map, not copy. To copy and reuse a box, follow these instructions. 

Required Mapped Content Boxes for FC LibGuides

1. "Freedman Center Contact" box in the left-hand navigation column. Ideally, this is the top box.
2. "Licensing and Use" at the bottom of at least the home page; it can be included on all pages

Note: after adding a reused box, remember to change the formatting so the box floats and does not have boxes and borders

Required Copied Content Boxes for FC LibGuides

1. "How to" box at the top of the home page that explains what is in the guide and what to look for; copy rather than map this so you can update it as necessary, but keep the title and aesthetics the same

Note: after adding a reused box, remember to change the formatting so the box floats and does not have boxes and borders

Add images to the shared library Freedman Center when you are adding visual elements to your pages. Add alt text to these images at the time of upload. 

The following metadata settings should be used on FC LibGuides

1. Guide editors: the DS team lead should be added if not a LibApps admin; add anyone else who needs access to the guide
2. Subjects: digital scholarship and freedman center; others added as necessary
3. Tags: choose any related to "digital" and "freedman center" that apply; others added as necessary
4. Type/Group: use the right kind, based on criteria in this guide

The following should be used on LibGuide pages:

1. Under page properties, add a short description of the page. This appears as a tool tip when the user hovers over the page.