LibGuides @NCC: Getting Started: 3a. Link Options

LibGuides provides two kinds of link boxes, Links and Lists and Simple Web Links.

In a Simple Web Links box, you enter the name of the link, the URL, and an optional description of up to 256 characters. The links appear in a bulleted list, with the descriptions appearing when you move the cursor over the name.

In a Links and Lists box, you enter the the name of the link, the URL, an optional description of up to 256 characters, and (also optional) additional information of unlimited length. The links appear in a bulleted list with the descriptions beneath the names and, if there is additional information, an icon that you click on to bring up that information.

Links can also be included in text boxes.

This page describes the advantages of link boxes, differences between the two types of link boxes, and possible reasons you might want to put links in text box.

Link Boxes:

• Automatically arrange resources into bulleted lists that are neater, more consistent, and easier to create than they are in text boxes.
  
• Automatically format descriptions of the resources on a separate line or in a pop-up box (depending on the type of link box.)
  
• Make it easier to manage and edit content, with each element (title, URL, description) of each link able to be edited via a form instead of having to move through a long block of text to make changes.
• Allow tracking of linked resources, showing how often each link in each box has been clicked on.
• Allow for global URL changes, making it possible to change all instances of a resource's URL (if necessary) in one step, instead of one at a time.
  
• Encourage concise descriptions. There are limits on the length of descriptions, but shorter descriptions are generally better and in keeping with our goal of less text-heavy guides. (There are sometimes good reasons for longer descriptions, but there are also other options for making them available.)

There are two possible disadvantages and reasons you might want to keep links in a text box:

1. Size limit on descriptions: A Simple Web Links box gives you only 256 characters for descriptions. A Links and Lists box gives you that and an additional pop-up description unlimited in size. There may be cases where you feel it's necessary to provide a longer description without a pop-up. In general, though, shorter is better; the longer the text, the less likely our users are to read it.
2. Inability to group links in a box: There may be cases where you'll want to group Web links by some category. You cannot do this in a single box (though you can create separate boxes on a page for different types of links.) You can also add descriptive text, with no size limitations, at the top of an Web links box, but only at the top.