LibApps Directions for Library Staff

What is the LibGuides A-Z Database List?
Our Oakton Library LibGuides A-Z Database List (https://researchguides.oakton.edu/az.php) is a central repository of over 130 database assets created and managed at the Admin user level. LibGuides account holders can reuse those database assets in their guides and, if desired, take advantage of some simple customization options.

Adding databases to guides: Why the method we use matters
When information for a database (name, URL, proxy, etc.) must be updated, this centralized approach allows the Admin to edit a single database record instead of seeking out every single guide where that database appears. That’s a big deal when you consider that a database like Academic Search Complete appears well over 150 times in our guides!

In order for database updates to appear in your guides, it is vital that you always add database assets following the procedure outlined below. If – as is sometimes the case - a database is added to a guide as a Rich Text/HTML content item, it will not automatically update. (It is also invisible to the Link Checker Tool, a topic covered elsewhere in this LibApps Directions for Staff guide.)

• While editing your guide, click on the Add / Reorder button at the bottom of the box where you want to add the database.
• Select Database from the dropdown menu.

• In the Search for Database field, start typing the name of the database you want to add.
• Can't find it? Check the public Oakton Library A-Z Database List page at https://researchguides.oakton.edu/az.php to make sure it's been added. If an Oakton Library database is not listed, contact an Admin level user (Rebecca Sedam or Sherrill Weaver).
• Select the database you want to add from the list of results. A summary of the database info will appear. (Not the database you want? Just search again and select a different one.)

• With the database summary information still on the screen, it is possible to customize the database's description. This is optional.  Please note that this customization will only apply to this single mapping of the database. It will not affect the original database's description in our centralized repository.
• In the Custom Description field, you can enter your own description for this database as it appears on your guide. This will override the database's default description.

• You can customize the Description Display on your guide (e.g. beneath the title, on hover, or not at all).
• Use the Position dropdown to select where in the box the new database will be inserted. (You can always reorder this later.)
• Click the Save button.