Usability and Style
Usability refers to how easy and pleasant it is to use a website. Digital content should be organized and presented in a consistent style to ensure optimal usability. Gleeson Library is committed to providing a quality user experience to all users across all library platforms.
Authorship
Authors and contributors should use their full, real name.
Relevance
Post topics should be pertinent to Gleeson Library. Examples include:
- Event announcements
- Informational posts on services and resources
- Reflections/reports on library issues, USF, campus life, Jesuit subjects, etc.
There is room to be creative to make the connection between a topic and the library. Sometimes, an author’s worldview as a library worker is enough to make the topic relevant for a blog post. Consider including links to library resources and services in your post.
Readability
The look and feel of blog posts should be simple and engaging.
- Use plain language — posts should be easily understood and should avoid unnecessary library jargon
- Organize your text into sections — paragraphs should be short if possible; informative headings should be used to provide a clear structure to your post
- Include meaningful links — link text should be meaningful to the user; do not post "raw" URLs without link text
- Start every post with text — an introductory paragraph should precede any use of images or media in the body of your post
The target length of blog posts is 500 words or less, and not more than 750 words. If you think you need a higher word count, consider breaking the post into parts or consult other bloggers for guidance.
Images
Use images in posts
Images enhance your posts.
- Make sure images are fair use or creative commons
- Use good quality images (i.e. not pixelated)
Include a featured image for every post
Featured images are required for every post. This ensures every post has a preview image.
- Upload a new image or select an existing image as a featured image, which will display at the top of your post behind the title
- Recommended size for heading images is 2000px wide and 1500px high
Categories and tags
Categories and tags improve the findability of blog posts.
Categories
File your post under at least one of our pre-set categories:
- Announcements
- Antiracism, Diversity, Equity, & Inclusion
- Collection Highlights
- Events, Displays, Exhibits
- Open Access & Open Education
- Research Tools & Services
- Special Collections & University Archives
- USF History
We are working on setting up category-based blog feeds on the website.
Linking to Library Resources
Be sure to use permalinks when including links to library resources, such as databases, books (print and electronic), and videos. If a resource is available in multiple formats, include links to all formats.
Excerpts
Include a one or two sentence excerpt that summarizes your post.
- Excerpts should clearly and concisely describe the content of your post.
- Make sure your excerpt is no more than 140 characters long.
Excerpts are required. They ensure that a helpful description of your blog post is displayed in feeds found on the library website.