Library:LTK Manual FAQ

Frequently Asked Questions

This page contains questions and answers pertaining to the Library Tool Kit (LTK)

In General

The Subject Guides Working Group began in Fall, 2008 and was tasked to investigate where the UBC Library wanted to go with our subject guides:

1. Should we buy a new product?
2. Should we renovate Cold Fusion?
3. Should we build a new tool?

During this investigation, the SGWG surveyed graduate and undergraduate UBC students.

What features do students want in subject guides?

1. Simple and clean layout
   
2. Something easy to understand (no jargon)
   
3. Tab format (rather than scrolling)
   
4. Short annotations for the resources (why would I use that?)
   
5. Embedded instruction (how do I use this? A link to tip, tutorial, hint)
   
6. More images for visual appeal
   
7. Librarian contact information
   
8. Citation information
   

SGWG also spoke with UBC librarians and staff, elicited feedback, and held focus groups.

What do librarians and staff want in subject guides?

1. Same features as the students want
2. Ability to make global changes
3. Wysiwyg editor
4. Two owners for a page (UBCO + UBCV)
5. Ability to differentiate between UBCO and UBCV print resources
6. Ability to use non-Roman scripts
7. Save as function to re-use core information
   
8. Set of guidelines to maintain consistency
   
9. Flexibility (Can we move pieces into other tools, like course guides?)
   
10. Shorter and more intuitive URLs
11. Ability to link to related guides
12. Ability to tag by subject or topic

Why do I have to use Firefox for LTK?
Internet Explorer is non-standard complaint. Firefox is standard compliant.

I can't login with my CWL. What do I do?
If you can't login to LTK, please contact Paul Joseph.

I'm not going to be able to put all my Cold Fusion guides in LTK all at once. What will my students do?
UBC Systems is still maintaining Cold Fusion. LTK and Cold Fusion guides will both be indexed, searchable and available.

I don't like how my name is displaying. How can I change it?
When you are in LTK, you can change your displayed name, by clicking on the Profile tab.

About Pages

If you want to add a new secondary subject area, use the Make a Request Form.

The subject area is too broad. How do I define my guide more specifically?
Use the tag field to include a more specific category. You can assign multiple tags, separated by commas.

I'm dragging and dropping my widget, but it's not sticking. What's wrong?
Don't drop your widget too quickly. Wait for the orange line to appear before you drop your widget.

I hit the backspace arrow and lost the page I was working on. How do I recover?
Unfortunately, unless you've saved your page, your work is gone. However, because your widgets have been saved, you can quickly drag and drop them back onto the page.

I like the shorter URL, but I'd still like something more expressive, that identifies the topic.
Use the alias feature at the bottom of the Page editor screen. You can change the number (e.g. guides.library.ubc.ca/532) to a word (e.g. guides.library.ubc.ca/english).

About Widgets

I am constructing a web links widget. When do I click on EZProxy?
The library database information pages already have EZProxy prepended. Click onto EZProxy when you are making a direct link to an article from a library database.

What does it mean to be a co-owner?
If you co-own pages/widgets, and you make changes, those changes will take place in a shared space. So it will affect your co-owner. If you don't want this, it is best to clone the page/widget.

I want to transfer some content from my Cold Fusion page into the text+image widget. Can I cut and paste the text?
Yes! Go to the public view of your Cold Fusion guide, and highlight the content you want to transfer. Return to your LTK text widget and paste the content in the box. The bonus feature is that this cut and paste process allows you to retain your formatting and links.

How can I tell if I've successfully cloned a widget?
The title will be pre-pended with Clone of...

I'm using the web links widget and when I fetch the title, nothing shows up in the description field. What's wrong?
You have to edit your resource's Information Page by adding a 1-2 sentence description in the short description field in Cold Fusion.

My Information Page does have a short description, but it's still not being fetched. What do I do?
There is a logic error that the Development Team is working on. Save and exit your widget. Then, go back in and edit it again. In some cases, the LTK was not accepting a URL which ended with a backslash (e.g. www.library.ubc.ca/), so you have to delete the backslash and then save the URL. If neither of these two fixes work, please fill out the Report a Bug Form.

I've created my own RSS feed from Amazon.com. Can I add that to my guide?
Yes. Use the RSS widget to bring in whatever RSS feed you want.

Clone vs. Using a Widget When would I clone a widget vs. just using a widget?

About the Portal

How can I add a secondary category?

In the Research Guide Portal, to request another secondary category, use the Report a Bug or Make a Request form

About Future Developments

What is permanent beta?
One company, Segala, defines permanent beta as a "constantly evolving product or service based on consumer feedback...it's more of a mental state or attitude that can be applied by an organization which recognizes the need to put the consumer at the heart of everything it does". What this means for UBC Library is a product that is in constant development and improvement, based on user feedback. It also means that we can get enhancements in a speedier time.

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