Whenever possible, use a Link Asset to add a link to your research guide.

Why? Links added to Rich Text/HTML content are not checked by the LibGuides link checker, which makes it challenging to fix dead links before our users attempt to use them. While you can create links to Rich Text/HTML content, it is recommended that you do so sparingly and intentionally.

Whenever possible, reuse your Link Assets

Why?

• If you link to the same sites from several of your research guides, creating a new Link Asset for every page creates more work when you need to change or update information about that Link. If you reuse your Link Assets, you do not need to create a new description and grab a URL when you link to a site or resource you've linked to before.
• If you reuse an asset, you can more easily and reliably gather statistics and information on how often that asset is being used. 

How:

1. After selecting "Link" as the kind of content you want to add to your page, click on the "Reuse Existing Link" tab on the Add Link interface.
2. Begin typing the name of the link you want to reuse. This should create a list of links that include the letters you've typed.
3. If the link you want to reuse appears in the list, click on it to select it. Then click the blue Save button to add the link to your page. 
4. After you've added the link to your page, you can edit the link. This allows you to customize the way the link appears on your page and change the description if you want.

Use a Database Asset when adding links to databases to your research guide.

Unlike Link assets, database assets also appear in your site's A-Z Database List. This list is a central repository of all of your databases, making it easy for patrons to browse, filter, and search for electronic resources.

• Although only Admin users can create and manage databases in LibGuides, any user can reuse them in their guides. Because the databases are centrally managed in your A-Z Database List, any changes to a database (such as its URL) will automatically be reflected in every guide where the database is being used.
• Databases really only serve one purpose: to connect users to the electronic resources from your A-Z Database List. For general purpose links, use a Link asset instead.

Use a Book Asset to add a book from the library catalog to your LibGuide.

In addition to being easier to maintain in LibGuides, the Book from the Catalog Asset can help you create visual interest and include useful information about the book. Using a Book from the Catalog Asset allows you to create a link to a book record that includes (or can include) the call number, a link to the catalog record, information about the book, and an image of the book's cover.

Whenever possible, reuse your Book Assets.

You can reuse Book Assets much like you do Link Assets. 

1. After selecting "Book from the Catalog" as the kind of content you want to add to your page, click on the "Reuse Existing Book" tab on the Add Book from the Catalog interface.
2. Begin typing the title or part of the title of the book you want to reuse. This should create a list of titles that include the letters you've typed.
3. If the book you want to reuse appears in the list, click on it to select it. Then click the blue Save button to add the link to your page. 
4. After you've added the book to your page, you can edit it. This allows you to customize the way the book appears on your page without changing the original Book Asset.