Matthew Reidsma

Work Notes

Updates from the GVSU Libraries’ Web Team.
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Accessible Search Forms in LibGuides

This morning I added a new page to the Web Content Guides, based on something I’ve been working on in LibGuides: accessible HTML code for all of our common search tools!

You can find the guide at http://libguides.gvsu.edu/searchforms or from the Web Content Guides homepage. So far I have HTML for the Catalog, Summon, and the Journal Finder that you can copy and paste into your guides. This HTML has labels for all form elements. I’ve been working on updating all the forms in LibGuides to meet accessibility requirements, and wanted to make sure that you all had access to accessible code going forward if you want to add new searches to your guides.

To make things even easier, you can visit the Mappable Forms tab to find dedicated search boxes with each search that you can just map to you guides. If you don’t want to add any explanatory text within the same box as your search, this is the best option. Just add a new box, click “Reuse Box,” and then search for the “Search Forms” guide. Select the box you want under the Mappable Boxes heading and you’ll have a search tool working on your page that you don’t have to maintain or tinker with. Easy peasy.

Screenshot of cloning a form in LibGuides

Let me know if you have any questions!