Below, we've compiled a list of tips, ideas and best practices for your Library, from the configuration (System Administrators) to the presentation and maintenance (Category and Volume Librarians) of all your organization's documentation and reference materials.
After reading, feel free to check out our Library webinar for more great tips and guides.
Table of contents
Set your Library structure
Your Jostle Library is organized into Categories, each of which can hold one or more Volumes. Each Volume has its own:
- Clear ownership (an identified Librarian or team of Librarians),
- Structure of files and folders (set up by the Volume's Librarian), and
- Visibility permissions (that apply to all the files in the Volume).
System Administrators define the overall Category/Volume structure, assign the Category Librarians, and set the visibility permissions for each Volume. Different approaches for the overall structure will work better for different organizations. The most common approach is to set your categories after existing departments (Marketing, Sales, HR) but other possibilities include: content type (internal, external, customer-facing) or date range (2016, 2017, Q1, Q2)
Below is a sample Category/Volume structure based on departments to help you visualize what your potential Library structure could look like.
Enlist an expert Library team
The key to a successful Library is in finding the right subject matter experts to assign as Volume Librarians. They are the vested experts that are in the best position to keep things current and organized. For example, your Benefits Administrator should be the Librarian for the Employee Benefits Volume, since he/she is best positioned to know what the current materials and forms are, and how they are best organized for employees to consume.
Once your Librarians have been selected, it would be a good idea to refer them to this article.
Make Library your go-to content source
Target your Volumes to the right audience
Each Volume has its own "Visible To" audience that can be set by its Category Librarian. Proper use of this feature ensures that the Library content that is displayed is relevant for everyone who can see it. For example, you could have an "Employee Benefits (Canada)" Volume visible to only your Canadian employees and an "Employee Benefits (US)" Volume visible to only your US employees. No confusion, no irrelevant documentation, clear ownership.
Sharing File Links
It is also a good practice to encourage the sharing of a link to a file location in Library, instead of posting or emailing files as attachments. You can email links to Library files or easily share them through News Articles, Activity Updates, Discussions, or Direct Messages. Just right-click on your Library item (or click directly on its three-dot action menu icon), select "Copy link", and hot link it in your published or posted content.
Recommended Files
Using the Recommend feature is also a great way to put focus on key documentation and make it stand out to anyone browsing through a Volume.
Placing the red Recommened "R" on common or frequently-read files, like employee onboarding information, makes it even quicker and easier for people to find what they're looking for.
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