Knowledge Base: Library Help

Mugo FAQs - How to Create and Post a Book List

If you'd like to have a PDF version of this FAQ with screenshots included, see the attached file at the bottom of the page.

There are two steps to this process: creating the book list, and then posting it. Unlike other types of content such as events or news items, simply creating the book list does not mean that it will appear on your website - you have to go through another step to select it to be displayed on your website. In this sense, it is more similar to a banner or featured card.

Step 1: Create the Book List

Log in to the back-end of the site. For help with this step, see Mugo FAQs - How To Log In.

In the Content Structure area, expand "Library Sites" and "NLLS" as needed to find your library. You should see a folder titled "Book Lists" close to the top (if you don't see this folder, you can make a new one by clicking the blue "Create new subitem" button at the top there and selecting "Folder").

Click on the "Book Lists" folder. You may choose to create folders in here to keep your book lists organized - for example, by month or by category. To create a book list, click on "Create new subitem" and select "Book List".

As you create the book list, you can enter a title and a short description. Further below, you can enter the ISBN for your desired title and click “Add book” to its right in order to add the title to the list.

You could obtain ISBNs by scanning physical materials in your library or by searching in TRACpac for your title and finding the ISBN in its extended description. You can add up to 25 books to a book list in Mugo.

You will notice that you can remove titles from the list, and also “Set as featured”. If you are intending to display the book list on your main home page, as is the standard case, you can just ignore the “Set as featured” option. Where it is relevant is if you insert the book list into a webpage (e.g. a page describing your book club could have a list of book club reads embedded at the bottom); in this scenario, the book which is set as featured will have a larger book cover and an extended summary beside it drawn from TRACpac, with the other titles on the book list appearing below it in a row.

Once you are satisfied with the book list, click the blue “Send for publishing” button. You may think that “Publishing” means that it’ll go live at this point. However, this term in Mugo is more equivalent to saving your work. If your book list is already connected to the public site and you are updated it, then “Send for publishing” will indeed publish your updated list to the site; however, if you have not yet gone through Step Two (see below), then “Send for publishing” will simply save the book list into the book list folder in the Content Structure.

Step 2: Selecting the Book List for Display on the Site

If you know how to change your library’s hours, you know how to get to the right spot for this step.

1. In the back-end of the site, you automatically begin in the Content Structure. Expand “Library Sites” along the left-hand side of the page by clicking the small plus sign, and expand “NLLS” as well to find your library name. 
2. Click on your library name. You will see the home area or “root level” of your website, where you can add pages and folders. You can know you’re in the right place if you see “Library Home” in square brackets beside the name of your library. 
3. Off to the right-hand side, you’ll see a blue “Edit” button. Click on the “Edit” button.
4. You’re now in the home page editing screen. You’ll see a list of 4 areas along the left-hand side: Content, Design, System, and Layout. 
5. Click on “Layout” and look for the “Book List” area. Expand it if needed to see the “Add item” button.
6. Click on “Add item” and find your book list. Select it and click the “Select” button.
7. Click “Send for publishing” in the top right for the change to take effect.

Bonus step: adding multiple book list blocks

1. If you want multiple sections for book lists on your home page, you can add extra blocks and name them appropriately – for example, one section labelled “New September Arrivals” and another one labelled “Staff Picks”.
2. Visit the Layout section again, and look for the button saying “Add block” at the top. Find book list on that drop down menu and then click “Add block.
3. The new book list block will appear at the bottom of the layout area. Use the up and down areas to move it to where you’d like it to be in the order of the home page.
4. To rename it, type in the desired name in the “Name” field.
5. Add whatever booklists you would like it and click “Send for Publishing”.

Stretch Goal: add a book list to a different webpage on your website.

Book lists don’t have to just exist on your homepage. You may want to have a page for staff picks or for book clubs, and here is how:

1. Create your book list as usual.
2. Go to or create your desired webpage (e.g. “Staff Picks”, “Book Club”).
3. Find the paperclip icon that says “Insert/edit object” when you hover over it. While this is how you can attach a document, it is also how you can insert objects (such as a book list) from your site.
4. Go to the “Browse” button along the top of the window that appears. Navigate to your book list and select it; click “OK” to insert it into your site.
5. Click “Send for publishing” on the webpage and go check out your new book list!