On January 31, 2018, LibGuides v1 servers will be retired. All v1 sites will be updated to / live with LibGuides v2 by this date. The v1 infrastructure is 10 years old, and our hosting provider is no longer applying security or operating system updates to such an old generation of servers. This leaves LibGuides v1 potentially vulnerable to various security breaches, and in the interest of maintaining the level of security, features, and support that Springshare is known for, we must decommission these servers soon.
Never fear – LibGuides v2 is a free update, and gives you more flexibility, functionality, and focus on security and accessibility. The icing on the cake? We’re here to help with an update assistance option!
What is the timeline for v1 retirement?
All LibGuides v1 sites will be updated to v2 by January 31, 2018. After March 31, 2018, the v1 servers will be shut down.
- December 31, 2017: Last day to select migration / go live dates yourself.
- January 1-31, 2018: We automatically update any sites not yet in process.
- January 31, 2018: Last selectable day to go live with v2.
- March 31, 2018: The last day your v1 site is available behind-the-scenes.
What are the benefits of v2?
It would take too long to list all of the great functionality in v2, so we offer some highlights here, with links to related blog posts / more information wherever available. Check out a more comprehensive, yet still not exhaustive, list of v2 benefits.
- Modern infrastructure focused on security and speed.
- Continually updated code, to provide you with the best functionality possible.
- https support for LibGuides CMS customers.
- Regional servers: this year we’re bringing data centers online in Europe (April), Canada (Q2), Australia (Q3), and Asia (Q4).
- LibApps LTI Tool (LibGuides CMS and/or E-Reserves): easily add library content into LMS systems, like Blackboard, Canvas, D2L, Moodle, and Sakai.
- More flexibility, including:
- having multiple content types in one box & reordering items between boxes;
- Gallery and Tabbed boxes: do great things without having to add code;
- customizable HTML page templates, for those who know HTML/CSS and would like more control over the page layout.
- Improved content management, including a dedicated Database management area / automatically populated public page.
- Completely redesigned site search and E-Reserves module.
- System & guide blogs, so it’s easy to share library and/or subject-based news.
- LibGuides CMS customers also get the following (and more!):
- LibWizard Lite integration for forms & surveys;
- Granular user permissions for accounts;
- REST-ful, real-time read APIs; Write APIs coming soon!
- Internal Groups – create a staff intranet;
- Publishing Workflow (optional) – require guide review prior to publishing;
Additional FAQs / Update Assistance
Learn more about how to update, available training, support, and review additional FAQs in our Update to v2 guide! Once your v2 site has been set up and you have a shiny new v2 account, you can also access our step-by-step guide on updating in our v2 documentation site.
We know that it’s often difficult to find the time to do updates like these, whether it’s because you’re a solo librarian, many other projects also require your attention, the idea of updating feels overwhelming, or whatever other reasons you have / can imagine. As always, we’re here for you!
With our update assistance option, we take care of the technical side of the update, allowing you to focus on learning the new system…with our help, of course! (We recommend taking the Getting to Know LibGuides session first. 😉 )
We appreciate all of the years you’ve been LibGuide-ing with us, and look forward to many more!
I wanted to request my Libguides V. 2 page but there was no box on my Dashboard? How do I request this page without this?
Hi Kimberly –
You must be an Admin level user in your system to see that box. If you’re not an Admin level user, please talk with your admins about either elevating your account level so you can coordinate the update / be the Migration Manager or request that they request your v2 site / manage the migration process. If you are an Admin level user (you see the Admin Stuff menu in the orange command bar) and are not seeing that box, please let us know.
Thanks!
Anna 🙂
Hello,
How do we change the Migration Manager? Our library director has assigned migration to me and I need to be manage the migration.
Bianca
Hi Bianca – Whoever the current migration manager is will need to log in and reassign that duty to you. Though checking in on things, I see that’s already been done! 🙂 Leaving this note here, though, in case others have a similar question.
Anna 🙂
What if a Migration Manager was chosen, and she has not worked at this school in 7 years?
Hi Theresa –
If she hasn’t worked at the school in 7 years, your best bet is to delete her account (Admin > Accounts > x icon in the Actions column for that user). One of the options when deleting accounts is to reassign all of their guides to another user in the system, so you won’t lose any guides / you don’t have to manually reassign them first. Deleting her account will also clear the Migration Manager field and allow any other Admin level user to assign themselves as the Migration Manager, right from your v1 Dashboard (the first step in the box about moving to v2). Just choose one of the Admin level users listed in the dropdown.
If you’d then like to use the “pre-migration” options, you’ll need to write to us to make sure you have an account in your v2 system before you can do so. Otherwise, all accounts, content, etc. will be migrated to v2 on your content migration date.
Anna