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Exhibitions: Resources for Curators of Library Exhibitions: Digital Exhibits

A guide to assist librarians, faculty, or students who are creating an exhibition in UCSB Library.

Creating A Digital Exhibit Using Spotlight

Please see below for UCSB Library standards and requirements in your Spotlight exhibit.

"Home Page" Design

The introduction text for an exhibition should always be included on the homepage. It is not necessary to include any type of heading like “Introduction”, unless the heading adds to the exhibition story. 

If the spotlight is an exhibit, always include the exhibit poster. If there is not a poster or if this spotlight highlights a collection, use image(s) representative in place of the poster. 

The two elements to include on this page are:

1. Introductory text (position at left)
2. Exhibition poster created by Senior Artist if this exists, otherwise select main image from exhibition (position at right)

Example here

Required Fields

Title
Attribution
Date
Format
Source

When adding metadata to a Spotlight exhibit, please use standard terminology as found in the Getty Art & Architecture Thesaurus

Wikipedia entry on AAT 

Image Resolution

"About Page" Design

This page should list at least two contacts that can answer questions about the exhibit. In addition, one of the contacts should be a general Library address, either library-outreach@ucsb.edu or special@library.ucsb.edu.

Credits/acknowledgements: For exhibit, include names of all curators and contributors. If highlighting a particular Library collection, list the librarian/curator responsible for the collection.

Include copyright statement.

Other information that may be included here:

Gallery and/or opening events photos

Anonymized visitor comments reproduced from the visitor book.

Additional resources: While it is not necessary or possible to include a comprehensive list of Library books and other resources, this is a good place to include links to additional resources.  We recommend listing no more than 10 recommended resources.

If the exhibition or collection utilizes Special Research Collections (SRC), include a link to the SRC home page and general information about collections used.

Design for Accessibility

The Navigation of your Spotlight Exhibition should use best practices for accessibility. 

Navigation shall:

  • Be based on the keyboard

  • Use site outlines like breadcrumb navigation

  • Use textual descriptions for links

  • Use headings and lists

Navigation shall not:

  • Use mouse-over to display information that is otherwise hidden from view

  • Use pop-up windows or plug-ins

  • Use colored text to convey important information

Videos shall be closed captioned, and images shall have alternative text provided.