To kick off the rest of the year right, we’re thrilled to announce that you can now check out a brand-new edition of CALAMEO Magazine.
Teachers, students and even those whose school days are behind them—there’s plenty for everyone in the Learning issue. We take a closer look at digital natives in the classroom to find out what skills they need to succeed in the age of fake news, global communities and mobile everything. You’ll also find out why higher education marketing is big business online and get the scoop on our new Elements feature. Plus tips, top reads and more!
Digital
technology and education is one of our favorite subjects and we hope that the
Learning issue earns full marks. Happy reading!
Are you an educator who uses Calaméo in your teaching? We’d love to hear from you! Get in touch on Facebook, Twitter or by email at contact@calameo.com and let us know how digital publishing helps your students learn.
Virtual libraries offer a great tool for showcasing content on your website and keeping it organized. In fact, the easy-to-use Library Widget is one of our favorite digital publishing features on Calaméo. You can create your own virtual library, customize it and share in only a few clicks.
Let’s dive in to all the essentials of curating your virtual library!
A virtual library is a convenient, fun way to display a collection of digital publications. Just like a regular bookshelf, your virtual library allows you to bring together a group of materials in one place. It’s an inviting space where you can browse, read or simply show off your beautiful publications!
How to set up your own virtual library
You can make a virtual library in just a few minutes on Calaméo. In order to create a library widget stocked with your own Calaméo publications, go to the Publications tab of your account.
First, choose the Folder whose publications you wish to include in your virtual library. All of the public publications in that Folder will appear in your library shelves. (Your private publications are never displayed in the library widget.)
Next, click on the three squares icon at the top of the page to create your virtual library.
Finally, fine-tune the look of your library widget by clicking on “customize options”. You can select:
A background texture or color
How many shelves to show
The thumbnail size of your publication covers
Publication information to show
How to order your publications
How to open publications when clicked
Thumbnail design features like the cover drop shadow
While you adjust the details, you’ll be able to see the changes in real time directly in the preview window. Once you’re happy with the appearance, just copy the embed code. And that’s it—everything you need to create your own virtual library!
Watch our video tutorial on how to create a virtual library below:
💡 TIP: Prefer to view the tutorial in a different language? Use the Settings icon in the video player to select your subtitles.
How to display a virtual library
Congratulations—your library widget is all set up and ready to go! Meanwhile, the next step is to consider how you would like to share your virtual library. For example, you might want to display your publications on your website or blog. Or perhaps you’d rather have a link to email to friends, contacts or customers.
Libraries on your own website
Sharing your virtual library on your own blog or website is a piece of cake. After you have finished customizing the design of your bookshelves, copy the HTML embed code.
If your site is built with WordPress or Joomla, you can install our plug-in and paste the code right into a blog post or page. For example, this code:
However, other websites may require you to specify a container for your virtual library. Consult your CMS’s specifications or check with your webmaster for more information.
To display all of the publications in your virtual library on Calaméo, you can share a link to a Folder or Favorites list. Although the bookshelf interface is not available on Folder or Favorites pages, your audience will be able to view and explore the entire collection.
Linking to a Favorites list
To share a Favorites list, start by going to the Favorites tab of your account. Then select the list that you want to share from the left-hand menu. Finally, click the Share icon. In the window that opens, copy the URL and start sharing!
Linking to a Folder
To share a Folder, head to the Publications tab of your account. Choose the Folder whose publications you want to share from the left-hand menu, then click the Share icon. Grab the link to your Folder and you’re set to share.
Why make a virtual library
There are lots of great reasons to create your own virtual library. In fact, we reviewed 10 of the best for anyone who needs convincing! But to keep things simple, here are the top three benefits of a library widget.
Perfect presentation
The biggest advantage of a virtual library is the easy, interactive way it lets you showcase different publications. Whether the shelves are filled with every issue of your magazine or a variety of materials, a library widget can boost your publications’ visual impact.
Plus, browsing your publications in a virtual library is a breeze thanks to its intuitive navigation. Visitors can click any cover to open the publication in full screen or a new window, then return to your library when they’ve finished reading.
Painless updates
Another great feature solves a major headache for many publishers: the content in your virtual library updates automatically. Whenever you add a new publication to your library’s Folder on Calaméo, it also appears on your embedded bookshelf. As a result, you never need to worry about manually importing content to maintain your site.
Likewise, removing publications from your virtual library only takes a minute. Set them to private, move to a different Folder or deactivate out-of-date materials.
Extra insights
You’ll benefit from useful viewership analytics when you create your own virtual library on Calaméo, too. Because it’s important to know where your audience comes from and how they interact with your content, your account statistics show library details. You’ll see what percentage of your publications’ views happen in your virtual library, as well as other advanced statistics like link clicks and downloads.
In conclusion, setting up a digital bookshelf couldn’t be simpler. All you need to start is a free Calaméo account! Join today and create your own virtual library.
The Calaméo Library Widget is one of our very favorite ways to share amazing publications online. Besides being simple to set up, the Library Widget offers tons of advantages for digital publishers. That’s why today we’re giving you 10 great reasons to create a virtual library!
Make a collection
Thanks to the Library Widget, gathering all of your digital publications in one place is a piece of cake. No need to embed individual materials on your website or blog one by one; create a virtual library in seconds and display your entire collection on the same page.
Showcase your brand
Because the Library Widget will feature the covers of all included publications, it’s a perfect opportunity to showcase your brand. Let visitors to your site get to know your business through the eye-catching designs of your digital publications!
Encourage browsing
In addition to making your publications easy to discover, the Library Widget makes them easy to browse. Create a virtual library so that your readers can click through to check out any title that interests them, then return to your collection once they’re done.
Easy archive
Have you been publishing your magazine, newsletter or catalogue online for a long time? You can make an archive online in no time with the Calaméo Library Widget. Dust off your digital back issues and present them in a format that’s optimized for exploration.
Organize files
If your business has a wide range of digital publications, from annual reports to eBooks, you may want to create a virtual library for different categories. Luckily, you can organize your materials into Folders and link a separate Library Widget to each group.
Customize the look
With the Calaméo Library Widget, you can customize the look of your virtual library. For example, do you love the fun detail of skeuomorphic design? Choose a faux wood background, drop shadows and flipbook cover. Plus, control the number of shelves, display elements and click-through behavior.
Never update anything
Maybe the best part about the Library Widget is that there’s nothing to update—ever. Once you create a virtual library and share it on your website, your Widget will automatically include any new publications added to its Folder.
Highlight your favorites
There’s more than one way to create a virtual library! First, you can use Folders to organize your own publications in multiple Library Widgets. Next, you can use a Favorites list to bring together must-reads from all over Calaméo and make a digital shelf to share.
Get more data
As every good librarian knows, it’s essential to keep track of which materials are checked out. In other words, you need analytics to follow how may readers are discovering your publications in a Library Widget. They’re built right in on Calaméo: our advanced statistics help you see how your library is performing.
Start a conversation
Most importantly, displaying your digital publications in a Library Widget is a wonderful occasion to build a relationship with visitors to your site. Consider using online forms that allow visitors to sign up for updates, then send subscribers fresh content. Or perhaps you’d like to encourage them to comment on your publications or follow you on social media. Experiment to find out what works best for you!
In short, there’s no good reason not to create a virtual library for your online publications. The Calaméo Library Widget is a valuable part of any smart digital publishing strategy. Ready to get started? All you need is a free Calaméo account.
We’re standing by to answer your questions! Write to our Support teams at contact@calameo.com and we’ll be happy to help.
