Browse our new Complete Guide to Embeds Tutorial!

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!

TIP: Our video tutorial walks you through how to create a virtual library using Calaméo.

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.

For many businesses, showcasing digital publications on their own website is a great business solution. Clients can enjoy the convenient presentation and interactive features of catalogs, magazines and more all while browsing the brand’s site.

To help you take advantage of this powerful tool, we’ve created a complete guide to embedding your publications!

In part two of this series, we will explain how to customize your publication’s appearance in your website.

As you’re collecting the code for embedding your publication, you’ll see a preview of its look. You can use the default appearance or click “Customize options” to make changes. Since there are a lot of possibilities, we’ll break down the results for each category.

MODE

“Mini” and “Publication” offer very different choices for displaying your publication on your site. In “Mini” mode, readers can page through the document but must click to open the Calaméo viewer and access links, personalized elements and more included in your publication.

When “Mini” is selected, you can also define how the publication opens when clicked. “Open viewer directly” launches the publication in a new window, while “Open description page” launches the overview. “Open publication in full screen directly” launches the viewer in full screen, bypassing its Calaméo URL, once the embed is clicked.

In “Publication” mode, the viewer is inserted on your site page so that your audience can read your publication there in full.

VIEW

The View parameters let you choose a Reading mode for your embedded publication: Slide, Scroll or Book. Experiment to find the appearance that works best with the design of your site as well as any custom Skins or UX elements you’ve added to the viewer.

PAGE

Want to highlight a special page of your publication or ensure your audience sees particular content? Use this parameter to embed your publication starting at a certain page in either “Mini” or “Publication” mode.

SIZE

Although several pre-set sizes are available for your embedded publication, “Custom” allows you to define the height and width right down to the pixel. It’s important to allot enough space on your website page to accommodate the size that you select, otherwise your publication may not display correctly.

With our Platinum plan’s white labelled viewer, you can insert a full-sized publication on a dedicated page of your website and share it using your own URL. Include the “shareurl” parameter in the embed code so the share button broadcasts your URL on social media, too.

💡TIP: We love full-screen reading for great user experiences. If you’re planning to enable full-screen for an embedded publication, remember to check that the “allowfullscreen” parameter is present where you place the code.

With these examples in mind, you should now be able to choose the appearance of your embedded publications so that they look just right on your website!

In the final article of this series, learn more about statistics for embedded publications and mobile responsiveness.

Have you embedded a Calaméo publication on your blog or website? We’d love to see your best work! Tag us @calameo on Facebook and Twitter or on Instagram @calameo_publishing.