How to Use the LocalGov Drupal Publications Module

The Publications module in LocalGov Drupal makes it simple for councils to share reports, policies, and other documents as accessible web pages — without relying on clunky PDFs.

Developed by Chicken with the London Borough of Hammersmith & Fulham, Publications is now a standard feature in LocalGov Drupal and is already making life easier for content editors and residents alike.

Why Use Publications Instead of PDFs?

Many councils still publish important information as downloadable PDFs. While familiar, PDFs can be:

• Hard to navigate on mobile
• Difficult to search
• Inaccessible to screen readers
• Time-consuming to update

Publications solve this problem by letting you create structured, accessible, web-based content that’s easier for people to read and for editors to maintain.

Key Features

• Create multi-section documents directly in your CMS
• Add tables of contents for easy navigation
• Publish content that works on mobile, tablet, and desktop
• Ensure accessibility from the start (no need for retrofitted fixes)
• Update sections quickly without re-uploading files

How to Get Started

1. Go to Add Content → Publication in your LocalGov Drupal site.
2. Enter your title and summary.
3. Build out sections using the familiar editor, with headings, images, tables, or links.
4. In the sidebar select Publication outline and choose - Create a new publication.
   1. This will save your publication with the title you wrote
5. To add another page repeat steps 1-4 but this time choose the publication you're working on.
   1. When you have several pages you will notice that the Parent Item menu fills up, use this to create pages in chapters.
6. Publish when you’re ready — or schedule it for later.

That’s it — your content is now live and accessible.

To reorder pages of your publication you can go to /admin/structure/publications to see all of your publications, rename the titles of pages and reorder them.

Watch the Video Guide

For a full walkthrough, check out this video guide by Ben Hill-Jones on the LocalGov Drupal YouTube Channel

Ready to Try Publications?

If you’d like help setting up Publications on your council website, or want to explore how to replace PDFs with accessible, web-first content, get in touch: hello@wearechicken.co.uk