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Hi all,
I am looking at starting a small 500pt Imperial Guard army for use at the 40k club I started at my school (it would be used by beginners and more experienced players). However, I am starting from knowing very little about Guard, and I don't have access to a codex (yet). I need some help coming up with a few lists to base purchases off of.
My original thought was to get a battleforce, another box of guardsmen, a leman russ, and a chimera.
Is this a good selection of stuff to provide some variety?

Any help would be appreciated.

It would provide variety. That said, an army like that wouldn't be the most effective build out there. The best ways that Guard work IMO is by either running mechanized veterans, foot blobs, or a combination of the two. In this case it might be better to pick one to use as its hard to fit a blob and a platoon into a 500 point list. My vast preference at these low point games goes towards the mechanized troops, as not only can you bring an assortment of special weapons in great quantities, you have armor to back it up. My 500 point mech list runs something along the lines of

HQ
CCS - 3xmelta, chimera w. ML/HF
(135)

Troops
Vets - 3xmelta, chimera w. ML/HF
(155)
Vets - 3xplasma, chimera w. ML/HF
(170)

Fast Attack
Scout Sentinel - autocannon
(40)

Total 500 points

I've recently been having much better luck with the sentinel in smaller games, so I dropped a melta to include it. This is a very effective list (for me anyways) and depending on how you deploy your troops has a mix of vehicles and infantry.It is also a good spring board to expand the army later on down the road. Doing an army like this might cost about the same as what you planned on buying anyway, though you don't get the leman russ. You would also need to buy some special weapons to give to the troops (I use the GW metal ones)

Anyways, hope this helps a bit

Yup, orkboy's list is the starter set for mechanized Guard. The sentinel is optional as you'll almost certainly be dropping it in larger point games. But you can make up its points by grabbing an extra special weapon on the ccs, and having 2 plasma squads. 2 plasma squads are better in low point games, since plasma can easily open up light armor.

The other side of the spectrum is the list I play at 500 points. It goes for more of the infantry horde approach.

(85) CCS- Las Cannon, Regimental Standard
(45) PCS- Auto Cannon, Grenade Launcher
(120) Infantry Squad- Commissar, 2 Power Weapons, Flamer, Auto Cannon
(75) Infantry Squad- Power Weapon, Flamer, Auto Cannon
(100) Vets- 2 Sniper Rifles, Las Cannon
(75) Griffon Heavy Mortar

Blob the 2 infantry squads together, and proceed to shoot the crap out of your opponent. What gets to your lines is probably no match for the power blob in close combat. You can also advance the power blob if you don't need their auto cannon shots. They make a great forward marching element.

The commissar makes it so the squad doesn't break (ld 9, stubborn, re roll), and you've got 3 hidden power weapons who get 3 attacks each (4 on the charge). Basically you lose las guns, your power weapons kill a few models, stubborn keeps you around, and you'll kill most any marine squads in a war of attrition.

Gives you 40 infantry models, and an ordinance battery at 500 points. Its a pretty scary list. The Griffon can be a pain to get, but its pretty easy to convert it from the basilisk kit, and the forgeworld model looks pretty sick. There are several conversion guides available online.

Really what you end up getting will depend on your play style, do you want elite guardsmen in vehicles? or do you want a wall of advancing infantry supported by Artillery?

Ok, great, these do help , and I like the idea of some heavy ordinance.
So I'm seeing a small mech army and a large blob army. Is there any middle ground? Is it viable to have a 500pt army that's half move up and half sit back?
Also, this would be a club army, so something with a bit of variety that is relativley easy to pick up and play with would be ideal.

500 points is too small to play a hybrid army effectively. You simply don't have the points to sink into both styles of unit. If the army is expanded at some point, it would be relatively simple to include both a 500 point mech list and a 500 point foot list and do reasonably well, but not both at such a low point game