Category: eSearch

Service issue icon in eSearch

Head of Discovery and Digital Futures

When a service issue is affecting access to a resource in eSearch, details of the problem are added to the information held in the Information icon pop-up. However, this service information is not immediately visible in the initial Database List display, and we are aware that customers sometimes miss important service information because of this. In an attempt to improve the visibility of this important information, eServices is testing the display of a ‘service issue’ icon in the eSearch display (see illustration below). These icons will be added to databases in eSearch when a known service issue occurs, and removed when the issue is resolved.

Service issue icon in eSearch - with ALT text displaying

When a customer floats their cursor over the icon the following text displays: “There is an issue affecting this resource, check the Information icon for more details” (see illustration below). If the test proves successful, the icon and text will be added to the eSearch ‘Key to resource icons’. Please share any feedback you have on the usefulness (or otherwise) of this eSearch feature.

Service issue icon in eSearch

Problems with university web gateway – 23 October 2009

Head of Discovery and Digital Futures

Performance problems affecting the university’s web gateway during the afternoon of 23 October 2009 (reported by IS as now resolved) did affect on-campus access to LLR electronic resources.

Problems were first identified with remote and metasearching in eSearch (when searches were either timing out unresolved or producing an error), but other issues were soon apparent as external web connections more generally were affected. Access to electronic resources within the university network (such at the Library Catalogue, IRep and and LLR web site) were not affected by the problem.

If you continue to experience any technical problems with connecting to external web services, please contact the eServices team with details of the issue.

British Standards Online – off-campus access restored

Head of Discovery and Digital Futures

Off-campus access to the British Standards Online (BSOL) service has been restored. On-campus access remains direct; and off-campus access is now by university domain, username and password. Despite extensive efforts, it has not proved possible to enable either Shibboleth or eZproxy authenticated access to BSOL, so LLR has agreed an alternative arrangement with the providers based on a secure ‘referral URL’.

This is how this works:

When an off-campus customer clicks on the link to British Standards in eSearch, they will be directed to a special BSOL login page. That page contains the actual login link, and a guide to how to complete the two different styles of pop-up login boxes that may appear (depending on the settings on the local off-campus PC). Once the the login has been successfully completed, off-campus customers will be presented with a page indicating that they have successfully logged in.

Clicking on the ‘Launch British Standards Online now‘ link in that page, will open up a logged in session on the British Standards Online service.

Because the customer has to login to the service, and because off-campus access to BSOL is only available through the secure eSearch link, it is not possible to omit any of the steps or to bookmark a page part-way through the process. Because it is the ‘referral URL’ link itself which authenticates the off-campus customer, LLR has to protect this link behind a secure login (to ensure that only current students and staff members can access it).

Withdrawn resource: Violence and Abuse Abstracts

Head of Discovery and Digital Futures

Following the conclusion of LLR’s subscription to the Violence and Abuse Abstracts database, the resource has been removed from eSearch.

Withdrawn resource: Abstracts in Social Gerontology

Head of Discovery and Digital Futures

Following the conclusion of LLR’s subscription to the Abstracts in Social Gerontology database, the resource has been removed from eSearch.

Withdrawn resource: Research Starters – Business

Head of Discovery and Digital Futures

Following the conclusion of LLR’s extended trial subscription to the Research and Starters – Business database, the resource has been removed from eSearch.

Withdrawn resource: Research Starters – Education

Head of Discovery and Digital Futures

Following the withdrawal of the free-to-educational-access WGSN (Worth Global Style Network) service, the resource has been removed from eSearch.

Oxford English Dictionary (OED) Online – Shibboleth authentication

Head of Discovery and Digital Futures

Access to the Oxford English Dictionary online is now direct on-campus and by university username and password (using Shibboleth) off-campus. Links and prompts in eSearch have been updated accordingly. A guide to using Shibboleth authentication on the OED Online has been added to the eServices Support wiki.

New resource: Institute for Employment Studies

Head of Discovery and Digital Futures

An entry for the Institute for Employment Studies has been added to eSearch. Access to the main areas of the web site is unrestricted (although the Members’ area is not accessible). The resource is described as follows:

The Institute for Employment Studies aims to improve employment policy in the UK and internationally by carrying out authoritative research of practical relevance to policy makers and those responsible for implementing policy programmes and initiatives. Its work covers all aspects of employment policy and labour market activity. There are free to download reports on the website under the ‘Publications’ link. Please also search on the Library Catalogue to find print copies of other Institute for Employment Studies reports that are available in the Library.

Library Catalogue – SFX, eSearch and other search connections

Head of Discovery and Digital Futures

The LLR web site and NOW Library Catalogue search widgets have been confirmed as retrieving results from the upgraded v.20 of ALEPH on its new sever. Search connections from eSearch and SFX are also now configured to connect correctly, as do remote searches from RefWorks, Ulrich’s, Journal Citation Reports and a number of other external services.