Getting Started

Getting Started

Web Admin Client v2.3.2

Welcome to Web Admin Help

VDX is an inter-lending and document request management system. It provides an interlibrary loan service for use between a collaborative group of institutions and suppliers. This is integrated with Z39.50 searching allowing users to search for bibliographic records, display search results and request delivery of items within the same interface. In all cases VDX uses standard ILL protocols for communicating request messages.

The Web Admin.Client is used by ILL Administrators who process inter-library loan requests on behalf of their end users. Typically end users access searching and ILL request facilities through the 'ZPortal'interface.

This generic help is to assist you when using the VDX Web Admin.Client. Note that there are many configurable features that effect how the web client is used and this help suggests when you need to check out local policy.

To access your own locally produced help files click here - local help site

The first step is log in.

What can ILL Administrator Users Do?

  • Search and edit existing User Details records at your location.
  • Create new User Details records for your location.
  • Expire User Details records.
  • Search for incoming and outgoing requests.
  • Manage incoming and outgoing requests.
  • Edit the Location record for your own organisation.
  • Run Reports.

Logging in

About log in

On the initial VDX screen, the user is given the option to search or to log into VDX.

VDX can be used just for searching by clicking the search button. To use VDX to submit requests for items you must log in to identify yourself to the system. All users must be registered on either the VDX system or on a remote database supporting either SIP 1,SIP 2 or LDAP protocols. The login authentication service selected reflects whether the user record is stored on the VDX system or is linking to a record on a local circulation system and authenticating access to VDX against the remotely stored user.

Login is required to submit requests, track requests, and edit user information.

To log into VDX -

  1. Click the login button on the left-hand menu bar.
  2. Enter your barcode and password into the input boxes.
  3. Select the appropriate authentication service.
  4. Click the login button on the bottom of the screen.

If only one authentication service is available for your implementation, the drop down box does not display and selecting the appropriate service is not an option. Please check with your own organisation for specific details of your local options.

A user who is banned in VDX will not be able to log on to the Web Admin.Client or to ZPORTAL. This setting can be switched on or off in the User record in Web Admin or Windows Admin Client.

Screen Layouts

Once a user has logged in to VDX as an ILL Administrator, the menu bar on the left side of the screen is expanded to include options available to that level of privilege. This menu bar remains consistent throughout the VDX session. Additional buttons will also appear on the top menu bar. The top row buttons are content sensitive and will change depending on the functions you are using within VDX.

Search Profiles

About Search Profiles

Search Profiles are used in VDX to present users with Collections of databases. The Collections in Search Profiles are created to reflect the specific interests of groups of users.

As a bare minimum there are two profiles:

  • The Anonymous User Profile (the search profile presented to a user who does not identify themselves by logging in)
  • The Default Search Profile (the default profile presented to an identified user, the first time they log in to the system)

A logged in user selects a Search Profile and then carries out searches against them. Subsequently, more profiles can be added to the system by administration staff using the VDX Windows Admin. Client. When a user with access rights enters the system these profiles are marked as 'shared'. In addition to using the shared Search Profiles provided by the library, you can create your own individual Search Profile.

Access can be assigned to Search Profiles at the User, User Group, Location or Location Group levels in theWindows client. These can be used to present only resources that are useful to particular users or groups of users, or in the cost effective management of user licenses, etc.

The System Administrator’s Manual gives details of creating Search Profiles and assigning access to them in the Windows client.

  1. From the Simple Search or Advanced Search page click the profiles button at the top of the page.
  2. In the Search profile select the profile to be edited.
  3. Click edit to access the list of available Collections.
  4. To add or remove a collection from your profile use the legend to make your choice and check or un-check the relevant boxes.

Using Search Profiles

A search profile determines what Collections of information your search can be executed against. The Collections in Search Profiles are created to reflect specific interests of users by grouping together related targets and databases, and searching them concurrently.

Quick Bibsearch Without Log In

When first accessing the web client if you choose the Bibsearch button rather than the Login button this bypasses log in and gives quicker access to searching only. This takes you directly to a screen where you can use only an anonymous search profile together with its target Collections.

To access the web client anonymously simply ignore the Login button and click immediately on Bibsearch. This takes you straight to Simple Searching.

Accessing the Default Search Profile

To log in you must be a registered user. When first logging in to VDX you are presented with a default profile. Click on Collections to view the target collections in this profile. Once you have initially logged in to VDX, the default Search Profile shown when starting a new session is always the last one you used before logging out of the system.

To Select an Alternative Profile

To choose another Search Profile click the arrow in the Current Profile box. This may list a number of alternative search profiles that you can select from. Select the preferred profile from the drop-down list and the screen will then refresh displaying the new Search Profile. This has now become the default Search Profile until a new one is chosen. To view the target collections available click on Collections.

You can subsequently add your own personal search profile(s).

Collections

VDX databases are arranged in Collections of information. They are used to describe all resources that end users can search and link to through VDX. Collections present end users with a clear and consistent guide of what is available.

Collection records are flexible and can be used in a number of ways. They can describe:

  • The home institution's OPAC
  • Other OPACs
  • Abstracting and Indexing services such as CSA databases
  • Aggregator services such as Ebsco or SwetsNet
  • Websites that may be useful to users, but are not searchable through VDX
  • Electronic journals

Collections are used to group a number of Collections together in a hierarchy, for example:

  • A geographical area of OPACs
  • A subject based hierarchy

They can also be used to group a number of database records together so a user can search a number of databases simultaneously.

To View the Details of a Collection

A Search Profile may contain an unlimited number of Collections. You can view the details of a Collection if you are a registered user. To view a list of the individual Collections contained in a Search Profile:

  1. Click on the Collections: hypertext link on the Standard Search screen.
  2. In the Searchable Collections list click on a Collection link to display the details.
  3. Click on Close Detail when finished.

Other Collections

Creating and Tailoring Search Profiles

If you are a registered user and have logged in you can create and edit your own search profiles in order to group together targets and databases that reflect your searching requirements.

To Create a New Profile

  1. From the Simple Search or Advanced Search page click the profiles button at the top of the page.
  2. A new page is displayed showing any profiles you may already have together with a list of shared profiles that you have access to.
  3. Click the create button.
  4. A new page is displayed. Enter a name for the new profile in the Name field and optionally a brief description in the Description field.
  5. Below this you can see a list of available Collections. Use this list to select the Collections you want for your profile. To view details about any Collection click on its name. Use the Legend also to decide whether a Collection should be included. Choose a Collection by selecting the appropriate tick box.
  6. On completion press the submit button.

Collection Hierarchy

Collections may be presented to you in regional or subject Hierarchies with Parent and Child collections depending on the configuration. In a hierarchy Collections describing other collections (searchable or otherwise) are grouped together in a hierarchical structure. In this relationship each collection has only one parent record.

It is not necessary to select a Child collection if its Parent is already selected. If a child and its parent are both selected the same site will be searched twice.

Metadata, such as Subject information, contained in each Collection entry is important in helping users to identify suitable resources to include in any personal profiles that they create.

Accessibility and the Legend

Accompanying the Collections list is a legend that explains the current accessibility status of each of the available collections. Accessibility information is provided by the VDX Status Robot in the Windows Admin Client. This checks the accessibility and availability of database resources by running automatic, configurable searches and reporting back on the success rate of the searches. This is configured and run by the System Administrator in the Windows Admin Client.

Access to a Collection (i.e. whether it is available to users or not) is controlled by the System Administrator in the Windows Admin Client Collection record.

Collections marked as 'accessible' are searchable through VDX (subject to accessibility of the remote database determined by the Status Robot).

A Collection marked as 'connected but not searchable' might be a web site that is unsuitable for searching through a portal or one that has tight controls on access due to license restrictions. By creating this Collection the System Administrator is identifying it as a useful and available resource, and by adding the URL to its metadata, making it available to VDX users. They appear under 'Other Collections' in VDX search profiles.

You can create new personal profiles as above using the Web Admin.Clien but you cannot create new shared profiles. Shared profiles are created by the System Administrator using the Windows Admin.Client. However new personal profiles that you create in the Web Client are visible to the System Administrator and they may decide to configure an existing personal profile so that it can be shared by other users.

Editing Your Profile

  1. From the Simple Search or Advanced Search page click the profiles button at the top of the page.
  2. In the Search profile select the profile to be edited.
  3. Click edit to access the list of available Collections.
  4. To add or remove a collection from your profile use the legend to make your choice and check or un-check the relevant boxes.

Searching the Databases

Simple Searching

When you do a Simple Search or 'Standard Search' this conducts a search against the Collections configured in the Current Profile you have selected. Usually this is using the Z39.50 protocol to search concurrently in all the databases. A single result set is presented to you as and when records are found.

  1. Optionally select your preferred profile from the pull down box.
  2. Click the Collections link.
  3. In the Searchable Collections listed, check the relevant boxes for including collections in your search.
  4. In the Search for box enter your search term(s).
  5. When ready click submit.

A Standard Search consists of matching keywords in any indexed field in the record (e.g. title, author or subject entry). To conduct a search, enter keywords, or a whole or part title, and the system will search any field in the databases selected using the Z39.50 'Any' search.

Behaviour

  • If you enter more than one search term it is automatically 'ANDED'. The Standard Search has AND as the only available Boolean Operator. Boolean Operators can be changed and combined in the Advanced Search.
  • Common stop words like 'and', 'the', 'or', etc. are ignored by the search.
  • Truncation is applied to any search. For example a search for 'cycle' will also return records containing the word 'cycles'. Truncation attributes are configured in the Windows Admin Client.
  • For phrase searching, enclose the whole phrase in double quotation marks e.g.

"sunspot cycle"

The search will match against the entire phrase rather than each individual term.

  • If you enter terms and part of the string (but not all) contains quotation marks then terms enclosed by quotes are treated as a phrase and ANDED with the other term, e.g.

"black holes" astronomy

This is equivalent to black holes and astronomy

  • As records are retrieved the initial search Results screen will refresh as more hits are returned.
  • For larger results sets 10 records are displayed on each page. The first set of records returned is displayed, even though the remaining records are still being identified. Therefore, results are returned as they arrive, so you do not have to wait for the entire results set to become available.

Tips

- If at any time the Total Returned hits do not match the Total Hits figure then clicking on the Get More Hits link at the top of the screen will retrieve more results. Records are displayed in the order that they are returned from the databases.

1 2 3 You can navigate forward and back through the records using the page numbers and the Next button shown at the top and bottom of the screen. Selecting page 2 displays the records on that page, but also updates the results set to enable subsequent pages of results to be displayed.

- At any time use the results button to return back to the hitlist at the page where you left it.

- When VDX has obtained all the search results and the search is complete it displays the following message at the foot of the screen -

End of Results

Status: Search Complete Total Hits X Total Returned X

Printing and Emailing Search Results

In order to print or email records, you must first save them in your Saved List. From here you can print any record either in brief citation format or in the details format.

To print records from the Saved List:

  1. Access the Saved List.
  2. Click the Print check box next to the relevant records.
  3. To review all selected items together choose Bring selected items to top: Print.
  4. When ready choose Print from the list of actions available in the Selected records box.
  5. Click submit to preview the items and choose from Citation or Details format.
  6. When ready click Print to obtain the Windows print dialog.

Example

To email records from the Saved List:

  1. Access the Saved List.
  2. Click the Email check box next to the relevant records you wish to email.
  3. To review all selected items together choose Bring selected items to top: Email.
  4. When ready choose Email from the list of actions available in the Selected records box.
  5. Click submit to preview the items and confirm the email address and subject line.
  6. Select from Mail format whether to email a brief citation format or the full details.

Example

Viewing Record Details

You can view records in two formats in the web client - the hitlist display or the details display. The fields that are displayed in these formats are determined by the style sheets used in the Web Admin.Client. These can be configured by the system administrator. Initially the whole MARC record is obtained from the target, the style sheet then determines what fields are displayed.

Hitlist Display

Brief bibliographic details are shown in a list immediately after obtaining results from a search.

  1. Enter your search criteria and submit the search.
  2. As soon as records become available they are automatically displayed in the hitlist format.
  3. Use the scroll bar on the right to view records on a page. 1 2 3 Use the page numbers or right arrow to see more pages of records.
  4. If you leave the hitlist display at any point, you can return to it by clicking the results button at the top of the screen.

Details Display

More details are shown individually for each record.

  1. Enter your search criteria and submit the search.
  2. As soon as records become available they are automatically displayed in the hitlist format.
  3. In the hitlist click the details button.
  4. In the details display click the Next/Previous result buttons to display the details of the next/previous record.
  5. To return to the hitlist click the results button at the top of the screen.

In the web client there are other places where you can choose between hitlist display and details display, for example in the Saved List.