Using RNIB Library catalogue with screen readers
This guide was written using JAWS, however it is designed to be useful to you whichever screen reader you are using.
Accessing the library catalogue
In your web browser, go to www.rniblibrary.com
The catalogue website will open at the home page, unless you have been logged in previously and chosen to remain logged in. If you have done this, it will open on the ‘my library’ page.
At the top of every page you will find the RNIB logo, followed by some standard links. These are ‘high contrast’, preferred font size, Login and a link to the RNIB main website.
Using login allows you to view your current wishlist and add titles to it yourself. Login will ask you for your customer number and a password. If you do not know what these are, you can contact helpline on 0303 123 9999 to find out. When you have typed in your customer number and password, you can choose to be automatically logged in each time you visit the site, by checking the tick box; ‘remember my password’. Now click ‘OK’. To maintain automatic login on your next visit, do not log out but simply close your browser when you are finished. If you do logout, you will need to enter your user name and password again.
On each page, after the RNIB main website link, there is a set of menu links. These are home, search, browse by category, my library, services, kids and teens, join the library, and help. The pages each of these lead to is explained in turn.
Home page
After the initial accessibility links and menu links, you will find a Header: Search the RNIB Library catalogue. Immediately after this, in the main body of this page you will find a search facility consisting of a drop-down list of options, the search box where you type your search terms and a ‘search’ button. We explain fully how to use the search facility later in this document, under the heading ‘Search page’.
Following the search feature, there are various features each with a heading, including contact information, current events, recommended books and others; these will change regularly, so it’s a good idea to use the headings list in your screen reader. There are permanent features too, like Library News, which contains the latest from the library team, and New in the library, which lets you find the latest additions to the catalogue in one click.
Search page
Here you will find the same search feature as appears on the home page, followed by some guidance on searching.
Searching for a book
To search for an item in the catalogue, go to either the Home page or Search page to use the search feature. Use your Tab key to go to the drop down box and use your up and down arrow keys to choose the type of material you are interested in. You can search Braille only, giant print only, talking book only, music, or everything.
Now use your Tab key go to the search box and type in your search term. This works much like a standard search engine, and it helps to focus your search if you can use “Boolean logic”. This is not as daunting as it sounds! For example, if you would like to find a book by a particular author and you know the author’s full name, try placing quotation marks around the full name as you type it in.
If you are looking for talking books and prefer to use the TB number, you can also search by TB number.
Browse by category page
You may prefer to browse types of book, such as Family Stories, or Classic Crime. To make this easier, we have placed a list of pre-set searches so you can see an up to date list of your favourite genre or category. Click on the Browse by category link and you will find two long lists of links. The first list is headed ‘Fiction’ and the second is headed ‘Non Fiction’. To browse any genre within these lists, simply tab to the link that interests you and click on it.
For information on viewing the results, please see the ‘Search results page’ section of this document.
My library page
To access the My Library page, you will be asked to login. While doing this you can opt to check the box marked ‘keep me logged in.’ This means that so long as you don’t click ‘logout’, but just close your browser window, you will be automatically logged in next time to go to the site.
This page holds details of your name and address, how many items you have on loan and how many are on your wishlist. Each of these has a link to display a list of all relevant items.
View your current loans
To view a list of the items currently on lean to you, click on ‘current loans’. A new list will open in the page, headed ‘current loans’. All the books you currently have from the library will be displayed in a single list.
View your wishlist
To view your wishlist, click on ‘current wishlist’. A new list will open in the page, headed ‘current wishlist’. All the books you currently have on your wishlist will be displayed in a single list, with each title and author in Header 3 format. By default, your wishlist titles are displayed in the order in which they are due to come out to you.
You can also change the viewing order of your wishlist titles, by selecting from the drop down box, using your arrow keys. Please note, viewing in different order does not change the order in which you will receive these books. To change the order in which you will receive them, you should contact Helpline. To view the order in which you will receive them, you should again sort the list into ‘wishlist order’.
Changing your search settings
Click on ‘search settings’ to view a list of all available preference settings. If you choose any preferences within this list, you future searches will be restricted to only those preferences. To select a preference, select relevant check boxes by pressing ‘space’. When you are satisfied with your preferences, go to the end the list and select the ‘save’ button [JAWS keystroke B]. You can always override these settings in any individual search if you want to.
Search results page
When you have searched for an item, you will be given a list of all items that match your search term. On the results page after the standard menu bar, there is an area of the page headed “Simple Search”. This is the same search facility you have just used, and has an added check box option just after it headed “do not apply my search filter”. This will re-run your search without any search preferences you have chosen in your search settings. This is done in the ‘My Library’ page. If you have not yet set up any search preferences in your account, this will not alter your results.
Viewing your search results
The next headed area of the page is ‘search result’. Just before your results list, you will first hear your search term repeated, followed by the number of results you have retrieved. Let’s say for example, you have ‘1-10 from a total of 46 results’. This means this page is showing the first 10 of 46 results.
If you have search preferences applied in your account, you will also be given a link; ‘Click here to view the results without the applied search restrictions’ followed by the total number of results you will then retrieve.
The list of search results is next, and at the top is ‘an indicator of how many pages your results are spread over.
Following this, your first search result is displayed, as a summary catalogue record. There is a checkbox you can tick if you wish to add that title to a temporary list, which you can later send to helpline to be added to your wishlist. Titles in your results list are in Header 3 format so you can choose to read through them using your screen reader’s header shortcut.
Each listed title contains, after its checkbox, the title, followed by the year that edition was published, and then the author. If you click on any part of the information in a record, you will be given the full catalogue information, including whether the book is part of a series, duration of the recording for audio, or number of volumes for Braille or Giant Print etc.
There is a short synopsis after the author, then an indicator to say whether the title is available. At the end if this summary record, there is a link “Add to wishlist” you can click if you want to receive the book.
Add a book to your wishlist while logged in
If you are logged in, the Add to wishlist link at the end of each record will work regardless of whether you have checked the box for the title. Choosing add to wishlist will produce a new dialog box inviting you to choose a priority level for that book in your wishlist. This is a drop down box, in which you can use your arrow keys to select your preferred priority level. If the title you have selected is part of a series, all titles in the series you have not yet read will be listed, and you have the option to tick a checkbox to add them to your wishlist too. Now click on the submit button. You will be given a confirmation message to show this was successful.
Adding a book to your wishlist without logging in
Search for a book as before and instead of clicking ‘add to wishlist at the end of the record, instead simply tick the checkbox next to the title. You can select a number of titles by clicking on the checkbox next to teach one. Next, use your Tab key to go to the ‘Options’ area of the page and click ‘Add selection to temporary list’. A new option will appear; ‘View temporary list’. Click on it. You have created a list of titles. You can select print the list to keep for reference, or send an email to RNIB Helpline for those titled to be added to your wishlist.