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11 More about connecting to FirstSearch

This section supplements Connect your users to FirstSearch and helps you choose the methods used to connect your library's users to the FirstSearch service.

Graphical Web browser requirements

You need the following to use a graphical Web browser.

Microsoft Internet Explorer or Netscape Navigator

Microsoft Internet Explorer 4.0 or higher or Netscape Navigator 4.0 or higher, with JavaScript enabled, provides the most effective FirstSearch access. Microsoft Internet Explorer is available for downloading at < http://www.microsoft.com/windows/ie/download/default.asp >. Netscape Navigator is available for downloading at < http://home.netscape.com/computing/download/ >.

With JavaScript disabled or with version 3.x of Internet Explorer or Netscape Navigator, you can use all major FirstSearch features but you may see additional steps in procedures. For more information, see Enabling JavaScript in Microsoft Internet Explorer or Enabling JavaScript in Netscape Navigator. Although Internet Explorer 3.0 works with FirstSearch, its support for JavaScript is limited. If you cannot use version 4.0 or higher of Internet Explorer but you can use version 3.0 of Internet Explorer or Netscape Navigator, use Netscape Navigator 3.0 because it functions more like version 4.0 than Internet Explorer 3.0 does.

Adobe Acrobat Reader

Adobe Acrobat Reader 3.0 or higher is required for viewing Electronic Collections Online journal articles and other documents provided in Adobe Portable Document Format (PDF). If you use Netscape Navigator, install the Web browser plug-in included with Acrobat Reader to view documents correctly and do not use Acrobat Reader as a helper application. Acrobat Reader is available at < http://www.adobe.com/prodindex/acrobat/readstep.html >.

CatchWord's RealPage software

Electronic Collections Online journal articles supplied through CatchWord, an Internet publishing service provider, are available in PDF and in RealPage format. If you want to view these articles in RealPage format rather than PDF, you must have CatchWord's RealPage software, 2.10 or higher. CatchWord's RealPage software is available for downloading at < http://www.catchword.com/realpage.htm >.

Enabling JavaScript in Microsoft Internet Explorer

The JavaScript feature should be enabled in Microsoft Internet Explorer for the most effective FirstSearch access. JavaScript is enabled in Internet Explorer 4.X or 5.X unless someone disables it. If JavaScript is disabled in your copy of Internet Explorer, use the appropriate procedure below to enable it.

To enable JavaScript in Internet Explorer 4.X:

  Action
1 Open the View menu and click Internet Options.
2 Click the Security tab and select Internet Zone In the Zone box. (Do not click Reset.)
3 Look at the security level setting. If the selected security level is notCustom (for expert users), JavaScript is already enabled. Click Cancel to complete this procedure. If the selected security level is Custom (for expert users), go to step 4.
4 Click the Settings button.
5 Scroll down to the Active scripting section at the bottom of the list. In the Active scripting area, click Enable.
6 Click OK. Then click OK again.

To enable JavaScript in Internet Explorer 5.X:

  Action
1 Open the Tools menu and click Internet Options.
2 Click the Security tab and select the Internet Web content zone.
3 Look at the security level setting. If the selected security level is notCustom, JavaScript is already enabled. Click Cancel to complete this procedure. If the selected security level is Custom, go to step 4.
4 Click the Custom Level button.
5 Scroll down to the Active scripting section near the bottom of the Settings list. In the Active scripting area, click Enable.
6 Click OK, and click Yes if asked if you want to change settings. Click OK again.

Enabling JavaScript in Netscape Navigator

The JavaScript feature should be enabled in Netscape Navigator for the most effective FirstSearch access. JavaScript is enabled in Navigator 3.X and 4.X unless someone disables it. If JavaScript is disabled in your copy of Netscape Navigator, use the appropriate procedure below to enable it.

To enable JavaScript in Netscape Navigator 3.X:

  Action
1 Open the Options menu and click Network Preferences.
2 Click the Languages tab.
3 If Enable JavaScript is not checked, click on it.
4 Click OK.

To enable JavaScript in Netscape Navigator 4.X:

  Action
1 Open the Edit menu and click Preferences.
2 Click the word Advanced in the left panel.
3 If Enable JavaScript is not checked, click on it.
4 Click OK.

Numeric IP addresses

Each FirstSearch address in this booklet, such as < http://firstsearch.oclc.org >, contains a domain name, such as firstsearch.oclc.org. Each of these alphabetic domain names is associated with a numeric IP address. However, OCLC does not publish numeric IP addresses because they may change. OCLC asks libraries to use domain names unless they must use numeric IP addresses. If you must use numeric IP addresses, contact your regional network or service center in the USA, your international distributor, or OCLC User & Network Support.

Athens authentication access to FirstSearch

The Athens service delivers authentication, authorization, and distributed user account administration for information services in the education and health sectors of the United Kingdom, Ireland, and Scandinavia.

To access FirstSearch using Athens authentication, users with an Athens username go to the address for FirstSearch Athens logon and type the Athens username and password. After logging on, users see the FirstSearch home screen from which they begin their session.

Athens logon instructions

Use the FirstSearch Athens logon instructions below.

  Action
1 Go to the FirstSearch Athens logon address shown below for your communications method.
2 Type your Athens username in the space provided.
3 Type your Athens password in the space provided.
4 Choose Start.

Athens logon addresses

Use the FirstSearch Athens logon address for your communications method shown in the table below to go to the FirstSearch Athens logon screen.

Communications method FirstSearch Athens logon address
Internet http://firstsearch.oclc.org/athens/

Support for Athens logon

The following sources are available for users and library staff who need assistance using Athens authentication access to FirstSearch:

  • Users should contact their Athens administrator.
  • Library staff and Athens administrators should contact the OCLC PICA, Birmingham helpdesk. Information about the helpdesk is in the Support area of the OCLC PICA Web site.

IP-address recognition

Complete instructions for IP-address recognition are available at < http://www.oclc.org/support/documentation/firstsearch/getting_started/ipweb/ >.

Benefits

You can place IP-address recognition links to FirstSearch on non-restricted Web pages because workstations authorized to use FirstSearch are identified by IP address. Each IP address (for example, 132.174.95.5) identifies a computer or other machine on the Internet. Anyone trying to access FirstSearch from an unauthorized IP address is sent to the FirstSearch manual logon screen.

Remote access

Remote library users who access FirstSearch from outside the library at an IP address that you have not authorized cannot use IP-address recognition. For example, users connecting to FirstSearch through an Internet Service Provider cannot use IP-address recognition. Remote users must use manual logon or some other logon method provided by the library. If you have questions about remote access, contact your regional network or service center in the USA, your international distributor, or OCLC User & Network Support.

Getting started

The following is a summary of the steps you follow to request and set up IP-address recognition. Complete instructions and a link to the request form are available at < http://www.oclc.org/support/documentation/firstsearch/getting_started/ipweb/ >.

  1. Work with your system administrator to note all IP addresses that should have access to your FirstSearch accounts.
  2. Note the authorization number for each of your FirstSearch accounts.
  3. Complete and submit the IP-address recognition request form. On this form, specify all the IP addresses and FirstSearch authorization numbers included in IP-address recognition access to your FirstSearch accounts.
  4. OCLC acknowledges receipt of the form and processes the request. In most cases, requests are processed within 48 hours (Monday-Friday).
  5. Add links to your Web pages containing IP-address recognition URLs.

Proxy servers and firewalls

Your institution's network may include a firewall or proxy server. A firewall is hardware and/or software that prevents unauthorized access to or from the network. The firewall might also act as a proxy server. A proxy server might translate IP addresses used only within your network into addresses used on the Internet. Or, it might supply a requested Web page available in its cache (storage buffer) rather than send the request out on the Internet.

The useful services that firewalls and proxy servers provide sometimes disrupt communications between users and FirstSearch. If you suspect that a firewall or proxy server is affecting your FirstSearch users, ask your system administrator to contact OCLC User & Network Support. UNS staff and the system administrator can discuss possible problems and solutions.

The following are two examples of possible problems and solutions:

  • Every FirstSearch screen sent to a user contains information identifying the specific FirstSearch session. If a proxy server supplies a FirstSearch screen cached from an earlier session, the user could click a link on that screen that sends information from an obsolete session to FirstSearch causing FirstSearch to end the session. To solve this problem, the system administrator might configure the proxy server not to cache pages from an oclc.org address.
  • Proxy servers that translate IP addresses can cause problems for IP-address recognition access to FirstSearch if your IP-address recognition request includes IP addresses used only within your network. To help solve these problems, work with your system administrator to identify all the IP addresses that should have access to your FirstSearch account or accounts, as they will appear on HTTP connections from your network. Include those addresses in your IP-address recognition request.

The Back button in Web browsers

During a FirstSearch session, options and buttons appear on each FirstSearch screen to show users their available choices. Encourage users to click those options and buttons to navigate FirstSearch rather than the browser's Back button and other buttons. The browser's Back button may return the user to a screen that does not contain the latest information about the user's session.

For example, if a user performs two searches and clicks the Previous Searches option, the Previous Searches screen lists the two searches. If the user performs a third search and uses the browser's Back button to return to the Previous Searches screen, only the first two searches are listed. Clicking the browser's Refresh/Reload button redisplays the screen with the latest information.

Screen reader software

The following information is provided for those who use screen reader software to access FirstSearch:

  • OCLC works to support Web Accessibility Initiative (WAI) guidelines that are supported by Web browsers. More information about WAI is available at < http://www.w3.org/WAI/ >.
  • OCLC uses Bobby, a Web-based tool, to analyze FirstSearch pages for their accessibility to people with disabilities. CAST (Center for Applied Special Technology) offers Bobby at < http://bobby.watchfire.com/bobby/html/en/index.jsp >.

The following are some HTML features that OCLC uses to support WAI guidelines. Your Web browser or screen reader software may or may not support these features:

  • FirstSearch includes title attributes with items on screens to provide detailed prompts and information about where links lead.
  • FirstSearch includes LABEL tags to precisely associate label information with parts of forms.
  • FirstSearch includes accesskey attributes to specify that pressing <Alt+S> has the same effect as clicking a submit button, such as Search, Select, or Show Databases, and pressing <Alt+C> has the same effect as clicking a Clear button.