Digital Library Help

Help Contents:

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Browse
Search
Communities
Collections
Sign in
Submit items
File Formats
Subscribe to E-mail alerts
 

The digital library captures, distributes and preserves digital research products. Here you can find scanned document images, transciptions, photos, and family trees in various digital formats. Content grows daily as new communities and collections are added.

The digital library content is organized around Communities which can correspond to entities such as project teams, societies, and a Users community for individual users. Within each community there can be an unlimited number subcommunities and an unlimited number of collections. Each collection may contain an unlimited number of items.


BROWSE top

Browse allows you to go through a list of items in some specified order:

by Item Title allows you to move through an alphabetical list of all titles of items in the digital library.

by Source Title allows you to move through an alphabetical list of all sources in the digital library.

by Submission Date allows you to move through a list of all items in reverse chronological order of their submission date.

You may sign on to the system if you:


SEARCH top

To search the entire digital library, click on the Search link at the top of the page.

To limit your search to a specific community or collection, navigate to that community or collection and use the search box on that page.

The digital library uses the Jakarta Lucene search engine. Here are some search hints:

Stemming
The search engine automatically expands words with common endings to include plurals, past tenses ...etc.

Phrase Searching
To search using multiple words as a phrase, put quotation marks (") around the phrase.


COMMUNITIES top

The digital library content is organized around Communities which can correspond to administrative entities such as project teams, societies, etc. There is also a special Users community for individual users. Within each community there can be an unlimited number subcommunities and an unlimited number of collections. Each collection may contain an unlimited number of items. This organization gives the digital library the flexibility to accommodate differing needs of communities by allowing them to

Each community has its own entry page displaying information, news and links reflecting the interests of that community, as well as a descriptive list of collections within the community.


COLLECTIONS top

Communities can maintain an unlimited number of collections in the digital library. Collections can be organized around a topic, or by type of information (such as a particular type of record) or by any other sorting method a community finds useful in organizing its digital items. Collections can have different policies and workflows.

Each digital library collection has its own entry page displaying information, news and links reflecting the interests of users of that collection.


SIGN ON TO THE DIGITAL LIBRARY top

The WeRelate Digital Library is currently running in a limited beta. In order to register, you must first create an account at WeRelate.org. Once you have created an account and have confirmed your email address, you can return to the digital library and sign in using your WeRelate username and password. You may then subscribe to any of the collections to receive daily e-mail alerts of new items added to the collection.

If you want to submit your own items to the digital library during this limited beta, please send an email with your username to dallan@werelate.org.


SUBMIT ITEMS top

Submit item is the function that enables users to add items to the digital library. The process of submission includes filling out information about the item on a metadata form and uploading the file(s) comprising the digital item. Each community sets its own submission policy.

If you have been authorized to submit items to any of the digital library collections, the Submit item page lets you manage your submissions. Here you will find:


SUBMIT top

Stopping during the Submission Process:

At any point in the submission process you can stop and save your work for a later date by clicking on the "cancel/save" button at the bottom of the page. The data you have already entered will be stored until you come back to the submission, and you will be reminded on your "Submit item" page that you have a submission in process. If somehow you accidentally exit from the submit process, you can always resume from your "Submit item" page. You can also cancel your submission at any point.

Choose Collection

Progress Bar - Oval Buttons at Top of Page:

At the top of the submit pages you will find several oval buttons representing each step in the submission process. As you move through the process these ovals will change color. Once you have started you can also use these buttons to move back and forth within the submission process by clicking on them. You will not lose data by moving back and forth.

Select Collection:

Click on the arrow at the right of the drop-down box to see a list of Collections. Move your mouse to the collection into which you wish to add your item and click.

(If you are denied permission to submit to the collection you choose, please contact the Digital Library Administrator for more information.)

You must be authorized by a community to submit items to a collection. If you would like to submit an item to the digital library, but don't see an appropriate community, please contact the Digital Library Administrator to find out how you can get your community set up in the digital library.

Click on the "next" button to proceed, or "cancel/save" button to stop and save or cancel your submission.


SUBMIT: License top of submit top

The digital library requires you to specify under what license others can use the material you submit to the library. Certain communities and collections may require you to agree to a particular license. If you have any questions, please contact the Digital Library Administrator.


SUBMIT: Select a Source top of submit top

If your item is associated with an existing Source wiki page, enter the title of the Source page here. The Source page tracks common citation information that can be shared among many records submitted to the library. Entering a Source page title is optional.

Click on the "next" button to proceed, or "cancel/save" button to stop and save or cancel your submission.


SUBMIT: Describe Your Item - Page 1 top of submit top

The information you fill on this screen will help other users understand where you found your material. Using the shared citation information in the Source wiki page along with the specific citation information you enter on this page, others should be able to verify where you found your material.

Click on the "next" button to proceed, or "cancel/save" button to stop and save or cancel your submission.


SUBMIT: Describe Your Item - Page 2 top of submit top

The information you fill on this screen is used in search. Entering the names and places mentioned in your material will allow others searching for those names and places to find your material.

Click on the "next" button to proceed, or "cancel/save" button to stop and save or cancel your submission.


SUBMIT: Upload a File top of submit top

There are two methods of entering the name of the file you wish to upload:

  1. Type the full path and file name into the input box and then click on the "next" button in the lower right hand corner of the screen.

  2. Click on the "browse" button and a window showing your files will appear. You can navigate through your directories and folders until you find the correct file to upload. Double-click on the file name you wish to upload, and the name will be entered into the input box.

Once the correct file name is in the input box, click on the "next" button to proceed.

File Description

The input box marked "File Description" will help users to understand what information is in each file, for instance, "main article" or "scanned image" or "transcription" or "family tree". Enter file descriptions for each item, and click on the "next" button to proceed.


SUBMIT: File Uploaded top of submit top

If you're only uploading one file, click on "Next" when you're happy that the file has been uploaded correctly.

If you're uploading more than one file, click on the "Add Another File" button. When you are satisfied that all files for this item have been successfully uploaded, click on the "Next" button.

If you're uploading an HTML page with embedded files, click on the "Add Another File" button, and upload all files or bitstreams referenced in the html page. After all the are uploaded, in the column marked "Primary Bitstream", select the bitstream or file that is the index page or the top page for the web page. This will ensure that all of your embedded files will display properly on the HTML page. Then click on the "Next" button.


SUBMIT: File Formats top of submit top

To properly archive and give access to a file, we need to know what format it is, for example "PDF", "HTML", or "Microsoft Word". If the system does not automatically recognize the format of the file you have uploaded, you will be asked to describe it. If the format of the file appears in the list offered, click on it and then on "Submit". If you can't see the format in the list, click on "format not in list" and describe the format in the text box lower down on the page. Be sure to give the name of the application you used to create the file and the version of that application, for example "Autodesk AutoCAD R20 for UNIX".


SUBMIT: Verify Submission top of submit top

This page lets you review the information you have entered to describe the item. To correct or edit information, click on the corresponding button on the right, or use the oval buttons in the progress bar at the top of the page to move around the submission pages. When you are satisfied that the submission is in order, click on the "Next" button to continue.

Click on the "Cancel/Save" button to stop and save your data, or to cancel your submission.


SUBMIT: Submission Complete top of submit top

Now that your submission has been successfully entered into the digital library, it will go through the workflow process designated for the collection to which you are submitting. Some collections require the submission to go through editing or review steps, while others may immediately accept the submission. You will receive e-mail notification as soon as your item has become a part of the collection, or if for some reason there is a problem with your submission. If you have questions about the workflow procedures for a particular collection, please contact the community responsible for the collection directly. You can check on the status of your submission by going to the Submit item page.


SUBSCRIBE TO E-MAIL ALERTS top

Users can subscribe to receive daily e-mail alerts of new items added to collections. Users may subscribe to as many collections as they wish. To subscribe:


FOR FURTHER ASSISTANCE...

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For help using the digital library, please contact the Digital Library Administrator.

For general information and news about DSpace - the software used by the digital library, visit the DSpace Website.