Intrallect Intrallect intraLibrary 3.3: Librarian's Guide

Intrallect intraLibrary 3.3: Librarian's Guide


Revision: 6

Created: 4th August 2005

Last Revised: 24th May 2011

Contact: support@intrallect.com

Company: Intrallect Ltd

Product: intraLibrary, Digital Repository

Copyright: © Intrallect Ltd 2003-2011. All rights reserved.

This document is made available to support Intrallect's customers and users of Intrallect's software. The text of these documents and the design of the intraLibrary software are both the intellectual property of Intrallect Ltd. Intrallect does not provide this document for any other purpose, and offer no warranty nor accept any liability for its use in any other context.


Table of Contents
1. Introduction
2. Classification System Management
2.1. Classification Systems in intraLibrary
2.2. Adding a Classification System: First Steps
2.3. Adding a Classification System Manually
2.4. Importing a Classification System
2.5. Editing or Deleting a Classification System
3. Management of Resources
3.1. Introduction
3.2. Viewing Information about Resources
3.3. Changing the Group and Workflow for a Resource
3.4. Changing the Collections for a Resource
3.5. Deleting Resources
3.6. Moving, Deleting and Changing Collections for Resources in Bulk

1. Introduction
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IntraLibrary has four levels of user access: User, Contributor, Librarian and Administrator.

However, there are also some additional tasks within intraLibrary that Librarian users are able to carry out. The Librarian role is aimed at users who are concerned with managing resources and metadata in an installation of intraLibrary, but who do not need to be involved in Administrator tasks such as user management and system configuration. System roles based on the Librarian-type may have the following privileges additional to a Contributor-type role:

This manual gives an overview of almost all of these functions in intraLibrary. The exceptions are Configuring metadata and vocabularies and Configuring search, both of which are covered in the Administrator's Guide.


2. Classification System Management
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2.1. Classification Systems in intraLibrary
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Resources within intraLibrary may be discovered by users through searching or browsing. Browsing the library is enabled through the use of classification schemes, or taxonomies, which appear in the left-hand screen in the Browse view. Resources are associated with nodes on these classification systems via the Classification fields in the resources' metadata. IntraLibrary can support multiple classification systems for classifying resources, and any resource may be classified at any number of nodes in a system or systems. For more information on how to browse intraLibrary, see the intraLibrary manual Getting Started- Finding and Using Resources for more information. For more information about classifying resources in intraLibrary, see the intraLibrary manual Getting Started- Uploading and Cataloguing Resources.

At least one classification system must be created or imported before contributing users can classify their resources. If resources or metadata files are being imported into the library with classifications already completed, any classification system used must be added to the library before the resources or metadata are imported.

IntraLibrary supports the IEEE Learning Resource Metadata (LOM) standard, and the IMS Learning Resource Meta-data specification that it is based on. In the LOM, classification schemes or taxonomies can be used to classify resources for various purposes, e.g. by discipline (subject), accessibility, educational level, competency or prerequisite. This means that an installation of intraLibrary can support browsing of its resources in a number of different ways, for example, one or more of the following:


2.2. Adding a Classification System: First Steps
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There are two ways to add a classification system to intraLibrary:

For both methods, you must begin by creating an entry point for the system in the browse tree, and entering some details about the system, as follows:

  1. Click on the browse button in the toobar near the top of the screen.
  2. Click the edit classification systems button at the top right of the left-hand pane: edit classification systems button.
  3. Click the add taxonomy button in the classification system tool bar to add details (properties) about the classification system: add 
classification system button.
  4. Enter the properties of your classification system (see table below) and click update.

Property Purpose Examples
Classification System Name This will appear as the name of the classification system in the Browse Library view Dewey Decimal; MeSH; LearnDirect; Accessibility Features; Local Competency Scheme
Description The text of the description will appear when a user hovers over the name of the classification system. "Browse here by specific medical topics"; "Local Authority classification for school curricula"
Source This property uniquely identifies the classification system, both within intraLibrary and externally for metadata harvesting, sharing metadata records, etc. Because of this, it cannot be edited once resources are classified under this classification system. If you wish to change this property you will have to remove any resources from this classification system by putting them back into a workflow and deleting the classification. The CanCore Guidelines for implementing the LOM have some detailed guidelines and examples that may be useful.
Language Select the language of the classification system from the drop-down menu.
Order Sections By Selecting name means that the nodes of the classification system will be listed in the left-hand Browse Library view alphabetically. Selecting reference id means that they will be listed according to identification numbers associated with them in the library's underlying database. Reference IDs may be applied whether adding the classification system manually, or importing it as a ZThes file (the ZThes property termID is used in intraLibrary's Reference ID field).
Colour Colour coding is used to visually distinguish between multiple classification systems in the Browse Library view.

2.3. Adding a Classification System Manually
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Once you have created a top-level node for your classification system and entered details about it, as noted above under section 2.2 Adding a Classification System: First Steps, you can continue adding the classification system manually, using the buttons on the classification systems toolbar. The functions available are:

Adding nodes to your classification system:

  1. Click on the browse button near the top of the screen.
  2. Click the edit classification system button at the top right of the left-hand pane: edit classification 
systems button.
  3. Click on the name of the classification system you wish to add nodes to. It should then be highlighted.
  4. To add the first level of nodes to this classification system, click on the Add node button in the toolbar: add node button. A Section Editor form will appear in the right-hand screen, with four fields to be filled in: name; description; ref id; and use for. For explanations and examples of these fields, or node properties, see the table below.
  5. Once you have added a node or nodes to the first level below the classification system name, you can continue to add further nodes: click on the node which you want to add a lower level of nodes to, and follow step 4 above.
Property Purpose Examples
Name This field is compulsory. Enter the name of the node (sometimes known as the preferred term) as you want it to appear in the classification system in the Browse Library view. For a medical education subject taxonomy: "Nursing practice"; For a local geographical classification: "Glasgow (Scotland)"; For classifying by educational purpose: "Multichoice questions"; For an accessibility taxonomy: "Usable with screen reader"; etc.
Description Scope notes, usage notes or other information about the node may be entered here. These will appear when browsing for resources, near the top of the right-hand screen and also when hovering the mouse over the taxonomy node. "All resources that may be used with a screen reader are classified here"; "Only used for research papers about communism as a political system, movement or ideology. Papers about the Communist Party are classified under Political Parties"; "Competency: These learning resources support students learning to prepare and administer injections"
Ref Id This field is compulsory. The ref id for the node will determine in what order the nodes are listed in the classification system in the Browse Library view, when the Order Sections By property of the system is set to ref id. See above under section 2.2 Adding a Classification System: First Steps for more information. The Ref Id is effectively a code and should therefore not be language specific. It should not, for example, contain accented characters. When sections are ordered by Ref Id they are in fact sorted alphanumerically based on text in the RefId. This means that if numbers are to be sorted numerically they must all have the same number of digits, for example 001, 002, .. 012, 013, etc. Or they can also include letters: A001, A002, B001, B002, etc. 001.1; A235
Use For Alternative terms for a node may be entered here. They will appear when the mouse hovers over the node in the classification system in the Browse Library view. To enter more use for terms, click on the add node
 button button for each new term. This will open a new text box. Where the node name, or preferred term, is Mountain Lions, use for, or alternative terms, might include Pumas and Cougars.

Once a classification system has been added to intraLibrary, it will be necessary for an Administrator user to set up access to that classification system for relevant collections, in order for it to be visible to users. See the intraLibrary manual Administrator's Guide for more information.


2.4. Importing a Classification System
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Classification systems may be imported into intraLibrary from an XML file in ZThes format (http://zthes.z3950.org). IntraLibrary currently supports:

To import a classification system:

  1. Click on the browse button near the top of the screen.
  2. Click the edit classification systems button at the top right of the left-hand pane: edit classification systems button.
  3. Add the classification system's name and details as described above in section 2.2 Adding a Classification System: First Steps.
  4. Click on the name of the classification system in the browse tree, highlighting it.
  5. Click the import taxonomy button: import classification 
system button. An import taxonomy window will open.
  6. Browse your local file system and select the ZThes file for the classification system you want to import.
  7. Click the Import Taxonomy button.
  8. If your file is a valid ZThes file, you will see your classification system appear below its name in the browse tree in the left-hand screen. Otherwise you will see an error message.

Once a classification system has been added to intraLibrary, it will be necessary for an Administrator user to set up access to that classification system for relevant collections, in order for it to be visible to users. See the intraLibrary manual Administrator's Guide for more information.


2.5. Editing or Deleting a Classification System
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Classification systems in intraLibrary may be edited or deleted, whether they were added manually or imported as ZThes files. Sections of classification systems, i.e. individual nodes plus all of the nodes underneath them (known as children of the node) may be deleted. Sections of classification systems (i.e. nodes and their children) may also be imported as ZThes files.

Editing a classification manually: Individual nodes in a classification system may be edited by clicking on the edit button on the toolbar: add node button, then clicking on the node. A Section Editor form will then open in the right-hand screen. See the table above under section 2.3 Adding a Classification System Manually for more information on the node properties that you can edit. Nodes may also be added, deleted, or cut-and-pasted manually, using the buttons on the classification systems toolbar. The functions available are:

NB: If a node or any of its children have any resources classified against them, you will only be able to edit the use for terms and the description for that node. You will not be able to edit the name or ref id for that node, nor will you be able to delete the node. In this case you will need to move the resources classified there into a workflow and delete the relevant classifications from their metadata in the Classification Editor.

Editing a classification in ZThes format: IntraLibrary does not support export of ZThes files. To edit a classification system that was imported in ZThes format, you can edit it in the intraLibrary interface; however, this will not change your original ZThes file. If you choose to edit the ZThes file itself, you can delete the original classification system from intraLibrary, by clicking on its name and clicking the delete node button in the toolbar: remove node button. You can then import the new version. NB: Deleting a taxonomy means that any resources that were classified there will need to have their classifications saved again in the Metadata Editor when the taxonomy is re-imported. For more information, see below under Deleting a classification system.

It is also possible to import sections of classification systems (individual nodes and their children) as ZThes files, by clicking on the node underneath which you wish to import the section, and following the instructions given above in section 2.4 Importing a Classification System.

Deleting a classification system: A classification system may be deleted whether or not there are resources classified there. If there are resources classified there, a warning message will appear if you attempt to delete the classification system: "Do you want to force deletion? This section or its children have resources classified against them." Click OK if you still want to delete. Any resources classified against the deleted system will retain all classifications in their metadata. If you re-import the same classification system, you can re-classify these resources using the Classification Editor:

NB: IntraLibrary uses the ZThes property termID, or intraLibrary property ref id, to identify classification nodes, not the name of the node. If you have edited the name of the node at which the resource is classified, the resource will still be classified at that node, but with the old node name still appearing in the metadata for that resource. To change the classification as it appears in the resource's metadata you will need to delete the classification while in the Classification Editor and go through the process of classifying the resource against the new node name. If you have edited the termID in the ZThes file, the resource will not be re-classified against the node as noted in the steps above.

However, any other editing or deleting of any of the nodes within a classification system can only be carried out if there are no resources classified anywhere in that classification system. This includes resources that are still in someone's Work Area and haven't yet been published to the library.


3. Management of Resources
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3.1. Introduction
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As well as managing classification systems, Librarian users of intraLibrary are able to carry out the following tasks involved in managing the contents of the library:

  1. Viewing the group, workflow and collection history of any resource.
  2. Moving resources into any group and workflow stage.
  3. Changing which collections resources belong to.
  4. Deleting any resource, including rolling back to previously archived versions, or deleting individual archived versions.
  5. Moving, changing collections for, and deleting resources in bulk using My Basket.

3.2. Viewing Information about Resources
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For Librarian and Administrator users, the "Things you can do with this resource" section of the resource page includes a workflow option accessed by clicking the action cog icon. Selecting workflow opens a pop-up window which shows information about the group the resource belongs to, and the workflow stage the resource is in, if any. If the resource is not in a workflow the pop-up box will say: "This resource has completed the workflow". If the resource is reserved by a user, the pop-up window will give the user's name with the reserved icon: reserved resource icon. Clicking the reserved icon will un-reserve the resource, putting it into the Available area for the current group which has access to the workflow it is in. Un-reserving the resource also allows an Librarian or Administrator user to move, delete or change collections for the resource.

The workflow pop-up window also includes a link to show the full workflow history for the resource. When clicked on, the pop-up then shows a Resource History view. This view includes a table showing all previous workflow processes carried out on the resource. For each process, the table indicates the date, time, previous group, current group, previous stage, current stage, collections, workflow process, the specific action taken, and the user who carried out the action.


3.3. Changing the Group and Workflow for a Resource
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For Librarian and Administrator users, the resource page includes a move option available in "Things you can do with this resource". You can move resources that have not been reserved by a user into any user group and workflow stage by selecting this option. If you wish to move a resource that has been reserved by a user, you will need to follow the instructions for un-reserving resources above in Viewing Information about Resources.

Once you have selected the move option, you will see a pop-up window that contains a form allowing you to select a group and workflow stage to put the resource into. You can also add comments about the resource and what you are doing with it. This comment will be made available to whoever is working on the resource in their Work Area; they will need to click on the workflow option from their resource page, then view the resource's history, to read it.


3.4. Changing the Collections for a Resource
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For Librarian and Administrator users, the resource page includes a move option available in "Things you can do with this resource". You can put any resource that has not been reserved by a user into any collection by selecting this option. If you wish to move a resource that has been reserved by a user, you will need to follow the instructions for un-reserving resources above in Viewing Information about Resources.

Once you have selected the move option, you will see a pop-up window that contains a form that lets you select the collections you want the resource to be in. It is possible to select more than one collection:

Click on highlighted items to deselect them.


3.5. Deleting Resources
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Librarian and Administrator users may delete any un-reserved resource from the library at any time by selecting the delete option available in the resources page. If you wish to delete a resource that has been reserved by a user, you will need to follow the instructions for un-reserving resources above in Viewing Information about Resources. NB: Deleting resources individually or in bulk from your Basket removes them permanently from the library, and cannot be undone.

For resources that have archived versions available, a Librarian or Administrator user can choose to either delete all versions of the resource, or just delete a single version. For the live version of the resource, instead of a single delete option as noted in the last paragraph, you will see two options: delete all versions and delete latest version. If you delete all versions, no versions of the resource will remain in the library. If you delete the latest version only, the next most recent version will become the live version. NB: Deleting resources individually or in bulk from your Basket removes them permanently from the library, and cannot be undone.

It is also possible to delete individual archived versions of any resource. Select more, then click view archived versions for the resource in question, then select the delete option on the resource page. You can also put individual archived versions in your Basket when deleting in bulk. NB: Deleting resources individually or in bulk from your Basket removes them permanently from the library, and cannot be undone.


3.6. Moving, Deleting and Changing Collections for Resources in Bulk
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Librarian and Administrator users may delete multiple resources by adding the resources you wish to delete to your Basket. For resources with archived versions, you can move individual versions into the Basket for deletion. Then, when in your Basket, you can click delete in the left-hand pane to delete all of the resources in the Basket. If any of the resources have been reserved by users, you will need to click on the unreserve button in the left-hand pane first. NB: Deleting resources individually or from your Basket removes them permanently from the library, and cannot be undone.

Librarian and Administrator users may move multiple resources to a different collection or collections, or to a different workflow stage, by adding the resources in question to your Basket. Then, when in your Basket, you can click Move Basket Contents or Change Collections to move/change all of the resources. A dialog box similar to that you see when moving individual resources will appear offering options for moving/changing. If any of the resources have been reserved by users, you will need to click on the Unreserve Basket Contents button in the left-hand pane first.