Frequently Asked Questions : Digital Repository : The University of Melbourne

Frequently Asked Questions

About the Digital Repository
Access and Login
Searching
Collections: Links, rss feed and statistics
Other

About the Digital Repository

What is a Digital Repository?

The Digital Repository is a centrally administered library service for managing University of Melbourne digital resources from individual items required for course delivery to large collections that are of cultural or scholarly significance. The repository contains digital objects including: research papers, theses, journal articles, books and book chapters, maps, video and audio recordings, photos etc.

Why have one?

The Repository provides access to digital objects and organises them into collections which fit with teaching, learning, research and knowledge transfer activities of th University. By providing central management of our digital objects, we can provide central searchable access, provide for the longevity of the objects where required, and ensure that access is managed according to the appropriate rights and licenses accorded to them, ranging from items which are on open access to items which are restricted to a select group.

Who runs it?

The Repository is a service, run by the Information Access program within the University Library.

What can I expect to find in it?

You will find digital objects such as documents, photos, images, videos, sound recordings.

Can I add items into the Repository?

To add resources to the Digital Repository please contact the collection owner or send email to digital-repository@unimelb.edu.au

Access and Login

Why am I not allowed to access some things in the Repository?

Some objects or collections have access restrictions placed on them by their owners. If there are copyright or other restrictions placed upon some objects, then only authorised people can see them. Each object within the Repository has access rights attached to it which regulate who may have access. The vast majority of things in the Repository are available to all University of Melbourne staff and students; many more are open to absolutely anyone to view. Some are available only to a particular group of users.

When you see the lock icon on an item this means it is restricted and you will need to login to the Repository to view the item. To login you will need to select the login button at the top hand corner of every Repository page. The login to use is your University of Melbourne email username and password.

Please Note: If the lock remains on even when you have logged in this may mean that this item has further restrictions on it and can only be viewed by a specific group. Please check the Access Rights restrictions in the metadata record for further information eg. Repository Staff Access Only. If you think item/s should be available to you but aren't then please contact Digital Repository Support.

Why can't I access Readings Online resources even though I have logged into the Repository?

If you have logged into the Repository and you still can't access Readings Online resources (padlocks aren't removed when logged in), then you have encountered an intermittent problem affecting off-campus access to these resources.

Possible remedies to this problem are:

Try logging in again at another time to access the items.
Try clearing your browsers cache and logging in again (you can do this in IE>Tools option>delete browsing history>delete all and in Firefox >Tools option> Clear private data).
Access items on-campus (accessing items on-campus may not be affected by this issue)

If none of this helps then please contact Digital Repository Support.

Are there times I won't be able to access the Repository?

The following message will be prominently displayed on all Repository pages between 2.00 am and 5.00 am each day.

Due to required maintenance tasks being run daily between 2.00 am – 5.00 am, the search and retrieval of resources from the Digital Repository may be affected. If you are unable to search or retrieve items during this period please try at another time.

Also there is an established maintenance window for the Digital Repository. Every Friday between 8 am-10 am has been set aside to apply required maintenance tasks. During this window there is potential for downtime or restricted functionality for both services and we apologise for any inconvenience this may cause.

Occassionally other outages will occur but notification will be provided via the Repository and the usual email methods.

Do I need to login to use the Repository?

If you don't log in you are treated as a guest and can only open resources which are avaialable on open access. Restricted items are identified by the display of a lock icon and restricted access notification in the metadata record.

All University of Melbourne staff and students should login to access restricted items only available to them. Once logged in the lock icon will disappear from the item and access will be permitted.

Access - Login Required

If you are accessing Restricted: University of Melbourne Staff and Students Only resources and the lock icon appears you will need to login (University of Melbourne email username and password) to open the resources. The login button is in the top righthand corner of each Repository screen. Once logged in all Restricted: University of Melbourne Staff and Students Only resources will be accessible.

Also your name will appear in the space where the login boxes were.

Login Now

Does my login timeout?

Yes, after approx 30 minutes (2000 seconds to be exact!) of complete inactivity.

Do I need to log out?

Yes, otherwise others can access your My Stuff area. Click the Logout button, or close the browser.

Searching

How can I search for things in the Repository?

There are several ways:

You can search the Repository simple search interface to search across all collections and object types,
You can use the Repository advanced search interface to limit your search to particular collections or object types, or use a range of other limiters
You can search all or selected collections via SuperSearch
You can search selected collections via their own websites. Many collections have their own websites where the collection owner can tell you a lot more about their particular collection. [Click on a collection name, and follow the 'more' link to see if a collection has its own website]
Click on the 'help' button on repository search pages for context sensitive help with searching
Further Repository Search Information

How can I search exam papers

One easy method to search for an exam paper is to link to the Digital Repository and perform a simple search.

Example:

Link to the Digital Repository
Type the subject course code in the Search Box: 325-324
Select Exact phrase
Select Collection: Examination Papers
Then select Go.

exam search

If this search doesn't return what you are after then you should try the Advanced Search described below.

How can I search theses

Link to the Theses Collection either by browsing the Digital Repository under Research Collections or by direct linking to the Theses Collection

Example:

Link to the Theses Collection
Type in the keywords you require eg. Carlton
Then select Go.

This search will return all the appropriate theses for the terms you have used.

thesis results

How can I search the University of Melbourne Calendar Collection?

Exact phrase or name searching is recommended to retrieve accurate results (e.g. Redmond Barry or Wilson Hall) as the search is carried out on the fulltext indexes of over 120 calendars.

Simple search

Select Exact
Select Collection University Calendars
Enter phrase or name
Select Go

calendar search

This search will give you a list of calendars that have the search terms entered (if exact phrase used it will only bring back calendars with that phrase). Select one of the calendars and an automatic search of that calendar will commence using your search terms. Please note: If you are using Adobe 9 Reader please refer to search issues in this document before continuing your search.

Once the search is completed the screen should display the number of sections your search terms appear in, the title of the current section, the number of times the terms appear in that section and the first occurence of those terms in the current section.

calendar search

Adobe Acrobat Reader 9.0
Please note: Adobe Acrobat Reader 9 searching issue has now been resolved and the searching behaviour oulined in the above Search the University of Melbourne Calendars Collection examples will apply.

Collections: Links, RSS feeds and Statistics

Research Collections (UMER): [RSS feed] [Statistics][Collection Owner Webpage]

Academic Staff Works: [RSS feed] [Statistics]
Chinese Theses: [RSS feed] [ Statistics] [Collection Owner Webpage]
Professional Staff: [RSS feed] [Statistics]
Theses: [RSS feed] [Statistics]

Learning and Teaching: [RSS feed] [Statistics]

Asian Architectural Models: [RSS feed] [Statistics] [Collection Owner Webpage]
Audio Recordings: [RSS feed] [Statistics]
Exam Papers: [Statistics]
Readings Online: [RSS feed] [Statistics] [Collection Owner Webpage]
Video Recordings: [RSS feed] [Statistics]

Cultural and Special Collections: [RSS feed] [Statistics]

Statistics

The digital repository provides usage statistics at the collection and item level. There is a cumulative total for each of these levels which is made up of how many metadata records have been accessed and how many items have been viewed (downloaded). Each Research Collection (UMER ) record will have a statistics graph icon in the top right hand corner. If you select this icon the statistics for that particular item will be displayed. To view statistics for other collections you can view them at: http://wece.infodiv.unimelb.edu.au/StatisticsWebClient/

Specific Record Statistics

For records without the statistics graph icon you can search for statistics based on a specific PID number (displayed at the top of each record). You can do this by copying and pasting the following query string into a web browser address box and replace the pid number 72779 with the pid number from the record you want the statistics for eg 103652

http://wece.infodiv.unimelb.edu.au/StatisticsWebClient/usagebypid.jsp?pid=72779&range=THISYEAR

http://wece.infodiv.unimelb.edu.au/StatisticsWebClient/usagebypid.jsp?pid=72779&range=LASTYEAR

http://wece.infodiv.unimelb.edu.au/StatisticsWebClient/usagebypid.jsp?pid=72779&range=ALLYEARS

Change to pid 103652

http://wece.infodiv.unimelb.edu.au/StatisticsWebClient/usagebypid.jsp?pid=103652&range=THISYEAR

Other

Does the Repository work with any browser?

The tested and recommended browsers for the repository are: Internet Explorer 6+, Firefox 2+. However, the repository may lose some functionality in some browsers, eg using Firefox on a PC you may lose the ability to scroll through resources. Internet Explorer is recommended as it is the University's supported browser.

Please note: Safari is not recommended to be used to access the repository as there are a number of repository functions that do not work within this browser. For example it is not possible to use Safari to deposit items into the repository. Firefox 2+ should be used in preference to Safari when accessing the repository.

How can I save images from the Repository?

If you need to save images from the Repository you can do so by:

Selecting or image icon to open the image
Place cursor on the image
Right-mouse click (PC) or hold down the control + command keys and mouse click (Mac)
Save

Firefox 3.0 requires you to right mouse click on image and then drag the cursor off the web browser page until the cursor turns into an arrow then unclick and you will be given the option to save image as.

JPEG2000 images for download

We are now providing JPEG2000 images for download from the Repository and you may need a web browser plugin or viewer to display these. If you can't view the jpeg2000 image you can download free viewers and plugins for JPEG2000 images via the Internet.

How do I report a problem or want to provide feedback relating to the Digital Repository

If you are have problems accessing resources or using the Repository please log your issue with Digital Repository Support.

University Library Digital Repository