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NLS: That All May Read

Online Catalog

Overview

The NLS online catalog is a single database with two interfaces:

Voyager
The Voyager interface uses HTML tables for layout of information. Tables can be difficult for screen reader software to interpret. Also, the Voyager interface does not give to users who want to do so the control to enlarge text typed into search boxes or text appearing on other form controls.
The Voyager interface does provide greater ability to target and refine searches than does the text-only interface. Results of a search can be sorted. This interface also enables one to save and print the entire set of records retrieved for a search, rather than one screen at a time. The Voyager interface may be preferred by searchers with complicated requests and who are not daunted by the complexity of the screen and choices.
A search initiated with the Voyager interface can sustain 30 minutes of no actitivity before timing out. Activity is defined as following a link to more results or pressing a button that submits a request.
You can reach the Voyager interface from any text-only interface page or at: nlscatalog.loc.gov.

Also see:

Text-only
The text-only search interface:
The text-only interface does not use HTML tables for layout. It uses style sheets to control presentation. Screen reader software can successfully interpet the contents of this interface.
The text-only interface may be preferred by searchers with specific needs of the author, title, subject variety and who do not need the ability to sort, save, or print entire sets of results.
A search initiated with the text-only interface can sustain 20 minutes of no actitivity before timing out. Activity is defined as following a link to more results or pressing a button that submits a request.
At the top of each NLS public page is a link to initiate a search of the online catalog. That link initiates a search using the text-only interface. On each text-only interface search page is a link to the other pages for a text-only interface search and a link to initiate a search using the Voyager interface.
Also see: Overview of text-only interface

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Posted on 2011-01-10