What is LibX?
LibX is a browser plugin for Firefox and Internet Explorer that allows direct access to library materials. LibX was created by Annette Bailey and Godmar Beck at Virginia Tech and is released under the Mozilla Public License. The LibX copyright is held jointly by Annette Bailey and Virginia Tech.
Individual libraries can create their own custom LibX editions. The University of South Alabama Library edition, LibX USA, was created in September 2007 and is maintained by Ellen Wilson.
LibX Features
- LibX toolbar: Adds a library search bar to your browser. This can be used to search SOUTHcat and Google Scholar. It also provides quick links to the LibX USA help page and the University Library homepage.
- Adaptive context menus: When you select text on a web page, LibX allows you to search library resources immediately from the context menu (right-click (PC)/control-click(Mac)). LibX distinguishes between identifiers such as ISBN, ISSN, DOI and PubMed ID and displays the appropriate search options.
- OpenURL support: LibX inserts a “Check for Fulltext” icon
whenever it detects an OpenURL on a page. Clicking this icon searches journal holdings at the University of South Alabama. - Embedded cues: When you visit a page that includes ISBNs, such as a book page on Amazon.com, LibX inserts a cue
that links to a SOUTHcat search for the ISBN. LibX supports OCLC’s xISBN service and will search for similar ISBNs if unable to find the one given. - Autolinking: When LibX detects an ISBN, ISSN, DOI, or PubMed ID on a page, it automatically turns it into a link that searches library holdings.
- Google Scholar support: LibX allows you to search Google Scholar from the toolbar, context menu, or by dragging and dropping search terms onto the Scholar button. LibX also analyzes the results of Scholar searches, and if the citation is found, automatically initiates a search of USA Library holdings. In the best case, this allows you to retrieve a full-text document with just one click.
- Library proxy server support: LibX provides a context menu item to reload a page through the library's proxy server, allowing you to access library resources when doing research on an off-campus computer.
Installing LibX
Firefox
Click here to install LibX USA for Firefox
If you have not previously installed software from this site, Firefox will automatically block the installation and you will see a message at the top of your browser window. This is a security feature designed to prevent your computer from malicious software.
Click the "Edit Options" button. You will see a list of sites that are allowed to install software:
Click the "Allow" button to permit libx.org to install software, then click the "Close" button. Now click the Install LibX USA link again. Firefox will ask you to agree to installing the software:
Click the "Install Now" button. A window will open and display the progress of the installation:
Click the "Restart Firefox" button. When Firefox reopens, you will see the LibX USA toolbar at the top of your browser:
Internet Explorer
Click here to download LibX USA for Internet Explorer
A file download box will open. Click the "Save" button to save the file to your computer.
After the file has downloaded, run it. You will see a security warning asking if you want to run the file. Click "Run".
The LibX for IE Setup Wizard will appear. Follow the prompts to install LibX USA.
After installation completes, restart Internet Explorer. You will notice the LibX toolbar at the top of your browser.
Using LibX
Toolbar
One way to use LibX USA is to type or drag-and-drop text into the search button and then click the search button at the right of the box. You can search SOUTHcat or Google Scholar from the toolbar. Select the catalog to search from the drop down menu to the right of the search box, and select search options from the drop-down menu to the left. Note that there are different search options for SOUTHcat and Google Scholar. Another quirk: the search menu to the right of the search box functions both as a drop-down menu and as the search button.
Toolbar buttons and menus:
- The LibX Menu button is a drop-down menu that provides quick access to the LibX USA page, the University Library home page, and LibX options.
- The catalog menu allows you to select which catalog to search: SOUTHcat or Google Scholar. It also functions as the search button once terms have been entered into the search box. Select the search type from the search options menu to the left of the search box.
- The search options menu is a drop-down menu that allows you to select the type of search. For SOUTHcat, the available search types are: keyword, title, author, subject, ISBN/ISSN, call number, and journal title. For Google Scholar, the available search types are: keyword, article title, journal title, and author.
- Use the blue button to the right of the search box to add search fields.
- Use the red button to remove fields. (This button is only visible when there is more than one search box in the toolbar.)
- Use the "Clear" button to empty the search box.
- The "Scholar" button is not actually a button, but a target for drag-and-drop search terms. Highlight search terms in the text of web pages and drag them to the target to initiate a Google Scholar search.
Adaptive Context Menus
LibX provides an adaptive context menu to make it easier to search text on the web. Highlight the search terms, then right-click (or control-click on a Mac) to display the context-menu options.
LibX can distinguish when you have selected certain identifiers (ISBN, ISSN, DOI, and PubMed ID) and will display appropriate search options. If enabled, the autolink feature of LibX, discussed in the next section, will also turn these identifiers into search links.
Cues & Autolinking
LibX inserts visual cues into web pages that contain bibliographic information. Book cues are inserted into pages that contain ISBNs, as well as result pages for most major search engines. Clicking the cue will automatically search SOUTHcat for that item.
Check for fulltext cues are inserted into pages that use COinS, a convention for including OpenURLs in web pages. Some sites that use COinS are Wikipedia, CiteULike, and Worldcat.org. Clicking the cue will initiate a search for the full-text of the article in library resources.
LibX automatically recognizes certain types of identifiers, such as ISBN/ISSN, DOI, and PubMed IDs, and turns them into links to the appropriate searches. Occasionally, you will see bad links when LibX mistakes a number for identifier. Autolinking can be turned off in the LibX USA menu.