Aluka training for www.aluka.org, a digital library by and about Africa

1. Aluka
Training
3.14.2008
Copyright 2008 Ithaka Harbors 1

2. I can change the language to
English, French, or
Portuguese by clicking here
Public pages provide general
information such as Help and
background materials
Menus link to related pages
Exercises:
1. Explore the Menu options
2. Go to Help Copyright 2008 Ithaka Harbors 2

3. Log In allows you to
create an Aluka User ID
and log in
Getting Started Guide is
available in PDF format so
you can save or print it.
I can find information on
how to search and view
materials in Aluka
Exercises:
1. Go to Log In
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4. If I log in, I can save and
share all the materials in
Aluka. I can also save and
share measurements,
views, browses and
searches.
Aluka Passwords are
case-sensitive
I can create my own User
ID by clicking here
Exercises:
1. Go to Create User ID
Copyright 2008 Ithaka Harbors 4

5. I can see that my access
is through my institution
I can create an Aluka
User ID with this form
I can see the benefits of
logging into Aluka
Exercises:
1. Create User ID
2. Go to Homepage Copyright 2008 Ithaka Harbors 5

6. I am logged in as myself
I can click Advanced
Search
I can enter the library by
clicking on any of the
browse categories for that
content area
Exercises:
1. Go to Uses in African Plants
2. What can we expect to find there? 2008 Ithaka Harbors
Copyright 6

7. I can browse further into the
collection by choosing a
category
I can click on the number of
objects to go directly to that
results list
I can Add another category if I
want to narrow my browse
further
Exercises:
1. View Results for Medicines
Copyright 2008 Ithaka Harbors 7

8. My Browse Path is beginning
to take shape
I can limit the objects per page
to 20, 50, or 100
I can click on the Species
page link to go directly to the
Species page
Exercises:
1. Go to Species Page
2. What kind of information is Copyright 2008 Ithaka Harbors
collected there? 8

9. I can explore the Species
Page by clicking on any of the
tabs
Species Pages contain a host
of information, including
Family and Genus Types,
Accepted Names and
Synonymy, Specimens, Use
information and Flora
Exercises:
1. Go to Specimens
2. Open Specimen in Viewer Copyright 2008 Ithaka Harbors 9

10. The Viewer always opens in a
separate window and can be
resized
The Viewer has many
powerful tools. I can drag my
cursor over each tool to see
what it is
I have many different ways to
view this specimen
Exercises:
1. Explore tools
2. Zoom in and measure scale Copyright 2008 Ithaka Harbors 10

11. The measurements are not
calibrated yet. I can fix this by
clicking Calibrate. Each
specimen has a scale so that I
can calibrate measurement.
The Measurement tool allows
me to measure the specimen
Exercises:
1. Go to Calibrate
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12. I can read the instructions on
how and when to calibrate
I enter the new measurements
and click Calibrate. Every
measurement I take thereafter
will be calibrated
Exercises:
1. Enter new measurements and click Calibrate
2. Measure specimen and click Copyright 2008 Ithaka Harbors
Measurements 12

13. I can save my Measurements.
I can enter Comments as well
My new measurements are
calibrated to centimeters
Exercises:
1. Enter Comments and click Save
2. Zoom in on Specimen and click Regions Ithaka Harbors
Copyright 2008 13

14. I can also Save the Image to
my computer
I can also Save Regions of the
specimen by clicking Regions.
I enter Name and Comments
to save it for later
Exercises:
1. Enter Name and Comments and click Save
2. Where is this information saved?
Copyright 2008 Ithaka Harbors 14

15. I can Close the Viewer by
clicking here
I can save as many regions as
I want
Exercises:
1. Close Viewer window and go to Homepage
2. How can I get to the Homepage?
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16. Everything I save is saved in
My Aluka
If I want to see the full browse
page, I can click Explore More
There are many more types of
African Plants materials than
specimens
Exercises:
1. Go to letters for African Plants
Copyright 2008 Ithaka Harbors 16

17. There are many viewing
options for each object,
including Download PDF,
Larger View and Viewer
I can click Add/Edit tags if I
want save an object
Exercises:
1. Click Add/Edit tags
Copyright 2008 Ithaka Harbors 17

18. All materials are saved in My
Aluka
A tag is a word or phrase I use
to save my object. It can be
any word or phrase. I use
University of Ghana so I can
remember later.
I can add Comments if I want.
Comments will help me
remember why I saved this
object
Exercises:
1. Enter tags and comments and click Save
2. Where is this information saved?
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3. Go to homepage

19. I can change the language to
English, French, or
Portuguese at anytime
I can see some of the browse
categories for the Cultural
Heritage Sites and
Landscapes content area
Exercises:
1. Go to Sites in Cultural Heritage Sites and Landscapes
Copyright 2008 Ithaka Harbors 19

20. I can always see how many
objects are left to browse
I can also view Rock Art sites
by clicking this tab
I can go to any of these
Heritage Sites by clicking the
name or by clicking the
number of objects next to the
name
Exercises:
1. Go to Elmina
2. Click See Site Page Copyright 2008 Ithaka Harbors 20

21. This is a Site Page. I can see
all the tabs across the top
Each Site Page will have an
introductory essay written by a
scholar in the field. These
essays are excellent
introductions for students and
teachers to the importance of
the site.
Exercises:
1. Explore the tabs for the Site Page
2. Go to Diagrams Copyright 2008 Ithaka Harbors 21

22. A Diagram map will outline all
the scanner, camera and
video renderings of the site. I
can click on any part of the
map to see an image taken
from that location
I can always View last Browse
Results at anytime
Exercises:
1. Click on part of the map to find images taken from the site
2. Go to Documents Copyright 2008 Ithaka Harbors 22

23. How can I save the book?
The Documents tab has
textual materials, including
these books. I can see some
information about the book. If I
want to see the complete
information, I can click on
Metadata.
I can download the entire
book in PDF form if I want
If I have a slow Internet
connection, I can click Text
Pages to see a text only
version of the book
Exercises:
1. Click Add/Edit tags
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24. If I want to use the same tag
again, I can just click it here
I can enter tags and
comments to save the book
Exercises:
1. Enter tags and comments and click Save
2. Where is this information saved?
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25. Site Pages also have 3D
Objects, Geographic
Information Systems (GIS)
and Video
I can click on the Aluka logo at
anytime to go directly to the
homepage
Exercises:
1. Go to the Homepage
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26. I can access the Rock Art
sites directly from the
homepage
Exercises:
1. Go to Rock Art Sites
2. View Results for Namibia Copyright 2008 Ithaka Harbors 26

27. I have the same viewing
options as before
The metadata is very
important for Rock Art; often,
there is a description of the
Rock Art itself
Exercises:
1. View the metadata for Rock Art
2. What kind of information is Copyright 2008 Ithaka Harbors
in the metadata? 27

28. I can see that the man is
carrying a bow and arrow
I can open multiple Viewers
and compare them side by
side
Exercises:
1. Open two Rock Art examples in the Viewer and compare
them
Copyright 2008 Ithaka Harbors 28
2. How do I move the Viewer?

29. I can drag the Viewers into
any position I want them.
Viewers open in separate
windows so they never
interfere with my browse
The same tools are available.
I can zoom in to see the Rock
Art more closely
Exercises:
1. Zoom on object
2. Click Regions and Save Current View Ithaka Harbors
Copyright 2008 29

30. I can make separate
comments for this image as
well. What is painted on his
chest?
I can Save Regions. I can use
Comments as my notes. I
want to know what kind of
animal is this and why is it so
important
Exercises:
1. Enter name and comments and click Save
2. Close Viewer windows Copyright 2008 Ithaka Harbors 30

31. I can Save my Browse so I
don’t have to create it again.
This will save me some time
later
I can see the name of the
Collection above the
examples
I can see the Advanced
Search on the left
Exercises:
1. Go to Save Browse
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32. I can save a browse the same
way I saved other materials; I
add tags and comments as I
did before
Exercises:
1. Enter tags and comments and click Save
2. Go to Advanced Search Copyright 2008 Ithaka Harbors 32

33. I can isolate my search in one
content area
Wildcards (*) can be used
in your searches to produce
results with related forms of
words
Boolean operators can be
used (AND, OR, NOT) in
the Search field
I can see the range of
materials available by using
the Resource Type dropdown
menu
Exercises:
1. Limit search to Struggles for Freedom
2. Search for Tempo magazines from 1975-1976 Harbors
Copyright 2008 Ithaka 33
3. Open result in Book Viewer

34. For multiple page
documents, I can open the
Book Viewer. The Book
Viewer will also open in a
separate window, but it has
many different tools
I can turn the page by
clicking here
I can see an index of all the
pages in this magazine
Exercises:
1. Explore Book Viewer tools
2. Zoom on image Copyright 2008 Ithaka Harbors 34

35. I can zoom in and Save a
Region as I did with the other
Viewers
To return to the original two-
page view, I can click here
Exercises:
1. Save zoomed Region
2. Close Book Viewer Copyright 2008 Ithaka Harbors 35

36. All my saved information can
be found in My Aluka
I can View my Search History
to go to a previous search or
browse from this session
Exercises:
1. Go to My Aluka
2. What information has been saved there? Ithaka Harbors
Copyright 2008 36

37. I can see all my tags and the
number of times I have used
them
I can share tags, but first I
have to choose which one to
share. So I choose the
University of Ghana tag
I can see all the objects
associated with my tags
Exercises:
1. Click University of Ghana
Copyright 2008 Ithaka Harbors 37

38. I can share my tag by clicking
here
Exercises:
1. Go to Share this tag
Copyright 2008 Ithaka Harbors 38

39. I can enter up two 20 email
addresses or I can copy and
paste the URL into something
else, like a class assignment
or a syllabus
I can change the message
any way I would like
Exercises:
1. Share tag with classmate or michael.gallagher@aluka.org
Copyright 2008 Ithaka Harbors 39

40. I can see this is a different
person. This is the person I
sent the tag to
My colleague can see the tag
in her Community Tags. It will
not interfere with My Tags
She can see who shared the
tag with her
Exercises:
1. Explore Community Tags tab
2. Go to Homepage Copyright 2008 Ithaka Harbors 40

41. If you have any questions,
take a look at the Help
menu or contact Aluka User
Services at
user_services@aluka.org
Any questions?
Copyright 2008 Ithaka Harbors 41

42. Exercises
1. Create your own User ID
2. Save an object and add comments
3. Open the Book Viewer and Save a Region
4. Open the Viewer and investigate a specimen
5. Share a tag with
michael.gallagher@aluka.org or a
colleague
Copyright 2008 Ithaka Harbors 42