Problems? Are you a Mac OSX user?
Tips: It's much easier to read the books if you set a default zoom level in Acrobat for the time that you're reading a book. If you don't, you may end up enlarging every page so that you can see the text clearly, every time you download a new page.
In the Acrobat program (not just the mini-Acrobat that opens inside a browser) it's in the Edit > Preferences menu, under Page Display. In the Magnification box at the bottom, change the default zoom to 200%, or whatever is comfortable. Then each page should download and display at your preferred size.
Browse this e-book online: This is the preferred method of viewing a netLibrary e-book. You may view the book for as long as you are actively using it. After fifteen minutes of inactivity, the book will become available for another user.
Read this book online: You may "check out" a book by entering your username and password (established by filling out the "create account" forms at the top of the netLibrary page. When you "check out" a book, the book is assigned to the computer you are using at that time. It may not be used by another reader. Because netLibrary e-books at UT-Austin are funded and administered by three different groups (UT System, an eleven state library consortium, and a statewide consortium of 700 libraries), "check out" periods can range from 2 hours to 3 days.
The Read this book online option makes e-book/web pages unavailable to other users (even when not being used), since it restricts reading to the original computer on which a book was checked out, It also provides you with an unpredictable check out period. Therefore, readers are strongly encouraged to use the Browse this e-book online function.
Download this e-book to be read offline. This option allows you to download an e-book to be read on netLibrary software for Windows/NT computers, even when you are no longer connected to the Internet. However, since the vast majority of netLibrary e-books are available for only a 2 hour or 24 hour check out period, and since checking out an e-book/web page makes these e-books/web pages unavailable to other users, this option is not encouraged. Readers are strongly encouraged to use the Browse this e-book online function. Currently, there is no offline reading capability for Mac, Linux, or other non-Windows operating systems.
NetLibrary: Mac OS X PDF plugins and configuration
The PDF files used by NetLibrary are compatible with most supported web browsers using the Schubert|it PDF Browser Plugin, a third-party plugin that supports in-browser viewing of PDF files.
Adobe Reader 7 also works to view this NetLibrary content in most browsers, but will usually display the content in its own window rather than in the browser window; its use is discouraged. Adobe Reader 7 worked best for Safari in early 2005 but Safari now appears not to work; this is a problem in the CSD lab as well as reported by many NetLibrary members. Version 10.2.2 of Mac OS X is required to use Adobe Reader 7.
Adobe Reader 6 cannot support NetLibrary's PDF content due to limitations of that version of Reader and an incompatibility with Mac OS X. This is beyond OCLC NetLibrary's control.
For OS 9, it is reported that Adobe has plugins available that work, but this is untested by CSD.
Shubert|it PDF Browser Plugin
Mozilla, Firefox, Camino, Opera, Netscape, and Internet Explorer seem to work best with the Schubert|it PDF plugin. This is available at http://www.schubert-it.com/pluginpdf/ and is simple to install. Install it by opening the .dmg file you download, and then copy PDF Browser Plugin.plugin to the Library/Internet Plug-Ins folder of the hard drive. Once installed with that method, it should just work with Mozilla, Firefox, Camino, Opera, and Netscape without additional configuration. The plugin does not seem to work with Safari; Internet Explorer needs additional configuration; see below. If problems are encountered in Firefox, see the configuration section for that browser, below.
Safari
Safari used to work well with Adobe Reader 7 earlier this spring. After downloading and installing the application from Adobe's website it would display PDF files in the browser out of the box. Sometime in May our members began reporting that they were unable to view NetLibrary PDF files with Safari, but could view other PDF files. Our lab Mac now exhibits the same behavior, which has allowed us to study the problem; no solution has been found. Many times the content will briefly flash on the screen and then it will disappear; other times you just see a blank page and no flash of the cover photo or text.
Internet Explorer configuration details
Internet Explorer works with the Schubert|it plugin from http://www.schubert-it.com/pluginpdf/ but extra configuration is necessary. It is also possible to configure Internet Explorer to use Adobe Acrobat Reader 7, but the PDF will likely display in a separate window.
To configure IE to use the Schubert|it plugin, click on Explorer and Preferences.
In the section Receiving Files, click File Helpers. Click Add... Fill out the Edit File Helper window as shown:
Firefox configuration details
When you first use NetLibrary on a Macintosh with Firefox, it may not be configured properly to handle the content. If a working PDF plugin is not installed or properly configured, you will get a dialog box that looks like this:
O O O Opening nlReader.dll
What should Firefox do with this file?
First, make sure the Schubert|it plugin or Adobe Acrobat Reader 7 or above is installed. If so, click the Choose button and navigate either to the Library/Internet Plug-Ins folder and choose PDF Browser Plugin.plugin or navigate to the Applications folder in the hard drive, then navigate into the Adobe folder and select the Adobe application. Click OK. If you are using the Shubert|it plugin it will open in the same browser window in Firefox but if you are using Adobe Reader 7 the document will open in its own window.
