What is Ariel?

Ariel is software commonly used between libraries to deliver documents via the Internet. Journal articles and many other types of print items are scanned and sent to us using this system. We have been using this software for several years, but now it allows us to forward items to you on the Web, instead of printing them out.

How do I get my articles?

After receiving an article and updating our Interlibrary Loan records, it will be uploaded to your account as an Adobe PDF document. An e-mail message will be automatically sent to you with instructions on how to retrieve your article.

Will all of my articles be delivered this way?

There are going to be exceptions, however we will deliver as many as possible using this method.

• Most are received digitally, and those can simply be forward to you.
• Some are mailed, and for the most part, we can scan and post them to your account. If they are very lengthy, or if they are double-sided copies, they may be held in our department for you to pick up.
• Some are faxed to us, and are difficult to feed through our scanner. Those may also be held for pickup.

An e-mail notice will be sent to your account if you have articles held for pickup.

Why do I get so many e-mails?

Our software generates an e-mail notice every time a document is posted to your account. Some patrons receive several new documents on the same day, however we are unable to post multiple documents and send only one notification.

Please check every notice. We occasionally annotate the automatically generated wording of the e-mail to include request-specific messages. You would not see these, and perhaps miss out on important information. You may also be contacted through your account when we are unable to obtain items.

If you are a frequent ILL user, you may wish to simply check your account when convenient. If you browse from your home or office, you would probably want to set a bookmark to the login page. Your PIN identifies you, not your transactions, so you may wish to memorize it.

TIP: If you are able to filter your mail, set up a filter to send your notices into some kind of an "Interlibrary Loan" subfolder. Our e-mail headers should not change, so that field would be the best way to direct your e-mails.

ANOTHER TIP: Make sure your spam filters know who we are... E-mail messages currently come from "samford@pittstate.edu".

Why is this delivery method better?

• You have faster access to your articles.
• You have access to your documents from the classroom, office, home, or while away on business.
• Documents stored on our server are not taking up space in your e-mail account. Some e-mail systems strip out attatchments as well.
• You can archive the PDFs to disk and still print them out if you would like paper copies.
• If you have Adobe Standard or Professional, you can "Capture" the image, then use the Find feature to search the text of the document. You can also create bookmarks to important sections of a document.
• If you're studying late, you can use Adobe's "Zoom" feature to blow the thing up so you can see it!

When will my documents arrive?

That's difficult to determine. Typically, photocopy requests are sent out to 5 libraries, one at a time in a lender queue, and are filled anywhere within 3 to 7 days. If a library says "No" for any reason, our system will automatically forward it to the next library listed on the request.

When a library fills the request, it is scanned (or photocopied and then scanned) into Ariel and received by our Library in moments. We frequently check for new articles, update our records, then upload the articles to your account. An e-mail containing your PIN and a link to the login page is automatically generated and sent.

While the majority of our lenders use Ariel delivery, there are still a great number that do not, and must mail photocopies to us. When those arrive, we scan them if possible and post them along with the others in your account. There may be a few that we cannot scan, but a pickup notice will be delivered in it's place.

What software do I need?

You will need an e-mail service to receive your notices, and a standard browser such as Internet Explorer or Netscape to access the login page. You will also need to have Adobe Reader installed in order to read the documents. More features are available if you use Adobe Acrobat (Standard or Professional).

Please let us know if you are using Adobe Reader for Symbian OS, Adobe Reader for Pocket PC, or Adobe Reader for Palm OS®. We'd like to hear your feedback!

Current versions of all software is recommended.

What is my PIN?

Your PIN is randomly generated by the Ariel software when we set up your account, and it identifies you, not an individual request. A reminder is included in each e-mail. It is case sensitive, and you may wish to copy and paste it from your e-mail into the login form.

What e-mail address do you use?

We send our notifications to your e-mail address as it is listed in the PSU People Search, the e-mail address you have establish as your "Preferred Email Address" in GUS. This may be different from the e-mail address you entered when submitting the request.

You must monitor that e-mail account for notices and use that address to log in, even though you may commonly use a different e-mail address. The entire address must be entered. Community patrons wishing to use this service should provide a current e-mail address when they request Interlibrary Loans.

Please notify us directly if your GUS e-mail address changes. You may use the "Borrowing" contact methods listed at the bottom of this page. If our notifications continue to bounce back, your items will be printed and held at the Interlibrary Loan desk for pick up.

Why doesn't my document display?

This may be happening for several reasons. Here are a few things to try...

• Adobe Reader may not be installed on the computer you are using, or you may need to upgrade your Acrobat software. Please use the most current version.
• Right-click on the link and choose your browser's version of "Open link in a new window".
• Load the document at another computer.
• Try a different browser, Firefox instead of IE, for instance.
• The first page of the document may contain quite a bit of "white space". Does a scroll-bar appear to the side?
• Sometimes the status bar at the bottom of the Adobe window says "Done", but it could still take several seconds to display on screen. Try waiting just a bit. Some of these files can be very large and dial-up connections can be very slow, taking about 3 minutes per MB over a 56k connection.
• You may need to edit your preferences so the document opens in it's own Acrobat window, not from within the browser. Try "Edit > Preferences > Options" and remove the check from "Display PDF in Browser".
• And, as always, you can try re-booting your computer.

If you simply cannot load and view your documents, please call us. If we cannot resolve the problem, we will print out your articles and you may pick them up at the Interlibrary Loan desk.

Why are half of the pages upside down?

That's frustrating for us too - but here's why: Most documents are scanned at the lending library by placing the hard copy directly onto a scanner. One page is scanned right side up, the next must be turned the other way to go on the scanner. If all of your pages are right side up, it may have been photocopied first and the pages turned in the proper way before they were placed into the scanner's document feeder.

You may rotate pages on screen as you read your document. Use the Adobe "Rotate Clockwise/Counterclockwise" icons, or use the menu bar "View > Rotate View > Clockwise/Counterclockwise". You may also wish to print the article and rotate the pages the old fashioned way.

When printing, select Print > Properties. Click on the "Finishing" tab. Select "Print on both sides", and "Flip pages up". This should print your pages correctly.

What if a page is missing or unreadable?

Contact us right away! Please be ready to give us your name, the request transaction number listed on your account page (or on the the request form if it was scanned and sent along with the article), and the pages that are missing or unreadable. Please notify us using the contact information at the bottom of this page.

Even though these are digital files, the scans often come from a microfilm source. Quality depends on the condition of the original document, and the reproduction capabilities of the lending library.

How do I save my document?

Use the Save icon (graphic of a diskette) from your Acrobat tool bar, or select "File > Save A Copy" from the menu bar.

We encourage you to save your documents when you initially access them. This lessens the possibility of accidentally deleting it from the server, reaching the maximum number of views (10 views), or letting your days on the server lapse (21 days).

Always check your documents for readibility and completeness before removing them!

When should I remove my documents?

Please download your documents directly onto your computer's hard drive, CD drive, Zip disk, or flash drive. When you are convinced they have been successfully saved, that all pages are present, and each page is readable, remove the document from your account by checking on the "Remove" checkbox.

Who do I contact if I have any problems?

Please contact our office if you have any problems, questions, or comments. Our contact information is listed at the bottom of this page. Many of your documents will come with a cover sheet supplied by the lending library. Please do not contact them, they will just refer you back to us.