LibX - Portland State Library Plugin for Firefox

LibX is a new tool designed to help you integrate Portland State Library searches and resources directly into your Firefox browser.

Click here to install Portland State Library edition of LibX toolbar

Example of the LibX plugin:

In addition to direct searching of the catalog, database and electronic journal lists, LibX features:

Toolbar & right-click context menu: Search the Library Catalog (Vikat) directly from the LibX toolbar or by using the right-click context menu.

Support for off-campus access via EZProxy: Using the Library's off-campus proxy, you may reload a page through the proxy, or follow a link via the proxy, making it appear as though you are coming from an on-campus computer.

Quick full-text access to journal articles: LibX uses Google Scholar to search for articles and directs the user to the electronic copy subscribed to by your Library. Select a citation, then drag-and-drop it onto the Scholar button on the toolbar. You can use this feature even from inside a PDF file, which makes retrieving papers referenced in a PDF file a snap.

Support for embedded cues: LibX places cues in web pages you visit if your library has resources related to that page. Whenever you see the cue, click on the link to see what the Library has to offer. For instance, book pages at Amazon or Barnes & Noble will contain cues that link to the book's entry in Addison. Cues are displayed at Google, Yahoo! Search, the NY Times Book Review, and other pages. Watch this screencast for examples of this cool feature. (requires Macromedia Flash Plugin)

Support for standard book numbers (xISBN): A book title can have different ISBNs for the paperback, the hardcover, even for different editions. LibX supports OCLC's xISBN service: You can find a book using this method, even if the library holds the book under a different ISBN.

Installation:

Click here to install Portland State Library edition of LibX toolbar

If Firefox displays a message "To protect your computer, Firefox prevented this site... from installing software on your computer," press the button labelled "Edit Options..." and click "Allow" add libx.org to the list of websites from which extensions may be installed. Then click "Ok" and visit the "Install" link again.

This extension works with Firefox only. It does not work with other browsers such as Internet Explorer or Safari. It has been tested with Firefox versions 1.0, 1.5, 1.5.0.1, 1.5.0.2 on Windows, Linux, and Macintosh OS-X. It has been tested with FireFox version 2.0.0.3 on Windows.

LibX is distributed under the Mozilla Public License. The copyright is held jointly by Annette Bailey and Virginia Tech.

Privacy:

By using this extension you may send the URL of pages you are currently visiting to your library's catalog server. Such information is sent only if you are actively using the extension; it is never sent automatically. If you wish to avoid this, you must turn off the referrer URL by setting network.http.sendRefererHeader to 0 in your preferences.

For more information about LibX, visit the LibX Homepage.