Smart Browser

Your library may have enabled an optional Smart Browser facility that is integrated into WebOPAC to provide a graphical spider-web style representation of Subject thesaurus structures enabling you to more easily navigate a pathway to the information that they are seeking.

NOTE: To use the Smart Browser you will need to have installed Java Runtime Environment 5.0 on your own computer. The link to the Java download page is: http://java.com/en/download/help/win_offline.xml. Then follow their download and install instructions.

How to use the Smart Browser:

1. If the Smart Browser has been enabled, a SMART BROWSER button will appear on the Simple (or Basic) Search screen. It is not available on the Advanced Search screen or any other search screen. Any Search Index can be used for the initial search, not just the Subject Index, however the Smart Browser display is only available for the Subjects Thesaurus.
2. Enter your search term and other fields as for a normal search, then click on the SMART BROWSER button. The system will analyse the resulting search set and load the Smart Browser display accordingly. The Smart Browser screen is split into two vertically, with the actual Titles list on the right, and the Smart Browser graphical spider web display on the left. You can dedicate more room either to the graphical tool or the search results display by dragging the splitter bar left or right.
3. The Short Titles (search results_ list on the right behaves in much the same way as for the normal Short Titles list with regard to linking to other records etc., but the functions for Reservations, Basket, Download, Display Selections, Display All etc. are not available from the Smart Browser screen. The Normal Catalogue Search button at the top will take you back to the Simple Search (or Basic Search) screen. If you have selected a record for Full Display, a Back button will also be activated at the top of the right-hand pane. This will take you back to the Smart Browser search results list.
4. The Smart Browser pane on the left is used to navigate around the Authority/Thesaurus structure to narrow or widen your search by clicking on the required entry:
   • a single-click will reposition the diagram with the clicked term in the middle
   • a double-click on a Subject term will open up any thesaurus references (See Also, Broader Term, Narrower Term, etc) and display them, as well as automatically run a search for that Subject term and display the results for that term in the right-hand pane
   • you MUST single-click to reposition the diagram, and then double-click to start the search. If you double-click without first having done a single-click, then the search may not execute properly.
   • you can repeat this process as many times as required until you find what you are looking for
   • the diagram can be moved around the left-pane by pointing the cursor anywhere within the diagram, or on any term, holding down the left-mouse button and dragging it around the pane. This is sometimes necessary to see all of the terms clearly if there are a lot of terms involved in the spider web.
   • To view the full details of any Title displayed in the right-hand list, just click on the Title.
5. The different parts of the Thesaurus structure (See Also References, Broader Terms, Narrower Terms etc) are displayed in different colours so that they can easily be distinguished, according to the Legend at the bottom of the Smart Browser pane, these colours may vary from library to library.
6. Legend:
   History - search terms you have already selected
   Broader - a search term that has a wider meaning e.g. 'History'
   Narrower - a search term that has a more specific meaning e.g. 'Australian History'
   Non Preferred - a search term that has an equivalent meaning but is not used in the catalogue e.g. Cookery is used not Cooking
   See Also - a word related to your search term e.g. Dogs; see also Pets
   Former - an old term that something used to be known as e.g. Australia Post was once called Postmaster-Generals Department
   Later - a term that something was subsequently known by e.g. Telecom later changed its name to Telstra Corporation