Hi -- I'd like to use Bookends, but I can't figure out how to do the most basic thing, namely do a search for citations, and then download the pdfs. I see that the program is very powerful and very customizable, but the documentation assumes that I know what I am doing. I don't.
Has anyone written a VERY simple beginner's guide, showing how to link Bookends to my university's library login (if possible)? I am a Humanities researcher, so what database is most useful for that? And how do I use it? I tried to get JSTOR to work as a search option, but can only do it through the browser. And I don't get the option to download papers. Help!
Beginner's Guide
Re: Beginner's Guide
If you look in the Help menu you'll see a Tutorial.pdf and links to video tutorials. They don't assume a lot of knowledge.
Look for your university in File -> Import Filters Manager. If you see it, check it to allow searching it. If it's not there but it has a z39.50 server you can easily configure a filter to search it (get the Z39.59 info from the library -- ip address, port, and database name.
As for searching, you can search JSTOR without a browser, although the results may be limited if your university doesn't pay for access).
If after reading the docs I cited you still have questions, please narrow them down to very specific ones. It's not possible to address everything you can possibly do in a forum post.
Jon
Sonny Software
Look for your university in File -> Import Filters Manager. If you see it, check it to allow searching it. If it's not there but it has a z39.50 server you can easily configure a filter to search it (get the Z39.59 info from the library -- ip address, port, and database name.
As for searching, you can search JSTOR without a browser, although the results may be limited if your university doesn't pay for access).
If after reading the docs I cited you still have questions, please narrow them down to very specific ones. It's not possible to address everything you can possibly do in a forum post.
Jon
Sonny Software
Re: Beginner's Guide
Ok. I will begin with the tutorials. Thanks for being so prompt to respond.
Re: Beginner's Guide
I've worked my way through the Tutorial. It's very helpful.
I am still unclear about how to search for citations and get PDFs in a way that is most useful to me. I will try to ask specific questions.
I am a researcher in Humanities, so most useful to me are searches on JSTOR, Philosopher's Index, L'Année Philologique, etc. I teach at a university whose library allows me access to a range of journals, and JSTOR, etc.
1. What is the best way to search JSTOR? I see that I can get to it through the Bookends Browser, by selecting JSTOR from the little bookmark dropdown menu. When I am on campus, it automatically sees that I am from an authorised URL and I am signed in. But when I do that, it seems that it always says the "request URL is not well-formed," and the citation doesn't appear correctly. Conversely, if I am in Bookends Browser and use it to go to my university library site, sign in and search JSTOR, it doesn't even give me a citation download option (the downwards arrow in the top right). Likewise if I go to a journal directly via my university library's portal in Bookends Browser, if the article is available to me via JSTOR - no download arrow.
2. What do I do for JSTOR if I am off campus? Do I go through bookends browser and sign in through my university, each time (which I am not sure how to do, at the moment)? Or alternately, I see that there are three JSTOR options in the Import Filter Manager. Would one of these allow me to save my school's authorisation/login, so that I could do direct searches? If so, which one? And what do I need to know to configure it?
3. What exactly is a fltr anyway? I tried to set one up for my university (because it isn't in the list), but all it let me do is search our own catalogue. Is that the expected behavior?
4. What do I do with something like Philosopher's Index? I can go to my Library's page, and access the database there. But although it returns the record, there is no option to download the citation.
5. Finally, I have a question about PDF storage and management. I'd like to use Bookends to store and access PDFs of articles. When I drag a PDF and attach it, I know it gets copied to an attachment folder. Then if I upload my library to the cloud, will the PDF be uploaded too? If so, will the PDF be available through cloud sync on your ipad app as well? And if so, can I open and read it in a different PDF reader, and have the annotation sync with the PDF in bookends?
Thanks for your time.
Greg M.
I am still unclear about how to search for citations and get PDFs in a way that is most useful to me. I will try to ask specific questions.
I am a researcher in Humanities, so most useful to me are searches on JSTOR, Philosopher's Index, L'Année Philologique, etc. I teach at a university whose library allows me access to a range of journals, and JSTOR, etc.
1. What is the best way to search JSTOR? I see that I can get to it through the Bookends Browser, by selecting JSTOR from the little bookmark dropdown menu. When I am on campus, it automatically sees that I am from an authorised URL and I am signed in. But when I do that, it seems that it always says the "request URL is not well-formed," and the citation doesn't appear correctly. Conversely, if I am in Bookends Browser and use it to go to my university library site, sign in and search JSTOR, it doesn't even give me a citation download option (the downwards arrow in the top right). Likewise if I go to a journal directly via my university library's portal in Bookends Browser, if the article is available to me via JSTOR - no download arrow.
2. What do I do for JSTOR if I am off campus? Do I go through bookends browser and sign in through my university, each time (which I am not sure how to do, at the moment)? Or alternately, I see that there are three JSTOR options in the Import Filter Manager. Would one of these allow me to save my school's authorisation/login, so that I could do direct searches? If so, which one? And what do I need to know to configure it?
3. What exactly is a fltr anyway? I tried to set one up for my university (because it isn't in the list), but all it let me do is search our own catalogue. Is that the expected behavior?
4. What do I do with something like Philosopher's Index? I can go to my Library's page, and access the database there. But although it returns the record, there is no option to download the citation.
5. Finally, I have a question about PDF storage and management. I'd like to use Bookends to store and access PDFs of articles. When I drag a PDF and attach it, I know it gets copied to an attachment folder. Then if I upload my library to the cloud, will the PDF be uploaded too? If so, will the PDF be available through cloud sync on your ipad app as well? And if so, can I open and read it in a different PDF reader, and have the annotation sync with the PDF in bookends?
Thanks for your time.
Greg M.
Re: Beginner's Guide
1. The download arrow only appears when you've found an article. Contact tech support (support@sonnysoftware.com) and send a URL and a screen snap of what you're doing. Have you tried the JSTOR import filter to access JSTOR?
2. You can use a VPN client to access JSTOR when you're off-campus (JSTOR uses IP authentication, so it checks where you're accessing it from).
3. That's the file extension for an import filter. The major thing you need to change for a new filter is the third tab (Internet). You need to supply the correct ip address, port, and database name for the institutions Z39.50 server. You can get that from the library itself, or often by googling.
4. For a generic web site Bookends will offer to download the metadata if the article has a DOI. If not, you can often export the reference as a "citation" file, and import that into Bookends using the correct filter. RIS (RefMan) is a common tagged citation format.
5. Bookends doesn't sync PDFs, iCloud Drive does that (if you're using our cloud sync feature). The User Guide has full details on how to set that up -- if you're using iOS as well, check out this documentation, too
https://www.sonnysoftware.com/bookendsontap/cloudsync/
If you follow these instructions the PDFs will be available on Mac and iOS, and you can open them in any PDFKit-compatible app (e.g. Preview, PDF Export, etc.) and read the annotations.
Jon
Sonny Software
2. You can use a VPN client to access JSTOR when you're off-campus (JSTOR uses IP authentication, so it checks where you're accessing it from).
3. That's the file extension for an import filter. The major thing you need to change for a new filter is the third tab (Internet). You need to supply the correct ip address, port, and database name for the institutions Z39.50 server. You can get that from the library itself, or often by googling.
4. For a generic web site Bookends will offer to download the metadata if the article has a DOI. If not, you can often export the reference as a "citation" file, and import that into Bookends using the correct filter. RIS (RefMan) is a common tagged citation format.
5. Bookends doesn't sync PDFs, iCloud Drive does that (if you're using our cloud sync feature). The User Guide has full details on how to set that up -- if you're using iOS as well, check out this documentation, too
https://www.sonnysoftware.com/bookendsontap/cloudsync/
If you follow these instructions the PDFs will be available on Mac and iOS, and you can open them in any PDFKit-compatible app (e.g. Preview, PDF Export, etc.) and read the annotations.
Jon
Sonny Software
Re: Beginner's Guide
Thanks again for such a prompt reply. I will see if I can resolve my issues, based on what you've said, and post any further questions if I have them.
Re: Beginner's Guide
For Philosopher's Index, I googled and found these instructions for exporting citations in a form reference managers can import:
1.To save your references to a text file, click the Export icon as your delivery option.
2. Select the file format for "Generic bibliographic management software."
3. Using your browser's Save As function, navigate to the local drive and directory where you want to save the file.
4. Select Text (*.txt) as the file type.
5. Click Save.
Jon
Sonny Software
1.To save your references to a text file, click the Export icon as your delivery option.
2. Select the file format for "Generic bibliographic management software."
3. Using your browser's Save As function, navigate to the local drive and directory where you want to save the file.
4. Select Text (*.txt) as the file type.
5. Click Save.
Jon
Sonny Software
Re: Beginner's Guide
Dear Jon (if I may),
Your instructions have been very helpful.
I realised that for Philosopher's Index I DON'T go through Bookends. I just access it as I normally would, through my library. And then simply choose 'save' to export the reference as RIS, when I can then just drag and drop onto Bookends. I could also do this to get PDFs through my library, if need be.
I used the VPN to log in to my university from off campus, and JSTOR recognised me, so thanks for pointing that out.
I figured out how to use your integration with the iCloud PDF storage, and to sync it over two desktops and with my iPad. I have to complement you on how seamlessly it works, and for including the crucial ability to annotate the PDFs in an external viewer and have those annotations show up and sync wherever Bookends accesses the PDF.
Anyway, your responses have been very helpful, so yesterday I purchased the program, as well as the iPad version and the annual subscription.
Yours,
Greg M.
Your instructions have been very helpful.
I realised that for Philosopher's Index I DON'T go through Bookends. I just access it as I normally would, through my library. And then simply choose 'save' to export the reference as RIS, when I can then just drag and drop onto Bookends. I could also do this to get PDFs through my library, if need be.
I used the VPN to log in to my university from off campus, and JSTOR recognised me, so thanks for pointing that out.
I figured out how to use your integration with the iCloud PDF storage, and to sync it over two desktops and with my iPad. I have to complement you on how seamlessly it works, and for including the crucial ability to annotate the PDFs in an external viewer and have those annotations show up and sync wherever Bookends accesses the PDF.
Anyway, your responses have been very helpful, so yesterday I purchased the program, as well as the iPad version and the annual subscription.
Yours,
Greg M.
Re: Beginner's Guide
Thank you for the followup, I'm glad all the issues were resolved.
Jon
Sonny Software
Jon
Sonny Software