(or other icon) next to the document link. See sample screen shot.) 
Metadata Search is the most effective way to search the Digital Collections.
| New York State Library | Frequently Asked Questions |
The user has several options for accessing the documents:
The Digital Collections consist primarily of 65,000 documents (approximately 2 million pages) relating to New York State.
There are three main collections: "New York State Government Publications" (including Regents exams from 1957 through the current year) and the "New York State Library Scanned Documents Collection" (including scanned monographs and selected broadsides, maps, mansucripts, and scores from the Library's Manuscripts and Special Collections), and Education Laws and Policy Documents.
Please see Historical Documents Available Online from the New York State Library.
There are two types of searches - Metadata and Full-Text.
(or other icon) next to the document link. See sample screen shot.) Your problem could be a pop-up blocker. The electronic documents in the Digital Collections open in a new browser window. If you have disabled "pop-ups" either through your browser or through an ad-blocking software tool, the electronic documents cannot open. If you are using your browser to block pop-ups, you may be able to allow pop-ups from specific sites, such as the Library's catalog: http://nysl.nysed.gov. If you are using other ad-blocking software or pop-up blockers, check your documentation for how to allow pop-ups from specific sites, or turn off the ad-blocking feature.
For example, the Google Toolbar has a built-in pop-up blocker. To see the pop-ups, use one of the following options:
Where is your PDF reader? If you've been able to open PDF files before, but now you are getting a blank screen, make sure your browser can find your PDF reader. One way to do this is to open the PDF reader separately. Once the reader is opened, click the link for the electronic document again, and it should open.
Still no PDF? Check to see if the document may be opening in another browser window behind your main window. (On Windows computers, check your taskbar on the bottom of your screen for multiple versions of your browser. One of them may be the PDF.)
If you still cannot see the PDF, try this alternative method.
The solution is to identify as a browser other than Opera. For Opera Version 9.26:
Other Digital Collections
You can also access other digital materials
collected by the NYS Office of Cultural Education (OCE), which includes the
State Library, Museum and Archives. Collections include digitized photographs,
manuscripts, and other material, mainly in jpg format.
The Digital Collections are provided primarily as PDF; however, there are also some text and Microsoft Word files.
Occasionally, you will see VP-1, VP-2, or the phrases "VIRTUAL-PART-1, VIRTUAL-PART-2" etc. This means that a large document has been broken down into separate units, to better aid in viewing the documents over the Web with smaller file sizes. For example, a 1000-page document might be divided into five 200-page files. The document is not altered in any way.
"VP"
means "Virtual Part"--see above for explanation.
Click on the hyperlinks to see the full text resource. (Links labeled "DOCUMENT" will bring you to the digital resource itself.)
Results labelled "Levels" (as in LEVEL4 at left), represent the folder where the parts of the document are stored.
To see the structure of the collection where a document is stored, click on the folder icon. To see the metadata related to the document, click on the page icon next to the folder.
A session-dependent, dynamic method is used to generate and open items in the Digital Collections. This means that the URL used to access documents is not persistent across time. If you wish to bookmark document locations, you may search the catalog on the document's title or author. After locating the document in the catalog, you may save the link location in the "Electronic Access" field of the catalog record.
When navigating back to a previously viewed page, the Digital Collections will automatically open any documents that were previously accessed from that page. This is a non-correctable feature of the Digital Collections.
The New York State Publications collection splits the state documents by branch of government first (Executive, Judicial, Legislative), and then subdivides by state agency. Chronological serials are put in their own folders (ex: New York State Publications - Executive Branch - Agriculture and Markets - New York agricultural statistics).
The "Browse" button near the top of the page brings you to the top level of the Digital Collections.
What
is the structure of the New York State Library Scanned
Documents Collection? The New York State Library Scanned Documents Collection contains historical and other library materials. It is organized by format (broadsides, maps, manuscripts, etc.), and by Dewey Decimal Class.
For more information on selected resources in this collection, please see Historical Documents Available Online from the New York State Library.
The Digital Collections provide access to select online material referenced in the Excelsior catalog. Through the Electronic Access tag, a link is made between the catalog record and the item managed in the Digital Collections. Our online catalog displays this tag and clicking on it will take you to the item. More detailed information and subject headings may be found in catalog records.
Every effort has been made to select and present material in the public domain. Some materials, particularly State Agency records, may be protected by copyright laws. The nature of these materials may make copyright difficult or even impossible to determine. When known, information on permissions is noted in the metadata. The Office of Cultural Education, NYS Department of Education, is providing access to these materials for educational and research purposes.
The written permission of the copyright owners and/or other rights holders is required for distribution, reproduction, or other use of protected items beyond that allowed by fair use or other statutory exemptions. Responsibility for securing any necessary permissions ultimately rests with the user.
For more information about accessing the New York State Documents in the Library's Digital Collections, please e-mail excelsior@mail.nysed.gov.