HMML Reading Room Help

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Overview

In HMML Reading Room you can search HMML’s extensive microform and digital collections. For many items you can also view high-resolution color images or scans of black and white microfilm. Eventually HMML Reading Room will contain all manuscript and printed items digitized by HMML since 2003 as well as an extensive selection of scanned films from earlier projects. HMML Reading Room will also contain many rare books (both manuscript and printed) from HMML’s own holdings.

If you are signed in to vHMML.org and are not active on any of the pages for 60.0 minutes, the system will inquire whether you still want to remain signed in. If you still do not respond, the system will automatically sign you out to maintain security.

Searching HMML Reading Room

HMML Reading Room is a successor to HMML’s previous online catalog, OLIVER, and image database, Vivarium. HMML Reading Room presents each manuscript or printed object at three levels of description: As you view the results of your search, you will see this underlying structure expressed most clearly in the tabs for Object Description and Contents.

REMINDER: Reading Room does not yet contain all of HMML’s collections. You can view a list of collections already in Reading Room. For others, you will need to consult the Legacy Catalog or see the list of uncataloged collections.

Unlike traditional printed catalogs, HMML Reading Room is an ever-expanding and ever-improving work in progress. The metadata has been reviewed and conformed to new standards, but you will find that the degree of detail in cataloging varies by collection. Some objects are richly described, while others contain only very basic metadata. As a result, your search criteria will be applied to collections that may or may not have a level of description sufficient to support a highly-detailed search. Most entries have a Genre/Form indication and author’s names have been standardized and are consistent across collections. We hope that you will contribute to the cataloging effort by telling us what you see using the “Additions or corrections?” link at the upper right corner of each record.

Viewing search results

Some search examples

Search tips

Viewing images

While viewing images of a document, use the controls in the lower right for zooming (magnifying) in and out, and for panning around the image after zooming. Note that the panning arrows have little or no effect unless the image has been magnified with zoom. The little house button Mirador house button returns the image to the default magnification after zooming.

Mirador zooming and panning buttons explained

While viewing images, the upper right controls enable switching between different views, rotating the image 90°, enlarging the image to fill the browser screen, or closing out of the image view and returning to Reading Room Description and Search.

Mirador view options buttons explained

Having trouble signing in?

Universal Design

vHMML.org was envisioned, designed and created with principles of Universal Design in mind for all users, including those with different abilities. Accessibility for users who might utilize different input devices or assistive technology was considered from the very beginning. Part of the goal was to try to make the interface more flexible to be accessible for all kinds of users, especially for Reading Room. We provided point of need context-sensitive Help on all modules, with contact email available from any page from a contact link in the footer. HMML realizes that accessibility and Universal Design are goals in which we can continue to improve. Please contact us if you have issues accessing our site or if you have ideas for how we might continue to improve our design so that all may participate in using our resources and tools for manuscript studies.

A special note about Syriac

If you see a series of small boxes where you expect to see Syriac characters, here are suggestions for various platforms: series of rectangles where Syriac characters should be seen

Technical: Minimum system requirements

Known issues

Still having problems?

We recommend the following troubleshooting steps:

If you are still having problems, please contact us and include a detailed description of the issue in addition to your browser type and version along with your computer operating system version (e.g. Mac OS X 10.6, Windows 10 64-bit, etc.).