Getting Started! NIMAC Basics for AUs August 2008.

Getting Started!NIMAC Basics for AUs

August 2008

What we’ll cover today …

• A very brief overview and update of NIMAC

• Getting set up as an AU

• Searching and downloading in the portal

• Assigning files to AMPs

• How to get additional help!

What is the NIMAC?

• NIMAC is a central repository for source files in the NIMAS format.

• NIMAS file sets can be used to produce accessible, student-ready specialized formats, such as Braille and audio, for students in K-12 with qualifying disabilities.

What does the NIMAC do?

• Receives and catalogs NIMAS files from publishers.

• Provides quality control regarding metadata and XML file validity.

• Provides searchable web-based database, publisher portal, AU and AMP portals.

What does the NIMAC do?

• Establishes and maintains accounts for publishers, State Coordinators, Authorized Users, and Accessible Media Producers.

• Contracts with OverDrive, Inc., (located in Cleveland) to provide our database system and file storage.

• Provides outreach, training, and support to NIMAC users.

How does the NIMAC get files?

• SEAs and LEAs require publishers to produce and submit files to the NIMAC when they enter into new purchase agreements or adoption contracts.

• The NIMAS legislation is not retroactive and does not require publishers to convert materials sold prior to the effective date of NIMAS.

How does the NIMAC get files?• AUs do not contact publishers at the point

of needing a file to request file submission. This must be done at the point of purchase of the print materials.

• NIMAC does not have the authority to require publishers to submit files.

• However, we are happy to follow up with publishers regarding files in conversion.

What about non-NIMAS file formats?

• The NIMAC contains only NIMAS format.

• No other file formats can be accepted.

• Requests for other digital formats, such as PDF, must go directly to the publisher.

• NIMAC does not distribute student-ready accessible versions. As such, we do not work directly with individual students, parents, teachers or schools.

What is a NIMAS file set?

A NIMAS zip file contains:• An XML file of the textual portion of the

book• A folder containing all of the images (in

JPG, PNG or SVG format)• A package file containing metadata and a

list of image files included in the file set• A PDF of the title page/copyright page of

the print book

What does “source file” mean?

• NIMAS file sets are not a “student ready” format.

• A typical textbook may contain thousands of images. The NIMAS standard does not require alt text for images.

• While many devices can read an XML file, value-added work must be done to make a NIMAS file set a fully-accessible version for a print disabled student.

Which Students Are Eligible?IDEA 2004, PART D, SEC. 674. (e)(3)(A) BLIND OR OTHER PERSONS WITH PRINT

DISABILITIES—The term 'blind or other persons with print disabilities' means children served under this Act and who may qualify in accordance with the Act entitled 'An Act to provide books for the adult blind', approved March 3, 1931 (2 U.S.C. 135a; 46 Stat. 1487) to receive books and other publications produced in specialized formats.

• NIMAC does not determine student eligibility. This task belongs to the state.

What types of materials does NIMAC contain?

(3)(C) PRINT INSTRUCTIONAL MATERIALS—The term 'print instructional materials' means printed textbooks and related printed core materials that are written and published primarily for use in elementary school and secondary school instruction and are required by a State educational agency or local educational agency for use by students in the classroom.

2008: We have been busy!

• During the spring of 2008, NIMAC received roughly four times the number of files we were budgeted to receive during that period.

• In 21 months, NIMAC has received a total of over 12,000 file sets—the number of files we expected to receive in all five years of the original grant!

2008: We have been busy!

• Due to a much larger number of file submissions than predicted, a major focus for NIMAC for the second half of 2008 has been on building capacity.

• NIMAC and OverDrive have added new staff and hardware to help keep up with the workflow.

Reasons for Higher Numbers

• Publication Dates: During the planning phase of NIMAC, we expected to receive materials published after the effective date of the legislation.

• We are receiving a large number of “legacy” materials, with some materials originally published as early as 1993.

Reasons for Higher Numbers

• Supplementary Readers: These were not included in AAP’s estimate of 2,400 files per year provided to NIMAC during development.

• NIMAC currently has over 6,000 file sets for supplementary readers.

Reasons for Higher Numbers

• Types of Materials: In the absence of a clear definition for “textbooks and related printed core materials,” we are receiving a very wide range of materials—from textbooks to blackline masters to flash cards.

Reasons for Higher Numbers

• “Voluntary” Submissions: Some publishers are converting items not yet required by contract and are erring on the side of converting more rather than less material.

What cannot be accepted?

• NIMAC does not currently reject material based on whether it meets a definition of “core.”

• However, we cannot accept:– Teacher’s editions– Material not published in a print version– “Advance copy” versions of texts

More NIMAC Numbers!

• Publishers working with NIMAC: 71

• States & Outlying Areas Coordinating: 56

• Authorized Users: 93 (from 45 states)

• Accessible Media Producers (AMPs): 93

• Unique downloads by AU: 538

• Unique downloads by AMP: 250Statistics as of August 25, 2008

Working with the NIMAC: How do I become an AU?

• AUs are designated by a State Coordinator.

• The State Coordinator logs into the NIMAC portal and enters the AU’s contact information into a web form.

• The system then automatically emails the AU the NIMAC Limitation of Use Agreement.

Then what happens?

• Once the NIMAC has received your signed Limitation of Use Agreement, we activate your account.

• You receive your user ID and password in two separate automated emails.

• This information is all you need to access the NIMAC, search and download files, or assign files to an Accessible Media Producer (AMP).

An Important Reminder:

• It is not necessary to be an Authorized User (AU) to search the NIMAC.

• Anyone with web access is welcome to search for items in the NIMAC database. (On the NIMAC welcome screen, just choose the first option: “Search the NIMAC.”)

• But only AUs can download files or assign them to an AMP.

Hardware and NetworkingFor downloading file sets, you will need:

• Windows 98 or above

• Internet Explorer 5.5 or above

• 512 RAM (minimum)

• 1 GHz processor (minimum)

• A high-speed internet connection and network permission to download large files

Hardware and Networking

• The current system is not compatible with Mac computers or browsers other than Internet Explorer.

• Although you may be able to access the portal and log in, you cannot make use of all functionality.

• This is the most common reason that users experience portal problems.

Getting Started: Logging In• Go to the NIMAC web site:

www.nimac.us

• Click on the blue box that says, “Enter the NIMAC Repository.”

• Choose the link, “If you have a login and password, click here to enter the NIMAC.”

At the login screen...

• Enter your user ID and password, then click the “login” button.

• You will be directed to a screen that asks you to choose a security question.

• Choose a question and enter the answer.

• This information will be used should you ever need to request your password information.

Now you'

Changing your password ...

• For security on your account, your first task at this point is to change the automated password you received to a new password.

• Choose the menu option “Manage Your User Account” to do this.

Change your password

• The information for your account will appear, including your default password.

• Just delete the existing password “dots” and enter a new password in both boxes.

• After you click “submit,” the screen will show that your information has been updated.

Hint on Navigating ...

• At any point, you can choose the “Home” tab at the top of the screen to return to the main menu.

• Or, just click the tab for the menu option you want at the top of the screen.

Congratulations!

• You have now successfully set up your NIMAC account and are now ready to begin searching and working with files!

• We will now spend some time exploring the search screen and download options.

Search Options

There are two types of search options:

1. Users may enter free text searches in “Search” fields. This means you just type in the search term you want.

2. “Limit By” fields are pick list options. This means you can select a term from an existing list of terms. These searches can be used as stand-alone searches or to modify a free text search.

Search Hints

• Search by the ISBN if you have it. This is always your first choice. You may use the 10-digit or 13-digit ISBN.

• If you do not have the correct ISBN or are uncertain, use the other search options.

Search Hints

• Start with a very basic search, for example, a keyword from the title and/or the author’s last name.

• If your search retrieves too many items, use a few more options to narrow your search, such as publisher name, copyright date or grade level.

More Search Hints…

• AND, OR and NOT cannot be used to combine search terms within a search box.

• If you enter information in more than one search field, the system will only retrieve items that match ALL terms.

• The more you choose, the fewer results you’ll get.

More Search Hints…

• When searching by author, it is recommended that you search last name only.

• When searching by title, use either one distinct word or an exact phrase from the title.

• If you experience any difficulties in the search portal, please contact NIMAC and let us know.

Notice: Title Search Glitch

• OverDrive is currently resolving a system bug that is causing title searches that contain punctuation to fail. They expect to have this problem resolved by 9/5/2008.

• In the meantime, please avoid title search terms that include hyphens, commas, or apostrophes. (Either choose other words from the title, or use an ISBN search instead.)

At the brief display . . .

• You can select a download option or assign the file to an AMP at this point;

• Or, you can click either the title or “Click Here to See Full Record Display” to see the complete title information.

Options

Download Options

• There are two download options available:

• The “Full” download includes the images folder in the zip file. These files may be several GB in size.

• The “XML” download does not include the images. These files are small and download very quickly.

Helpful hint . . .

• Whether you choose the XML-only download option or the full NIMAS file download, please be aware that the default zip file name will be the same.

• Zip file names are the ISBN for the title, plus “NIMAS”—regardless of which option you choose. (For example: 032813368XNIMAS.zip)

Helpful hint . . .

• However, at the point of downloading the zip file, you can rename the zip file anything you want.

• Example 1: 032813368XNIMAS_XML_only.zip

• Example 2: Chemistry.zip

Assigning a file to an AMP

1. From the search results display, click on the option “Assign title to accessible media producer.”

2. Select the AMP you want from the list of registered AMPs. Then click “Assign Media Producer” at the bottom of screen.

3. Select the format you want produced. Then click “Assign Format.”

Assigning a file to an AMP

• That’s it! The screen will display a confirmation message that the file has been assigned.

• The AMP will also receive an email from the system notifying them of the file assignment.

• You can then select another AMP for the file, or begin a new search.

From the brief display…

• You can now see the AMP assignment you entered.

• You can assign to assign the file another AMP.

• You have the option to “Unassign” the file if you have chosen either the wrong AMP or wrong format and want to start over.

From the AMP perspective…

• Next, we’ll look at a series of screen shots showing the notification email that the AMP receives, and the AMP portal!

More on the AMP Portal

• There is currently no “expiration date” on download queue items or limit to the number of times the AMP can download a file in the queue.

• We are looking into creating an expiration/archiving feature in order to help AMPs manage their work queues (so that items already downloaded are easily distinguishable from new queue items).

What’s coming up!

• OverDrive is currently working on a new release of the NIMAC system.

• They hope to go live with “NIMAC 2.0” within the next four months.

• We will be able to offer many enhancements in the new system!

NIMAC 2.0 • New features will include:

– Publisher contact list for questions & feedback on XML quality

– AMP contact list in the AU portal (outside of Assign to AMP function)

– “Previously downloaded by” information in the AU portal brief results display

NIMAC 2.0 • New features will include:

– Additional search interface functionality (such as state edition search)

– Reports in the AU portal

– Mac compatibility

– Compatibility for browsers other than IE

Wrapping Up . . .• Congratulations! You have now learned

how to:– Log in to the NIMAC Repository– Choose a security question and change your

password– Do a basic search to locate titles– Download a title page PDF, XML-only file, or

full NIMAS file– Assign files to AMPs

Future trainings . . .

• Join us tomorrow for the “Advanced” training for information on additional portal features.

• This presentation and PowerPoint will also be archived at the NIMAC web site: www.nimac.us

For more help . . .

• For searching help or other questions, contact us Mon-Fri, 8 AM – 4:30 PM ET:

502-899-2230 or 1-877-526-4622 (1-877-52-NIMAC)

• Visit our web site: www.nimac.us

• Email us at: [email protected]