SOLO (Search Oxford Libraries Online) is the catalogue for the major collections of the libraries of the University of Oxford. It can be searched by anyone interested in the resources held by Oxford libraries. When signed on to SOLO, library members can also see additional information, such as the current availability of items, as well as place requests, view their account, and access electronic resources (appropriate to their membership type).
Since July 2011, SOLO has offered a single interface allowing library users to search for material, place holds on selected items where necessary, monitor and renew their items and access online content directly. Previously library members had to use multiple interfaces to do all these things.
Latest news
20 September 2012: Changes to display of locations
Changes to SOLO, 28-29 July 2012: Improvements to display of records and clustering
Updates
The Bodleian Libraries are working to develop and improve the SOLO interface and services further. The SOLO User Group discusses user feedback and works with the technical team to identify areas for further development. We will keep users informed about developments to SOLO though library websites and news feeds.
Giving Feedback and Reporting Issues
We are very keen to know what you think about SOLO, and encourage you to report any issues you come across. Please use the SOLO feedback options to get in touch. General feedback will be passed to the SOLO User Group for discussion. The systems team will address any technical problems reported.
Known Issues with SOLO
There are various known issues with SOLO which are being worked on as part of the ongoing development. You may wish to look at the current known issues to clarify those issues of which we are already aware and working to resolve.Future developments
The underlying software which powers SOLO continues to be actively developed. A new version of this software is forthcoming and we expect to upgrade SOLO to this new version in late Summer 2013, once its new features have been fully tested. These include the ability to include or exclude and multi-select facets, the ability to search for specified date ranges, introduction of browse indexes for certain types of data, improved options for the export of records and the ability to save a whole page of results as well as individual records to the e-shelf.
Further news of these and other developments to SOLO will be published on this page in due course.
How do I access SOLO?
SOLO is available at: http://solo.bodleian.ox.ac.uk.
It is also linked from the Bodleian Libraries homepage, and is the home screen usually displayed on PCs and terminals in the libraries.
What if I need Help?
Help with using SOLO is available in lots of different ways.
SOLO Live Help
During core hours (usually Monday-Friday, 9 am -5 pm) help is available through the SOLO Live Help service, which enables users to talk directly to one of our support team for help with SOLO queries. This service can be accessed from the SOLO homepage.
Video tutorials
These cover some of the main aspects of SOLO use and take you step-by-step through some of the key processes, showing you what to do at each stage. These tutorials can be found on the SOLO homepage.
SOLO LibGuide
The online SOLO Libguide offers more detailed help, giving information on advanced use of SOLO, as well as covering the basics for those getting started. The SOLO Libguide also offers access to the SOLO video tutorials, and to a useful list of FAQs.
Other ways to get help
Users may wish to contact the Ask an Oxford Librarian service for help, especially when the SOLO Live Help service is unstaffed. Help is also available from staff in the libraries.
