Using The TCI Library

This page describes the basic organization of the Library and the basics of how to navigate around the site.

HINT: Click on the “Print” icon on the right to open a text copy of this page in a new window. You can then continue reading there and use this window to see the features and to try some of the techniques described without losing your place in the text.

A key to moving around in the TCI Library is understanding how to use the Menu Bar.

Menu Bar

The Menu Bar is the black bar running across the page just under the TCI Logo.  It contains grey links to site pages or other resources.  Links to the left of the vertical bar separator are on the TCI Library Site.  Links to the right are on other sites, and will open in a new window, so you don’t lose your place on the Library site.

The currently selected page is highlighted in white and bolded.  Its content is shown in the display area below and to the right of the Menu Bar.

When you mouse over another Menu Bar entry, a grey box highlights the selected entry and the text is changed to white.

A left-click makes the selected entry the current page.  The text in the Menu Bar is highlighted and bolded in white and its content is shown in the display area.

Try mousing over Introduction in the Menu Bar and select About The TCI Library.  Your left click shows the content for that page.

This is referred to as “selecting Introduction / About The TCI Library on the Menu Bar.” Hitting your browser’s “Back” button will return you to this page. 

Drop down Menus

When selected, many Menu Bar entries display more detailed information in a “drop down menu” that becomes visible below or to the right of the selected entry.  Note that when you mouse to an entry in the drop down menu, it becomes the selected entry.  Its box is highlighted in grey and the text is in white.  If available, another layer of drop down menu information is made visible.  You can see how the selected entry moves as you mouse around the menu choices.

A left-click selects the currently highlighted entry as the current page.  The top-level text in the Menu Bar is highlighted and bolded in white and the selected page is shown in the display area.

Try mousing over Search / Basic Search / Using Basic Search and left click to select it.  You now see the instructions for using the Basic Search feature.  You can use your browser’s “Back” button to return here.  You can alternatively select Introduction / Using The TCI Library to return here!

You are here:

The top line of the display area starts with the words “You are here:.”  The text immediately to the right shows the “path” you took to get to the currently displayed page.  Note that all the links in the path are clickable. They provide another tool to move around the site – to pages that are related to the one currently being viewed.  As you become more familiar with the site, you’ll find many uses for these links.

Try selecting Browse the Library / Document Repository / Catalogs, Manuals … / Western Electric.  You see the category page for WE catalogs.  If you decide you need to find a catalog for a different manufacturer, simply click on Catalogs, Manuals… in the You are here: line, and you are taken directly to the category page listing other manufacturers.

Continue on by selecting Introducton / - Browse or Search? from the Menu Bar.