What do I have access to on this platform?
Aga Khan Library Digital Collections offers a digitised copy of some of the rare books in the Aga Khan Library, London. To browse the full extent of the library collection, become a member of the library, or know more about the Aga Khan Library, click the tab 'Library Catalogue'.
I would like to study these materials in person. Can I come into the library?
Yes. The Aga Khan Library welcomes visits from researchers. Please, click the tab 'Library Catalogue' to reach our main website and request access to our facilities in London.
Browser compatibility
Digital Collections has been tested using Internet Explorer (version 10 onwards), Safari (version 6 onwards), and the latest versions of Firefox and Chrome, on PC, Mac, and mobile operating systems. We will continue to monitor usage from different browsers and platforms and revise our list of actively supported browsers and devices accordingly.
Mobile and tablet access
The site is fully optimised for displaying on a range of tablet and smartphone interfaces. The site has been tested using recent versions of the iPad, iPhone, and Android smartphones and tablets. No web-enabled devices are specifically excluded, and there is no separate mobile site: the site layout adapts automatically depending on the size of the screen.
Accessibility information
The Digital Collections platform is compatible with accessibility standards for most Level A (Priority 1) and AA (Priority 2) success criteria of the Web Content Accessibility Guidelines (WCAG 2.0) developed by the Worldwide Web Consortium (W3C).
How can I report a problem or error with the site?
Any issues with site functionality can be reported through the Contact Us page.
Functionality
What search and browse options are available?
There are multiple ways of navigating the content:
• The main Search box in the header
• Advanced Search: search by keyword with date range; search using combinations of author name, title, category, date range, or identifier
What kind of searches can I do in the main Search box?
Use the Search box in the site header to search the full contents of all items on the site, including all titles, chapter titles, author names, subject terms, and metadata. You can use the following methods:• Stemming: search results for keywords will automatically include results for plurals and grammatically related words, e.g. a search for edit will also find edits, editing, and edited
• Exact phrase search: use quotation marks to limit your results to exact matches for a phrase such as "all's well that ends well"
• AND (Boolean operator): searching for Politics AND History will find books that include both search terms. Boolean operators must be entered in UPPER CASE
• NOT (Boolean operator): search for Politics NOT History to find books which mention Politics but do not mention History
• OR (Boolean operator): search for Politics OR History to find books which mention either Politics or History (or both)
What kind of searches can I do in Advanced Search?
From the Advanced Search page you can:
• Select 'Title' to search for titles of works, volumes, chapters, articles, images, or other items
• Select 'Author/Editor/Creator' to search for the names of authors, editors and translators of volumes, chapters and articles, or for creators for images
• Select 'Summary/Abstract' to search within the descriptions of volumes, articles, images, multimedia files, or other items
• Select 'Category' to search for subject and topic tags, including personal names, place names, or periods
• Select 'Identifier' to search for shelfmarks or other document IDs
• Use the drop-down Boolean operator options AND, OR, and NOT to combine fields
How do I use the image viewer?
There are a number of ways to view digital library images:
• Click on an image thumbnail on the volume page, a link from the table of contents, or link to a chapter or page within search results to open the image viewer
• Images from books are readable from left to right or right to left depending on the volume’s original orientation
• Click through images by using the left and right arrows in the main viewer or in the thumbnail strip. Alternatively, select a thumbnail to view that image
• Use the image viewer controls on the right to zoom, rotate, return to default view, expand to full screen, and move between single image and dual image views
• Where there are multiple images available, they are displayed by default as double page spreads (except for spine and binding images and fold-outs). To move to single page view select the single page icon at the foot of the icon set in the main image viewer (not available on mobile)
• To navigate through a large set of images quickly, use the image scrollbar. The image scrollbar numbering displays the number of thumbnails not the number of original images
• Binding, spine, and page edge images, where available, are displayed at the beginning (front cover) and end of the set of images (spine, page edges, back cover)
Can I save items for reading later?
Yes! It's quick and easy to set up a personal account to save books, chapters, or other items to view later, organise saved items into folders, email and export citations, save searches, and set up search alerts.
Follow the link in the header to 'Sign in to your personal account': you then have the option to sign in using Facebook or Twitter, or to select 'Sign up now' and enter a few personal details (name, occupation, country, email address, and password) to create a Personal Account.
Can I print and download images and articles?
Yes, you can print and download individual images. All use of the site content is subject to our Terms and Conditions: printing and saving should be for personal use, and standard copyright restrictions apply regarding unauthorised copying and distribution.
How do I cite texts from Digital Collections?
From the content page, click on the 'cite' icon to view formatted citations in APA, MLA, and Chicago citation styles. You can also download a file in RIS format for importing into reference manager software.
