Hi Sarah,
I contacted ProQuest support about this behavior a while back and here was their response:
“While the PAM setting is to “start” the users on the advanced page, they can eventually get back to the basic search page and then moving forward the searches they do or
getting into other databases will default to the basic search screen.
For example, if I first login to PsycINFO, if at anytime I click on “search” (next to advanced) this link defaults to the basic search. Or if I click on the Home, or “Social
Sciences Home” and then select another database, it will grab the basic search pages. The setting in PAM is not to default every database to advanced search no matter what, but to start them on that page for the initial login.”
My understanding is that you will only be taken to the advanced screen the first time you connect to a PQ database during a session. After that you will be
taken to the basic search until you completely close out your browser, which will end your session, or your session times out. Clearing the cache/cookies also effectively ends your session. I hope this helps.
-Eric
Eric Hartnett
Assistant Professor
Electronic Resources Librarian
University Libraries
Texas A&M University
316D Library Annex | 5000 TAMU | College Station, TX 77840
Tel. 979.845.0797 | Fax. 979.458.1630
From: SERIALST: Serials in Libraries Discussion Forum [mailto:SERIALST@LIST.UVM.EDU]
On Behalf Of Sarah Hartman-Caverly
Sent: Wednesday, June 13, 2012 10:16 AM
To: SERIALST@LIST.UVM.EDU
Subject: [SERIALST] Landing on advanced vs. basic search interface on new ProQuest platform
Hello all,
I'm trying to troubleshoot an evasive issue with our database subscriptions on the new ProQuest platform.
We have "Start users on: Advanced search page" selected in the admin module under User Interface > Interface Settings. So far, we have only one custom login URL for access to a single database that has been customized to link to the basic search page.
However, I'm seeing some random behavior in the landing page I reach when I link from our OPAC out to databases on the new platform.
In one instance, I linked out to a database and landed on the advanced search page as expected. I closed that browser tab without changing any search settings or conducting a search, and inadvertently linked out to that database again, but this time I (inexplicably
to me) landed on the basic search interface.
I also noticed that when I link out from our OPAC to the single database that we customized to land on the basic search page, and then link out from the OPAC to other ProQuest databases, I will land on the basic search page for those databases for which we
want to land on the advanced search interface.
In all cases, I'm able to land on the expected search interface by clearing my browser cookies/cache. I'm just wondering whether other users have seen similar behavior and whether there's a better solution.
Thanks,
Sarah
Sarah Hartman-Caverly
Serials and E-Resources Specialist | Swarthmore College Libraries
shartma2@swarthmore.edu | 610-328-7815 | 610-328-7329 facsimile
500 College Avenue | Swarthmore, PA 19081
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