Dear all,
Thank you to all the people that responded to my original email seeking info on how many of you are using Firefox or a browser other than the dreaded IE6!
From the many replies, the basic picture is that many librarians want to use Firefox or Google Chrome because of the enhanced performance of HDAS and the known problems of loading PDFs with IE6. However whether you are able to get Firefox depends entirely on the whim of your NHS Trust IT department. Some of you have your IT Departments wrapped around your little finger, and I salute you! However for those of us who do not have chance to butter up the head of IT by the water cooler, we often find that our pleas are flatly refused. It is also evident that we are all equally frustrated at the lack of understanding / complete indifference of IT Departments as to the problems we incur as librarians / information specialists because of the IT Department’s whims!
Some respondents have found a way of using Firefox without permission, by downloading Firefox to a memory stick then installing it to individual machines. This usually gets around the administrator settings which prevent you from installing new software. Some people are using Firefox via memory sticks without installing it on machines so that when IT have to do anything to their computer they won’t find a trace of Firefox!
General consensus is that Firefox is much faster and more reliable for Search 2.0 and other NLH resources, and ironically some people in IT Departments use Firefox whilst not allowing the rest of the staff to do so…………..
I particularly liked Andrew Jackson’s comment: “Information specialists know best!”
If you are preparing to get nagging, some responses which you might like to use for your armoury are:
My argument was that a) I needed a multiplicity of windows, especially when training/demonstrating: I need to be able to tab from one to another instantly, without fossicking around on the toolbar at the bottom of the screen; b) Firefox has less holes in it than Explorer: weren't they interested in this, from a safety viewpoint?(they were); c) it is my professional duty to keep abreast of all developments in this area; and to check out what my users are using. Not to allow me access to this product was therefore an impingement on my professional development...and, as such, I would ensure it went down on the appraisal form.
The argument that it's 'unsupported' by the NHS is weak, to say the least. A whole gamut of software programs are, on this basis, 'unsupported': do your IT people know ALL the software programs in use at your Trust??? Bet they don't! Find out what the doctors' Mess have on their PCs, that's usually a clincher.
Most hackers try Explorer, of course, as Bill Gates' products have more holes than a colander.
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I managed to get it on a trial basis (just me) as I was told that HDAS runs with JAVA script and that IE6 does not handle it as well. I have had for a while but they seem reasonably amiable to allowing other library staff to use it. I made the case because it is required for expert searching and banged on the importance of evidence based healthcare decision making and the risks to patient safety if research information can not be accessed quickly.
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It is ironic that many people said they use Firefox at home because it is more secure than IE6, yet ‘security’ is one of the reasons given by our IT for not installing it.
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I have got access to Firefox and it took at least 6 months of basic nagging to achieve this from our IT team. But I do have a reputation with them for never letting anything go on the IT front!
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Part of my argument was being a trainer, I needed something more reliable that IE to demonstrate NHS systems, reporting speed issues etc.
But as I say, it's only on my pc, and it was installed by a kind IT person based on my site.
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Kind regards,
Scott Rosenberg BSc (Econ) MCLIP
Electronic Resources Librarian
Francis Costello Library
Institute of Orthopaedics
Robert Jones and Agnes Hunt Orthopaedic & District Hospital
Twmpath Lane
Oswestry
Shropshire
SY10 7AG
Telephone: (01691) 404681
Web: www.rjah.nhs.uk