Single-Use Access Restriction

General Concept

It may be desirable to restrict access to certain digital resources to only one user at a time. Restriction for single-use essentially checks out the material to an online user, making it unavailable for a period of time before it is returned to the "stacks" for the next user.

Checking material back in is somewhat difficult in an online presence, since the user could view an image or page in their browser and then navigate away or spend some time comparing the image with other images. This is due to the fact that your computer does not notify the web server when you are done viewing a web page.

Due to the issue discussed above, items are considered checked out for a period of time since last use. When the item is first accessed by a user, it is checked out to that user (via IP address). Each time the user interacts with the item, this fifteen minute clock is restarted. An item is returned to the digital stacks when fifteen minutes have expired since the last request by the user who checked out the material.

User Interaction

When a single-use item is viewed, a message appears below the item indicating it is single-use. This message is provided to ensure anyone expecting the material to be accessible via multiple machines in the future will be adequately forewarned. ( view example )

If a user tries to view a checked out item, only the citation will be available for display. Any other images or material will be restricted and the user will receive a message indicating that the current item is checked out and to try again shortly. ( view example )