This document was created to provide users of screen readers an overview of eLibrary and guidance for the following:
Please read the following instructions carefully.
This version of eLibrary is Job Access With Speech (JAWS) accessible in Chrome. In most cases, JAWS will begin reading automatically when the application or page gains focus. The recommended resolution for viewing is 1600 pixels by 900 pixels at 100% scale or greater.
When using JAWS with eLibrary, search results tables must be set to 10 rows per page. eLibrary makes this easy with Accessibility Mode, located immediately before the Skip to Main Content link. When Accessibility Mode is turned on, search results tables will be set to 10 rows per page, and the panels on the General Search Results page will be turned off for easier navigation.
To turn on Accessibility Mode:
No other actions are needed. However, if you prefer to set Rows Per Page to 10 manually instead of enabling Accessibility Mode, refer to the section titled Setting Rows Per Page Manually.
To set Rows Per Page to 10 manually:
The screen will reload, and focus will return to the top of the screen. To return to the Search Results list, press Tab twice to navigate to Skip to Main Content, and press Enter.
eLibrary is organized into three search forms: General Search, Docket Search, and New Docket Search. These are radio button selections at the top of the page.
General Search, which is the landing page for the application, includes capabilities of the former General and Advanced Search forms.
Upon launching eLibrary, General Search loads by default. All forms, displayed as radio buttons, are selectable from any page. To access a new form, navigate to form’s radio button on the General Search screen, tab to the General Search radio button, then use the right and left arrows to select another form. With Job Access With Speech (JAWS), press A until the focus lands on the chosen radio button. Press the spacebar to select and launch the form. Press Tab to navigate to the form fields.
General Search allows the user to search by docket number, accession number, and many other criteria. See the Reference Number Formatting table for acceptable formats for each reference type. It is the only search that allows the user to perform a keyword search. The result of a General Search will include all documents that possess an accession number. This may include documents that do not possess a docket number. It will not include data from the FERC Automated Management Information System (FAMIS), which is legacy data. (Link to Search Form 2 – Docket Search for FAMIS data.)
Docket Search requires the user to enter a valid docket number and a date range to obtain a result. It will display dockets based on the following rules: (1) the docket number was generated within the create or filing date range provided by the user, and (2) the docket number possesses an accession number. It will not display dockets whose filing or create date was outside the range provided. FERC Automated Management Information System (FAMIS) data, which is legacy data, may be included by checking the FAMIS checkbox.
New Docket Search will search repositories outside of eLibrary for new dockets. Users may search by create or filed date, as well as a date range between 1 and 10 days. The create date boundaries are from 06/06/2004 to the current date.
The search forms contain data entry fields, drop-down controls and look-up controls. You can tab to each. Some controls require special keyboard strokes to make selections. Refer to Keyboard Commands for eLibrary in this document for more information. After entering your search criteria, you may select ENTER to search or tab to the search button at the bottom of the page.
The General Search form allows the user to search by docket number, accession number, and many other criteria. The following table lists acceptable formats for each reference type.
| Reference Number Type | Acceptable Formats |
|---|---|
| Docket | ER11, ER11-4046, ER11-4040-0201 |
| Accession | 19940824-0052, or 19940824* |
| Parent Accession | 19940824-0052, or 19940824* |
| Federal Register Cite | 65 FR 57088, or 65 FR* |
| Federal Court Case | 11TH CIR 7784, or DC CIR* |
| FERC Cite | 99FER62,030, or 99FERC* |
| Opinion | 409, 409-a, or 409* |
| Order Number | 888, 888-a, or 888* |
For more detailed information on formatting docket numbers and other reference types, including the use of wild cards, and performing keyword searches, see the Search Overview in the Help section or the Search Tips document on the eLibrary landing page.
After submitting the search form, eLibrary presents a screen with the results of the search. The start of the page is the same as the search form. You can use the Skip To Main Content link to skip to the list search results. There are special design features that you can access if you do not use the skip-to link. These include a sub-menu bar, a Search Criteria panel and a Filter Results panel.
The sub-menu bar includes three groups of links. The first group of links allow the user to navigate back to the search form or any of the 3 search forms.
The second group has two links. Each link is a menu of options to control the content in the search result page. To navigate these menus, use Tab or the Up/Down arrows. You may change these settings at any time. Once you change them to indicate your preference, your preferences will remain until you change them.
In the Select View menu, you may add or remove panels that appear before the search results and/or expand the table.
This menu option is called Display Criteria Panel. By default, this menu option is selected. The panel displays all criteria you selected in your search form before the search result. The Search Criteria panel has no links or buttons other than a button to close the panel. The label on the screen for this section is called Search Criteria.
This menu option is called Display Filter Panel. By default, this menu option is selected. The panel contains data entry controls and drop downs to allow you to refine the result without having to return to the search form. Then panel also has a button to close the panel. The label on the screen for this section is called Filter Results. This panel is only present for the General Search results page and not the Docket Search and New Docket search forms.
The Expand All Rows option will display all the files and dockets for all accession numbers in the search results table. When the table is not expanded only 4 dockets and/or files are displayed for each accession. By default, to limit the size of the table, this option is not selected. When you select this option, you may notice more file links per accession number. This reduces the need to navigate to the File List page to select files.
You do not have to select this option to expand a row, however. Any row with hidden docket and/or file listings will include a link called Expand Row under the accession number in the same cell. To expand content for individual accessions:
The Select Columns allows you to customize the content displayed for each accession number in the search result. For example, you can add or remove the posted date, filed date or document date for each accession number from the results that are displayed.
The third group of links allows you to save your search, subscribe to a docket, email the search results, or print the page.
Controls are provided to allow you to search a large result that spans more than one page. The Items Per Page control allows you to select the number of rows per page, navigate to next and page or the previous page, or skip to a page by entering the page number. The number of items defaults to 100 per page.
The Zipped folder above each search results table serves as a staging area for files selected to be zipped and downloaded. In the search results table’s Files column, each listed file has a zip icon, which allows you to add a file to the Zipped folder. Refer to the section titled Zipping and Downloading Files for specific steps.
Document results are listed in the search results table in rows, with information on each result listed in columns. While most columns provide descriptive information, two columns, Accession and Files contain links. You can navigate to the top of the table from anywhere on the screen by selecting T on the keyboard.
The Accession Menu link allows you to access more information for each accession number in the result and to download its related files in a Portable Document Format (PDF) or zip file. This menu also provides links to the Document Info page and File List page for the accession number.
These menu options are only available if you have permission to perform these actions. For example, if you are not allowed to download files with a security level of Critical Energy/Electric Infrastructure Information (CEII), the menu will be disabled. The Security Level column, located after the Accession column and before the Files column, indicates the security level.
Refer to the sections titled Document Info Screen, File List, Zipping and Downloading Files, and Generate PDF and Download for more information.
The Files column contains file links to download files. The zip icon precedes each file download link. The first icon, the Generate PDF icon, generates a Portable Document Format (PDF). This link performs the same function as the Generate PDF link in the Accession menu.
The Document Info screen provides summary information on an accession number. To open the Document Info screen for an accession number:
This page will open in a new browser tab. Document information is listed in a series of tables. Use T on the keyboard to navigate from table to table, and then use F8 to select a table to review.
In addition to document information, this screen provides links the File List and Document Components information. Return to the previous screen using Ctrl + Page Up.
The Document Components page lists the accession numbers, file dates, security level, and descriptions of files associated with a selected accession.
In the search results table, any listed accession number with associated document components will include a link called “Document component” in the same cell as the accession number.
To open the Document Components screen for an accession number:
This page will appear in a new tab. Document components will be listed in a table with the following columns: Association (for example, Parent or Child), Accession Number, File Date, Security Level, Description, and Action. The Action column links to the Document Info and File List screens for each of the listed accessions. Return to the previous screen using Ctrl + Page Up.
The File List page lists all of the files associated with an accession number in a table. This screen also provides links to allow users to zip and download files and provides a link to the Document Info for the selected accession.
To open the File List page for an accession number:
This page will open in a new tab. The page provides the filing description, a link to the Document Info page, and a link to zip and download all files. Individual files can also be downloaded individually or zipped and downloaded from the File List table. Return to the previous screen using Ctrl + Page Up.
The following lists provide keyboard navigation for eLibrary pages and a second list for navigating tables.
List of Keyboard Commands for JAWS:
eLibrary provides three types of list box drop-down controls: a single-select control, a multi-select drop-downs, which uses check boxes to make selections and a multi-select look-up tree control which presents selections in a hierarchy. The multi-select control is called an “extended select list box” by JAWS. Use the Up and Down Arrows to navigate multi-select drop downs and Tab to navigate the look-up multi-select tree control.
List boxes allow you to quickly select a value from the list or hear the list choices first. Note that the keystrokes vary based on if you choose to listen to the full list or not. To select a value from a list box without listening to the list options, press the up and down arrows to scroll to the desired value. The value will be selected automatically. Press Tab to navigate to the next field. Alternately, you may listen to a full read-out of list options by pressing Enter on the field. To choose a value, use the up and down arrow keys to navigate to a value, then press the spacebar to select the value.
Multi-Select, or Extended Select list boxes, like Industry Sector and Security Level, allow you to choose more than one value using check boxes. To select a value from one of these lists, use the Up and Down arrow keys to navigate through the list. Press the spacebar to select a value, then press Tab to navigate to the next form element.
The Document Class and Type control is a custom control. Selections are organized into a hierarchical tree of classes, each containing one or more class types. One or more classes and types can be selected for a single search. To navigate through the classes, use the Tab key. Select Enter to expand and collapse a class and Tab to navigate through the class types. To select any class or type, use the spacebar.
Upon selecting a value and navigating away from a form element, upon pressing Shift + Tab to return to that element, Job Access with Speech (JAWS) will not read the form element’s selected value.
When the focus is on a field that does not use the Enter key to select a value, pressing this key will execute the primary button in the window. For example, in the search forms, after selecting or entering a value, pressing Enter will launch the search.
Files are displayed for download and viewing in the General Results grid and in the File List grid. Whether the file opens in a new tab or a new window will depend on your browser settings. If your document opens in a tab, use Ctrl + Page Up to return to the previous page. If your document opens in a new window, use Alt + F4.
FERC authorized users can access non-public documents in eLibrary after logging in. A Login link is located on the main menu.
To launch the Login dialog box from the main menu, navigate to and launch the Login link by pressing Enter/Spacebar. The Login dialog box launches.
Alternately, if not logged in, attempting to download a non-public file (e.g. Privileged, Protected, or CEII) will launch the Login process, and the Login dialog box will appear.
To log in to eLibrary from the Login dialog box:
The Login link on the Main Menu will toggle to Logout, and eLibrary will proceed based on how the login was launched.
If the login fails, you will receive the message "Please enter a valid username and/or password" in the Login modal. You may tab back to the Username and Password fields to modify your entries or close the modal.
You may log out of eLibrary at any time using the Logout link on the main menu. Note that, upon successful logout, eLibrary will return to the landing page.
To download a single file from a search results table:
Note: Non-public documents may only be downloaded by authorized users when they are logged into eLibrary. If you attempt to select a non-public file when not logged in, you will be challenged with a Login dialog box, and you must log in before eLibrary will download the file (refer to the section titled Logging into eLibrary).
Note: If the file size is greater than 200 megabytes, refer to the section titled Offline Download.
To select a file from the search results list to add to the Zipped folder:
If a selected file is non-public and you are not logged in, you will be prompted to log in. The section Logging into eLibrary provides specific login steps.
To download and open a zipped file:
If the set of files selected for download exceeds 200 megabytes, this will prompt the Offline Download process. The Offline Download dialog box will display and will inform you that the file exceeds the size limit for real-time download. You will be prompted for an email address if the email address is not pre-filled. If you select “Ok”, the files will be downloaded offline within one hour, and a link to the file will be sent to the provided email address when the process is complete. This link is valid for 24 hours.
Note: If you choose to cancel Offline Download, the Offline Download dialog box will close, and you will be returned to the Zip and Download dialog box, Zip and Download Files button.
The new eLibrary can generate and download Portable Document Format (PDF) files like the original eLibrary system. From a search results or File List table, selecting the Generate PDF icon or the Generate PDF and Download link will launch the Generate PDF and Download dialog box and initiate the process automatically.
Search results tables allow you to generate a PDF and download both from the accession number menu, and from the Files column.
To generate a PDF and download one or a group of files:
Note: Non-public documents may only be downloaded by authorized users when they are logged into eLibrary. If you attempt to select a non-public file when not logged in, you will be challenged with a Login dialog box, and you must log in before eLibrary will download the file (refer to the section titled Logging into eLibrary).
Some screen content is provided in tooltips, which are elements that appear on the screen when a user hovers over an icon with a mouse. The tooltip content, provided for some elements, is not read by the Job Access with Speech (JAWS) screen reader. This content is available in the Help feature under a section called Tooltips. The Help feature is located on the main menu from any screen.
Note: If you use the Skip to Main Content link, you will skip the link to the Help feature.