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RefBytes A–Z Databases
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01

From a blank account to a live public list in under an hour.

Getting started

Your library gets its own address, for example yourlibrary.az.refbytes.com, and an admin area at /admin. RefBytes creates the account and the first owner login; the owner invites everyone else under Staff users.

The admin dashboard: counts of active, on-trial, hidden, and retired databases above renewals due in the next 90 days and unpaid invoices, with the admin menu down the left side
The dashboard: what's live, what's up for renewal, and what's still unpaid.

The first hour

  1. Branding. Under Settings → Library & branding, add the library name, logo, and colors. The primary color is checked against white for WCAG contrast. Then, under Public page, write the access explainer: one paragraph telling patrons what "Card required" means and how to get a card.

    The Library & branding tab of Settings, with the library name, website, and logo
    The name, website, and logo appear in the public page header.

  2. Proxies. If off-site patrons log in through EZproxy or OpenAthens, add it under Proxies. Paste the prefix (https://ezproxy.example.org/login?url=) or a template with {url}. Make it the default for new databases under Settings → Defaults.

  3. Import your list. Under Databases → Import, download the template, fill it in (or export from your old spreadsheet with matching column names), and upload. You will see a preview of what will be created before anything is written.

  4. Match your website (optional). Under Settings → Advanced, paste your site's header and footer HTML and use placeholders such as {{ nav }}, {{ logo }}, and {{ library_name }} where the A-Z should fill things in. Add custom CSS inline or upload a stylesheet.

    The Advanced tab of Settings: the list of placeholders, and a header HTML editor holding a short header that uses the site_url, logo, library_name, and nav placeholders
    A custom header built from placeholders. Leave a box empty to keep the standard one.

  5. Check the public page. Open View public list from the sidebar. Everything with status Active shows there within a minute.

    The public page of Juniper Falls Public Library: the library's logo and name, a search box, subject, type, access, and audience filters, letter links, lists, and featured databases
    What patrons see at your library's address.

Getting around

Press ⌘K (or Ctrl+K on Windows) on any admin page to open the quick launcher: type part of a database, vendor, or invoice to jump to it, or the name of a task, such as add invoice or renewals, to start it.

Roles

Role Can
Owner Everything, including billing
Admin Staff users, branding, proxies, librarian profiles, and everything below
Editor Databases, subjects, types, vendors, agreements, invoices, and their own librarian profile
Viewer Read-only access to the admin and reports, and their own librarian profile