QUESTIONS AND ANSWERS


Below are common questions and answers regarding Found Volumes. You will find three sections of questions below describing Pricing, the Found Volumes software, and the Found Volumes Online service. If you have additional questions, please do not hesitate to contact us.


       Email:    info@FoundVolumes.com

       Phone:  770-565-2950




What is Found Volumes?


Found Volumes is an easy-to-use computerized index to over 120 years of back issues of The Christian Science Journal and Christian Science Sentinel. Included are references to over 90,000 articles dating back to 1883 up through the past year.  Peter and Laurie Tosto developed this outstanding resource in 1986.  Since then, over 1,400 churches, reading rooms, practitioners, care facilities, schools, associations, and individuals rely on Found Volumes as the standard for Christian Science periodical research.


Found Volumes is sold as software for your PC or Mac computer. In addition, customers can search the periodicals from the Internet with our Found Volumes Online service.



Pricing


What is the price of Found Volumes?


With your new order, you will receive the Found Volumes software on CD-ROM that gives you a permanent index to over 120 years of the Christian Science periodicals.


  1. Found Volumes software, $250


  1. Special offer for individuals only, $150 (excludes churches, reading rooms, organizations, etc.)


  1. Note: $5.00 shipping and handling fee added to all CD orders.


New in 2008: Found Volumes Online - receive your first year FREE!

Starting in October 2008, we introduced Found Volumes Online, the web companion to Found Volumes. With your new order, you will receive a FREE access code that is good for one year of our new Found Volumes Online service. If you have more than one computer or user that needs to access the Online service at the same time, you may purchase a bundle of four access codes, instead of just one, for only $40 extra (a 50% savings!).


What is the price for annual updates and Found Volumes Online subscriptions?


We periodically update Found Volumes to add new articles to your index. The software is updated annually in the spring. The Online service is always up-to-date -- new articles are added shortly after publication.


Pricing for existing Found Volumes customers:


  1. $50 for Found Volumes software update (plus $5.00 shipping and handling)


  2. $40 for Found Volumes Online one year subscription (single access code)


  3. $80 for Found Volumes Online one year subscription (four access codes)


At renewal time, you can choose to update your software, your Online subscription, or both.


Many of our customers purchase software updates every year, while others wait and buy an update only every few years. Either way, your update order will bring your Found Volumes software completely up to date with all the articles published since your last update.


Found Volumes software Q&A                                                                                                     Back to Top


How do I look up articles?


You simply type in a request, which includes any word that appears in the title and/or author’s name, and press the Enter key.  The end result is a list, which includes the year, publication, volume number, page number, title, author and an indication as to whether a reference is an editorial, poem, children’s article, or testimony.  These lists can be viewed on your computer screen or printed in their entirety, or selected references can be marked and printed, and then taken right to the bound volumes for research.


How much training is necessary before one can use Found Volumes?


Found Volumes was designed with ease-of-use in mind.  The approach is simple and “friendly” --- so simple, in fact, that no instruction manual is required to use the program.  All instructions are quickly available on-screen.  This means someone, such as a reading room patron, can simply walk up to the program and use it without assistance, thus providing the visitor with privacy and confidence when performing searches.


Can I print the results of my query?


You can print all the results of your query or just selected articles.  This makes it easy to take your printout right to the books to search for the articles, to keep the printout for future reference, or to share it with others.


Does Found Volumes include the full text of the articles?


Found Volumes is an index only. To read the articles, you need to refer to back issues of the magazines.


What if I don’t have a complete set of bound volumes?


It is simple to adjust the year range in which to search for articles.  This way, for instance, if your set of bound volumes only goes back to, say, 1945, then you can set the range so that your list of results will not include anything before that time.  This feature is also helpful if you want to hunt for an article you may recall reading, for example, in the Seventies.  By narrowing the year range you can more easily zero in on what you may be looking for.


What if I don’t know the exact spelling of an author’s name?


Another feature of the program is the “wild card” search.  You can enter just a partial name, and then what you will see is a list which has variations based on what you entered.  An example might be that you enter “Chris” and your results would include titles by authors with names like Christian, Christine, Christianson, Christy, Christopher, Chris and so on.  This approach works in the title field as well.


Are testimonies included?


Testimonies before 1999 are not included because they were not given titles.  In the current periodicals there is a caption above each testimony, which makes it relevant to search.


How often is Found Volumes updated?


The program is updated yearly in the spring.  At that time, the previous year’s articles are added.  Whether you update annually, biannually, or even less frequently, you still pay only $50 (plus $5.00 s/h) for the update and are always brought completely up to date any time you order.  We offer a standing order option where the update is sent to you automatically every year when it is available.


Is this program approved by The Mother Church?


Found Volumes is in use in Christian Science Reading Rooms around the world, and is, in fact, in use throughout the Mother Church Center in Boston.


Can I look up articles by subject?


In accordance with the wishes of The Mother Church, Found Volumes is not indexed by subject.  For this reason it may be necessary to approach your search as you would with a concordance.  Keeping in mind that the word you search for must appear in the title, you may need to try several queries to get an exhaustive list.  For example, if you want to look up articles about children, in addition to searching on the word “children”, you may want to try “child”, “youth”, “young”, “Sunday school”, “kid/s”, and so on.


Why can’t I find the article I am looking for?


After ruling out misspellings, it may be possible that you have put the query word in the title field when you meant the author field or vice versa.  Also, if you enter a name, e.g., Mary Baker Eddy, but there is an article where her name was listed as only Mary B. Eddy, as was the case with some of her early articles, a few of her articles would not be listed.  It is important to keep in mind that an article must contain your query exactly.  Some authors changed the way they signed their names over the years, using initials or not, changing from maiden to married names, etc.  Sometimes it takes a little experimenting to locate all of an author’s articles.  If you do, indeed, find a typo or omission, please contact the publishers of Found Volumes so that corrections can be made for future updates.


What are some other features of Found Volumes?


With a few simple keystrokes, you can specify the chronological order in which you would like the results displayed, or limit the search to a certain article type.  It is also possible to “copy to a clipboard” so that the information you gather is available for wider uses.


What are the hardware requirements?


The program is available for IBM-compatible computers, as well as Macintosh computers.


The Microsoft Windows version requires Windows 95, 98, Me, 2000, XP or Vista, 16MB RAM, at least 30 megabytes of hard disk space, and a CD-ROM drive.


The Macintosh version requires a Power Macintosh class computer or later, Mac OS 7.6.1 or later, and at least 16MB available RAM. On a computer running Mac OS 7 - 9, Found Volumes uses 32 MB of hard disk space. Under Mac OS X, Found Volumes uses 52MB of hard disk space. Found Volumes is compatible with newer Intel-based Macs as well as “Tiger” and “Leopard” OS versions.


Found Volumes Online Q&A                                                                                                     Back to Top


What is Found Volumes Online?


Found Volumes Online is an optional service that allows Found Volumes customers to search the periodicals from the Internet. The service can be used from any computer and it is continually updated with new articles published throughout the year. The service was developed in partnership with TRM Consulting in the U.K.


What are some of the differences between Found Volumes and Found Volumes Online?


Found Volumes and Found Volumes Online share the same periodical database, but have different uses. Found Volumes is great for your computers at fixed locations. Found Volumes Online offers the convenience of looking up articles from anywhere you have an Internet connection. For a church, you could install Found Volumes on the computers in your Reading Room and offer Online access codes to individuals to use off premises.


Some differences to keep in mind:


  1. Found Volumes is software for your computer which gives you a permanent index to the periodicals. Found Volumes Online is a subscription service that you pay for yearly. If you choose not to renew your Online subscription, you can still continue to use the Found Volumes software indefinitely.

  2. Found Volumes Online is updated all the time, so you can search recent articles as well as articles from the previous year and earlier. Found Volumes Online also offers some predefined searches (called “categories”) to give you ideas for browsing the periodicals.

  3. Because Found Volumes runs on your computer, it runs quicker and a bit more smoothly. For example, if there are hundreds or even thousands of articles that match your query, Found Volumes presents the articles in a single list which you can scroll through quickly. Found Volumes Online breaks the list into many pages that each take a few seconds to load.

  4. Found Volumes offers the ability to select individual articles of interest that you can then print or copy to the clipboard. The print facility in Found Volumes Online only allows you to print complete pages of search results.

  5. One copy of Found Volumes may be installed on all the computers owned by an individual, or an organization can install a single copy of Found Volumes on all the computers at a single location. Found Volumes Online is sold by concurrent user (each computer or user that needs simultaneous access must use a unique access code).


What if I have more than one computer or I have more than one user that needs Online access?


You can purchase as many Found Volumes Online access codes as you need. An individual may purchase additional access codes to share with family members or friends. A church may assign Online access codes to computers in its Reading Room(s) or assign them to individuals associated with the church for use off site.


What are the usage restrictions with Found Volumes Online?


The primary restriction is that a given access code may only be used on one computer at a time. If you have more than one computer or user that needs to access the Online service at the same time, you must purchase additional access codes. Violations of this policy will result in suspension of your account, so it is important for you to control how each access code is being used.


How do I access Found Volumes Online?


Just visit www.FoundVolumesOnline.com from any Internet-capable computer.


Can I try Found Volumes Online before signing up?


Yes. When you go to www.FoundVolumesOnline.com, just enter “demo” for both the username and password on the login screen. You will have full access to the service, however certain data will be hidden until you subscribe.


How can I find out more about Found Volumes Online?


Visit our Found Volumes Online frequently asked questions (FAQ) at www.FoundVolumesOnline.com.


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        Marietta, GA 30068

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