The timeout interval for UICCAT and the other catalogs within I-Share currently is set at five minutes. A failure to submit a request within that time will close your session.

Five minutes is the longest interval that the software developer, Endeavor Information Systems, recommends. A "live" UICCAT or other I-Share session (even one that is no longer active from your point of view because you have pointed your browser elsewhere or have walked away from your workstation) consumes system resources. An idle session in one place is unavailable to a user in another place.

Another consideration is that UICCAT and I-Share share only one timeout interval, which applies to both "anonymous" sessions and to logged-on sessions (the times when you choose to work through the MyAccount page). Even if we had infinite system resources, we would choose to keep the timeout interval relatively short in order to protect users who log on using an ID number but then walk away from a public workstation without exiting the logged-on session.

ILCSO staff, who manage UICCAT and I-Share software, continue to work with Endeavor to improve all aspects of the system's performance. We have endorsed an enhancement request to Endeavor that says, "If a timed process is about to expire, give the user notification and a chance to extend the timeout."

Special Note to AOL Users

Many users have reported problems with immediate timeouts when they use AOL to search UICCAT/I-Share, especially when using Netscape versions 4.6 and 4.7. This is a problem that cannot be fixed at the local level, but will require coordinated efforts from ILCSO and Endeavor Information Systems.

http://www.uic.edu/depts/lib/systems/resources/bluestem.shtml#cache

for instructions on troubleshooting that might overcome the AOL "timeout" problem.