LinkFinderPlus :
Linking Citations & Abstracts
to Online Full Text:
What we know after Year 1
April 2005
Debbie Morrow, Systems Librarian, Jeff
Daniels, Periodicals Cataloging Manager, &
Bob Schoofs, Periodicals Librarian
1
The LFP concept
LinkFinderPlus = “OpenURL Link Resolver”
LFP is Endeavor Information Systems’
implementation of an OpenURL resolver.
Some other OpenURL resolvers:
• SFX from Ex Libris
• WebBridge from Innovative Interfaces
• Article Linker from Serials Solutions
April 2005
2
The LFP concept: Definitions
The goal of a link resolver is to link a citation
or abstract to online full text from any other
available licensed or public resource.
• Anthropological
Literature
• ComAbstracts
• Etc.
A&I databases
= “Sources”
April 2005
• ProQuest
LFP at
GVSU
• EBSCOhost
• ACS Publications
• Etc.
Link resolver
Full text resources
= “Sites” containing “Targets”
3
The LFP concept: Linking
• A link resolver accepts metadata from a source
and presents links based on logic and business
rules administered locally
• It knows the user’s context and what the user
has access to
Target
Source
April 2005
Metadata
Link
resolver
Link
Target
Target
4
The LFP concept: Standards
OpenURL standardizes
this part of the
communication
Target
Source
April 2005
Metadata
Link
resolver
Link
Target
Target
5
The LFP concept: OpenURL
• OpenURL is a standard way to send metadata to
a link resolver
• Administered by NISO
• Stakeholders
• Libraries
• Content providers
• Software developers
• OpenURL 1.0 was released as a Draft Standard in
Nov. 2003. NISO standard Z39.88 was approved
by voting members of NISO in 2004, and is
presently “being readied for publication.”
(additional information on the NISO website)
April 2005
6
The LFP concept: OpenURL
An example of an OpenURL metadata
string for a journal article:
http://encompass.gvsu.edu?&genre=art
icle&issn=10410406&volume=17&issue
=4&date=20021201&spage=8&sid=EBS
CO:aph&title=Earth+Island+Journal&ati
tle=War+is+not+healthy+etc&aulast=&
pid=<ui>7505463</ui></db>
April 2005
7
The LFP concept: OpenURL
elements
• http://encompass.gvsu.edu?
• &genre=article
• &issn=10410406
• &volume=17
• &issue=4
• &date=20021201
April 2005
8
The LFP concept: OpenURL
elements
• &spage=8
• &sid=EBSCO:aph
• &title=Earth+Island+Journal
• &atitle=War+is+not+healthy+etc
• &aulast=
• &pid=<ui>7505463</ui></db>
April 2005
9
The LFP concept: Chain of
Events
• In an OpenURL-compliant Source, e.g.
Historical Abstracts
• a user clicks on the “Full Text?” button.
• An OpenURL version of the citation is
sent to our link resolver, LinkFinderPlus,
• which matches the citation to our
licensed full text Targets
• and presents any valid links to
full text for the user.
April 2005
10
Implementing LFP
• Set up GVSU’s LFP server
• In LFP Admin, activate titles available
to us in Target databases
• Contact A&I database vendors and
enable OpenURL linking in Source
databases
• Customize the LFP user interface
April 2005
11
Implementing LFP: Enabling
Sources
Supply LFP base URL, link text, and link
icon:
• Base URL tells the Source where to
send the OpenURL-formatted citation
metadata:
http://encompass.gvsu.edu:8888/lfp/Link
FinderPlus/Display
• Link text (not used by all db’s):
Check for Full Text
• Link icon (not used by all db’s):
April 2005
12
LinkFinderPlus : Users’ view in the
databases
Eureka:
button only
FirstSearch:
button + text link
InfoTrac:
text link only
April 2005
13
LinkFinderPlus : Users’ view in the
databases
ProQuest:
LFP doesn’t appear on results list …
… and where it appears in the individual
record, we have no control over image
or text choice:
April 2005
14
LinkFinderPlus : Users’ view in the
databases
Gale:
LFP link appears whether or not full text is
available in the current database:
This is pretty common among our
databases; only a few present the LFP text
link or button only when there is no full
text in the current source.
Also, the links appear in the source
databases whether or not GVSU can supply
any full text targets in other sites.
April 2005
15
Implementing LFP: User
Interface
Customize the LFP user interface:
•Use XSL and HTML to customize the LFP
linking screen
• Configure and activate ‘Extended
Services’ in LFP Admin
April 2005
16
Customizations:
• applied new GVSU
Libraries consistent
“look & feel”
banner
• developed a
number of
“Extended Services”
links
LinkFinderPlus : On the front lines
America History &
Life (ABC-CLIO)
What we love to see:
LFP working perfectly!
April 2005
18
LinkFinderPlus : On the front lines
Reality check:
• LFP doesn’t always present links
• Links presented by LFP don’t always work
• You can work with this!
April 2005
19
LinkFinderPlus : On the front lines
It will help you to know…
• … OpenURLs and OpenURL resolvers are new
technology, and they don’t work 100%.
• … For a library our size, we are within the expected
range of having licenses to link to full text for 25-35%
of citations (we’re closer to 25%).
• … You can report problems; some are fixable if
they’re brought to someone’s attention.
• … You can expect improvements to the application
over time.
• … You can teach users all the things they can do
from the ‘Full Text Finder’ screen.
April 2005
20
LinkFinderPlus : On the front lines
ProQuest
LFP didn’t find it:
we only have it in
print.
April 2005
21
LinkFinderPlus : On the front lines
Communication
Abstracts (CSA)
Sometimes LFP doesn’t
succeed in finding a path
to online full text we
actually have, as
discovered by using the
Voyager ISSN link search.
April 2005
Some of these can be
fixed, if the failure is
reported; some can’t …
22
LinkFinderPlus : On the front lines
MLA (FirstSearch)
LFP didn’t find it: but
using the link to the
Serials Solutions ejournals list reveals that
we do have it online (and
a Voyager title search
matches on a current
print subscription, too)
E-Journals list
(Serials Solutions)
April 2005
23
LinkFinderPlus : On the front lines
Communication
Abstracts (CSA)
LFP found a link,
but there’ s no full
text there: LFP
can’t yet work with
the common 6-12
month publisher
embargos …
April 2005
ProQuest
24
LinkFinderPlus : On the front lines
… but the
Serials Solutions
E-journals list
has the embargo
information.
E-Journals list
(Serials Solutions)
April 2005
25
LinkFinderPlus : On the front lines
America History &
Life (ABC-CLIO)
What we hate to see:
database connection
errors and other
problems. Please
report these! …
April 2005
26
LinkFinderPlus : On the front lines
Reporting an LFP problem is easy:
• Use Snag-It to capture the LFP screen, including
the citation
• On the Snag-It screen, use Send Mail to open an
e-mail with your screen capture attached
• In the e-mail, indicate the database you were
starting from, the link you had a problem with, and
the nature of the problem, OR information you
have about a link that should be showing
• Address your e-mail to Jeff Daniels in Periodicals
• If you prefer, just make a screen print of the LFP
screen (use ctrl-p to print or use Snag-It), and
write the additional details on the printout for Jeff.
April 2005
27
LinkFinderPlus : On the front lines
LFP ‘Extended
Services’ links let
you:
• Look in Voyager
by ISSN or Title
• Enter a title
search in the
Serials Solutions list
of e-journals
• Check other
libraries
• Go to an ILL
request form
• Send a question
to the Library
April 2005
28
LinkFinderPlus : On the front lines
The ‘Edit Citation’
button can be used to
correct faulty
information, e.g. a typo
in a volume number or
ISSN
But use with ‘Edit
Citation’ with
caution, it’s not
often a successful
option.
April 2005
29
LinkFinderPlus : On the front lines
If we had a link in a
convenient spot, the
‘Add/Edit Citation’
Information screen could
also be used to enter
citation information
directly and look for full
text
“Search by article citation”
button here?
April 2005
30
LinkFinderPlus : On the front lines
When you have questions:
• Send e-mail to Jeff Daniels
• Check the ‘GVSU Library Staff FAQ’ on LinkFinderPlus:
in My Computer, go to L:\Policies\FAQs\FAQ_LFP.htm
April 2005
31
LinkFinderPlus :
in a nutshell, …
. . . Because each vendor is unique, and they
don’t all follow the new standard exactly the
same way, some links don’t work, and interfaces
don’t all have the same features.
BUT,
When it works, it works great! – it becomes a
seamless part of the databases, and simply gets
people to what they want: full text on their
screen.
April 2005
32
Acknowledgements
Significant portions of this presentation are adapted
from slides and remarks presented by Harry Samuels,
LinkFinderPlus Product Manager, Endeavor Information
Systems and NISO Committee AX member, at an MLC
“OpenURL Special Program” on 14 November 2003.
April 2005
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