1. SSP 25th Annual Meeting: "Navigating Change"
Linking Seminar
Jenny Walker
Ex Libris (USA) Inc.
jenny@exlibris-usa.com

2. OpenURL and Link Servers: a
brief history
• 1997/98 - SFX linking research work at Ghent
University begins, Ex Libris/SilverPlatter as Partners
• February 2000 – Ex Libris acquires SFX (link
server) technology from Ghent
• November 2000 – SFX-URL submitted to NISO for
standardization – now called the OpenURL
• May 2000 – First SFX sites in live production
• April 2003 – OpenURL v1.0 to trial use
• May 2003 – 10+ commercial link server solutions;
other local solutions

3. Solving the “problem”
Problem:
• Information environments are distributed
• Information providers – not libraries – control the links.
The “appropriate copy” problem.
Solution:
The OpenURL Framework:
• Introduction of a new component in the link process-
an institutional Link Server (such as SFX)
• OpenURL Specs – specs for interoperability between
Information Resources and Link Servers
Van de Sompel, Herbert and Oren Beit-Arie. July, 2001.
"Open Linking in the Scholarly Information Environment Using
the OpenURL Framework." D-Lib Magazine. 7(3).

4. History of Linking II
Source
User OpenURL
Specific reference
Linking
Server Contextreferenced
Sensitive
Link to
work
A p p r o p Tr a r g e t T a r g e t s
i a t s

5. What is the context in “context-
sensitive” ?
Two components come into play:
1. OpenURL –
A links-request that transports information to the Link
Server
2. Link Server KnowledgeBase –
Defining the library’s “collection” in order to determine
appropriateness of services

6. Linking e-collections
OPAC
Link
e-print
Server
Portal
A&I Full Text
Digital Web Form
collections
Referenc
e
Manager

7. A&I (Ovid) as link source
Link Source Link Menu Link Target

8. OPAC Record as link source
Targets limited only by imagination …

9. Link Sources
• A&I databases
• OPACs
• E-journals
• E-print archives (OAi)
• Electronic Theses and Dissertations (ETD)
• Local digital repositories
All sources must provide an OpenURL

10. Link Targets
• E-journals • Encyclopedias
• OPACs • Patent Databases
• ILL/DocDel
• Search Engines
• Citation Databases
• Internet bookstores
• A & I Databases
• ….. Libraries choose!
• Directories
All targets must have a defined link-to or search
syntax

11. Creating links to targets
• No standards exist for linking to targets
(inbound linking)
• Option 1 (the old way): Use a database of
predetermined links
• Option 2 (the OpenURL linking way):
– Use a “Knowledgebase” with templates or sets of
rules to construct a link – should reflect the
library’s holdings
– Data elements from source record used in the link

12. Step 2: Link Server (at sfx.mycollege.edu)
extracts metadata from the OpenURL
Step 1: OpenURL generated by LinkRanga and sent to Link Server
Author: Narayanan, Source
Title: Insider Trading and the Voluntary
http://sfx.mycollege.edu?genre=article&atitle=Insider%20Trading
Disclosure of Information by Firms
%20and%20the%20Voluntary%20Disclosure%20of%20Information
Journal: Journal of Banking and Finance
%20by%20Firms&title=Journal%20of%20Banking%20and
ISSN: 0378-4266
%20Finance&issn=0378-4266&date=2000-
Date: 2000-03
03&volume=24&issue=3&spage=395&aulast=Narayan&aufirst=Ranga
Volume:3: Link Server matches data
Step 24
Issue: 3 against KnowledgeBase and
elements
Page: 395
determines Link Services for user

13. Author: Narayanan, Ranga
Title: Insider Trading and the Voluntary
Disclosure of Information by Firms
Journal: Journal of Banking and Finance
ISSN: 0378-4266
Date: 2000-03
Volume: 24
Issue: 3
Page: 395
“Check library catalog” (Innovative interfaces)
Interfaces)
http://library.mycollege.edu/search/I/?SEARCH=0378-4266
http://library.mycollege.edu/search/I/?SEARCH={ISSN}

14. Author: Narayanan, Ranga
Title: Insider Trading and the Voluntary
Disclosure of Information by Firms
Journal: Journal of Banking and Finance
ISSN: 0378-4266
Date: 2000-03
Volume: 24
Issue: 3
Page: 395
“Request ILL through ILLIAD”
http://server:port/OpenURL/OpenURL?genre=article
&ISSN=0378-4266&title=Journal of
&ISSN={ISSN}&title={JOURNAL} Banking and Finance
&aulast=Narayanan&atitle=Insider Trading…
&aulast={AUTHOR}&atitle={TITLE}
&volume=24&issue=3&startPage=395
&volume={VOLUME}&issue={ISSUE}&startPage={PAGE}
&serviceID=EBSCO:Econlit

15. Author: Narayanan, Ranga
Title: Insider Trading and the Voluntary
Disclosure of Information by Firms
Journal: Journal of Banking and Finance
ISSN: 0378-4266
Date: 2000-03
Volume: 24
Issue: 3
Page: 395
“Search Google for author”
http://www.google.com/search?q=Narayanan,
http://www.google.com/search?q={AUTHOR}
Ranga&btnG=Google+Search
&btnG=Google+Search

16. Benefits of OpenURL linking
For the librarian:
 Central administration of links (and e-journal data)
 Local control over what types of links are offered
and to where they resolve
 Optimizes use of licensed resources
For the user:
 Desktop delivery of full text when available
electronically
 Expands the research horizons
 Consistency and accuracy of links

17. Benefits of OpenURL linking
For the information vendor:
 OpenURL standard for outbound linking – easy to
implement. No need for bilateral publisher
agreements.
 Meets need of libraries and end users
 More inbound links!

18. SFX: the original link server
 Now widely deployed in libraries around the world
 Accepts OpenURL as input
 Uses SFX KnowledgeBase to determine
appropriate links to targets:
− Comprehensive KnowledgeBase delivered with the SFX
server
− Contains a set of rules for linking including rules for fine-
tuning
− Library “localizes” to match local subscriptions and
conditions using web-based SFX tools
− Regularly updated by Ex Libris

19. SFX: not just about linking…..
“We love the citation linker!
I know that this will be a controversial
 Central repository for suspect that the
statement, but I ejournal
subscriptions: Linker will replace the OPAC
Citation
• A-Z the primary search point for
as journal title list
journals.” Michelle Wilde, Colorado State
• Citation Linker
University
 MARC enhancement of SFX
ejournal records for loading
into OPAC
 Resource for unmediated document
delivery requests

20. SFX Statistical
Reports
For example:
• How many times did users click the SFX
button within a specific resource?
• How many times was the article’s full text
available via the SFX menu?
• If the article’s full text is available, how many
times did users select other options from the
SFX menu?

21. SFX Menu and config under library
control
Di
rec
tL
ink
to
Ta
rge
t

22. SFX Implementation
 Local or Ex Libris hosting
 Out of the box … Turn on / load local
subscriptions
 Out of the box … Set up local OPAC, ILL,
proxy
 Customization options: Menu, button,
“extended services”
 Customization options: local Targets

23. CrossRef/DOI Resolution
OpenURL and the CrossRef/DOI
frameworks are compatible and complementary
(requires CrossRef Library Affiliate membership)
DOI Metadata
URL
http://www.crossref.org/library.htm

24. CrossRef/DOI and OpenURL linking
Two distinct modes of integration:
1. CrossRef/DOI localization
- addressing the “appropriate copy”
problem
2. Article-level linking for certain CrossRef
publishers eg Elsevier, IEEE, APA

25. CrossRef/DOI Linking
Local
OPAC Aggregator

26. OpenURL Linking Complements CrossRef
I
DOI
link
DOI
Server
References
OpenURL
http://dx.doi.org/
doi=10.1034/j.1399-0039.2000.560502.x Aware
http://www.sfx.edu/? OpenURL
doi=10.1034/j.1399-0039.2000.560502.x
Metadata
DOI Server

27. Publishers who require/prefer use of
DOI for article-level linking
• Elsevier Science
• Wiley
• IEEE
• APA
• Others…..

28. OpenURL linking Complements CrossRef
II
DOI
link
Metadata
DOI Server

29. OpenURL and Link
Resolvers
• A step toward realizing promise of linking all
library’s resources
• Low barrier for information resources to be
compliant
• Library in control

30. New demands on link
• servers
Server-to-server communication
• Use of user attributes for determination of
more granular link services
• More varied sources and targets – beyond
linking scholarly textual information
• Distributed KnowledgeBase (just-in-time
models) needed to determine the actual
collections for any particular user, regardless
of administration/licensing organizations.

31. Information Landscape
User’s Perspective
Resources of UCDavis CDL DoE

32. Distributed Services
SFX Link Server SFX Link Server
SFX Menu:
merged
services

33. Recommended Reading
 Caplan, Priscilla. 2001. “A Lesson in Linking”. Library Journal
NetConnect supplement. Fall 2001.
http://libraryjournal.reviewsnews.com/index.asp?layout=article&
articleid=CA177643
 Van de Sompel, Herbert and Oren Beit-Arie. 2001. "Open Linking in
the Scholarly Information Environment Using the OpenURL Framework”
D-Lib Magazine. 7(3).
http://www.dlib.org/dlib/march01/vandesompel/03vandesompel.html
 Beit-Arie, Oren et al. 2001. “Linking to the Appropriate Copy” D-Lib
Magazine. 9(3). http://www.dlib.org/dlib/sept01/caplan/09caplan.html
http://www.sfxit.com/publications

34. www.exlibrisgroup.com
www.sfxit.com
jenny@exlibris-usa.com