SFX is a link resolver and knowledge base that links journal and book holdings to full text. It generates an A-Z list of e-journals and allows linking out from databases. Behind the scenes, SFX links sources like the catalog and databases to targets like journal providers. It uses terminology like object, target service, and parse parameter to direct links to full text. Library staff can search, add, and edit journal holdings and access in SFX.

1. Everything You Always Wanted To
Know About SFX …
LRC Helpdesk Training
June 2012

2. What is ‘SFX’
• Link resolver and knowledge base for e-
journals and e-books, from ExLibris
• Links into iCat through regular harvesting of
basic metadata
• Generates A-Z list of e-journals and SFX menu
• Allows linking out from databases to full-text
• Doesn’t stand for anything now but was
originally ‘special effects’ and originated at
Ghent University in the late 1990s

3. What does this mean in practice?
• One-stop list of e-journals (and eventually, e-
books) from every provider, in one place
• As this is the oldest link resolver on the
market, it is very technical compared to
competitors such as SerialsSolutions
• Allows a range of linking (to full text, abstract,
TOC) if we wished to set this up
• From databases and iCat full-text articles can
be accessed within two clicks

4. Behind the scenes …

5. Where most of the work happens

6. First, what about that terminology?!
• Source = where the search process begins
• Target = database or provider
• Object = journal or book
• Object portfolio = journal or book within a
target
• Linking parameters = authentication
• Institutes = different sites (not used)

7. Sources include …
• iCat
• Databases with the ‘Find it!’ button
• COPAC
• Google Scholar
• SFX Citation List and A-Z list of e-journals
• Zetoc

8. Targets include …
• All the usual databases – but at the moment
with standard system generated names so
‘Science Direct’ is ‘NESLI2 Elsevier Science
Direct Freedom Collection’
• Some miscellaneous groups such as ‘Free e-
journals’ which are lists from different
providers, brought together
• Services such as Amazon (for book reviews)

9. Target list – a tick means ‘active’

10. Understanding what the buttons mean

11. Investigating an active target

12. Investigating an active target service -
1

13. Investigating an active target service -
2

14. Investigating active object portfolios

15. Behind the scenes of object portfolios

16. Terminology again!
• Target Service Parser – system generated,
otherwise we use BULK:BULK and link to
journal homepage URL only
• Parser – only used if a target service one does
not exist
• Parse Param – identifying code for the journal,
usually taken from the URL
• Threshold – dates the journal is available to us

17. An example …
• We would like to activate the journal “Test for
SFX” in the database “ADISONLINE”
• First, we need to search the knowledge base
to see if this journal (object) already exists –
we can search by title and/or ISSN

18. Searching for an object

19. If no results, we need to add the
object

20. Adding an object

21. Title added with system generated
identifier (no ISSN)

22. Now to create a portfolio (linking the
object to a target)

23. Find your target …

24. Add link through to the journal (parse
param)

25. Adding thresholds (dates)

26. Finished! Now to check that it works

27. Generated SFX menu

28. Harvesting into A-Z list/iCat
• Usually takes 24 hours after setting up a new
object portfolio, or making any changes, for it
to appear in the A-Z list or iCat
• Titles can be searched in various ways and we
have tried to add all previous titles where they
are available to us
• E-books are available in iCat only, by title and
author

29. The e-journals A-Z – labels are
customizable if we wish

30. E-journals A-Z, title search

31. E-journals A-Z, the information button

32. E-journals A-Z, category browse

33. E-journals A-Z, locate search (publisher
or provider)