A LINK RESOLVER SERVICE AND ITS ROLE IN RESOURCE DISCOVERY: THE WHAT, HOWS AND WHYSSiobhán Burke

“…a time saving tool for resource discovery”

WHY DO WE NEED A LINK RESOLVER?

The stone age?

http://www.flickr.com/photos/thaqela/6774236608/

WHAT IS A LINK RESOLVER?

R.H.C Davis. A History of Medieval Europe. 2nd ed. Published Harlow : Longman 1988.

Carry out a search

Look up reference in library catalogue and/or website

Determine if the library subscribes

Search for the article

Full text

article

Carry out a search

Link Resolver

Full text

article

WHAT IS A LINK RESOLVER?

ANSI/NISO Z39.88 THE OPEN-URL FRAMEWORK FOR CONTEXT-SENSITIVE SERVICES:

The OpenURL Framework Standard defines an architecture for creating OpenURL Framework Applications. An OpenURL Framework Application is a networked service environment, in which packages of information are transported over a network. These packages have a description of a referenced resource at their core, and they are transported with the intent of obtaining context-sensitive services pertaining to the referenced resource. To enable the recipients of these packages to deliver such context-sensitive services, each package describes the referenced resource itself, the network context in which the resource is referenced, and the context in which the service request takes place.

http://www.niso.org/

WIKIPEDIA SAYS:

OpenURL is a standardized format of Uniform Resource Locator (URL) intended to enable Internet users to more easily find a copy of a resource that they are allowed to access. Although OpenURL can be used with any kind of resource on the Internet, it is most heavily used by libraries to help connect patrons to subscription content.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/OpenURL

WIKIPEDIA SAYS:

A knowledge base or knowledgebase (also KB or kb) is a special kind of database for knowledge management. A knowledge base is an information repository that provides a means for information to be collected, organized, shared, searched and utilized. It can be either machine-readable or intended for human use.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Knowledge_base

WHO’S INVOLVED?

libraries

Content provider

s

Link resolver suppliers

(NOT EXHAUSTIVE!)

Link resolver suppliers

HOW DOES IT WORK IN PRACTICE?

DEMO

COMMONLY REPORTED ISSUES

Errors in linking Arrive at an error pageArrive at an incorrect pageNot arriving at article level

Access issuesContent not available for a particular

volume/issue/yearContent not available at all!

Missing resource – why isn’t a title/package appearing in FindIt (the link resolver)?

CURRENT/FUTURE CONCERNS/ISSUES

Open Access ebooks PDA Archives and other special materials Preservation – CLOCKSS, LOCKSS,

Portico

CURRENT/FUTURE SOLUTIONS?

KBART (Knowledge Base And Related Tools) http://www.uksg.org/kbart

Unified Resources Management (URM) systems

ANY QUESTIONS?

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Image author: cristinacosta