# Presentation: 024546

## Getting Started With LinkOut

- [Instructor’s name]
- [Instructor’s institution]

## Objectives

- At the end of this class you will be able to:
- Explain what LinkOut is
- Register for a LinkOut account
- Set up library identity information
- Enter your library’s holdings
- Bring free web-based titles into your collection through LinkOut
- Display your library’s icon
- Keep up-to-date with LinkOut developments

## What is LinkOut?

_**a software application**_** **designed to provide users with links to web-accessible resources (e.g. full text publications, consumer health sites, etc.)
_**a feature**_** **of NCBI’s Entrez database search and retrieval system that handles external linking from PubMed and other Entrez databases.
_**a service**_** **that connects PubMed users who are patrons of the library with the e-journal and serial print collections.
_**an interface tool**_** **that enables patrons to distinguish journal articles available through their library or in free full text from those only available through other publishers or full-text provider links.

- Overview

## LinkOut is Not...

- Common misconceptions:
***NOT an application that connects patrons to the NLM “universe.”***
**	**_Rather_: LinkOut is a utility application that links users from PubMed (and other Entrez databases) to relevant third party resources.
***NOT a service that provides subscription access to electronic resources.***
**	**_Rather_:  LinkOut icons provide “quick-‘n-easy” access, in accordance with pre-existing licensing arrangements.

- Overview

## Why You Should LinkOut

- Link users from PubMed citations to full-text electronic articles in your collection.
- Link users to your library’s print holdings through SERHOLD
- Limit PubMed searches to local holdings.

- Overview

## How LinkOut Works

- Publisher provides URL of full-text article to NCBI
- Library registers for LinkOut
- Library enters holdings to link to journal titles in PubMed
- LinkOut displays library-specific icons in PubMed’s Abstract and Citation formats
- Library’s icon links to full-text article or print holdings record

- Overview

## LinkOut for Electronic Journals

- Uses existing links created by publishers and aggregators
- Follows your authentication rules
- Holdings information is entered with an easy to use On/Off interface:

- Overview

## LinkOut for Print Journals

- 	Print holdings are loaded from SERHOLD.
- 	Non-SERHOLD libraries can upload a text file.

- Overview

## LinkOut in Action

- _[http://](http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/entrez/query.fcgi?holding=umblib)__[www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/entrez/query.fcgi?holding](http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/entrez/query.fcgi?holding=umblib)__[=](http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/entrez/query.fcgi?holding=umblib)__[umblib](http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/entrez/query.fcgi?holding=umblib)_

## LinkOut in Action: Search Results

- Overview

## LinkOut in Action: Abstract View

- Overview

## LinkOut in Action: Publisher

- Overview

## LinkOut in Action: Full-Text

- Overview

## LinkOut in Action: Print holdings

- Overview

## 7 Steps to Set Up LinkOut

- Familiarize
- Organize
- Register
- Enter Holdings
- Provide Icon
- Activate
- Publicize

- Set Up

## Step 1: Familiarize

- Get to Know LinkOut

- Set Up

## Visit These Web Pages

- LinkOut and Library Holdings: _[http://](http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/entrez/linkout/doc/liblinkout.html)__[www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/entrez/linkout/doc/liblinkout.html](http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/entrez/linkout/doc/liblinkout.html)__[ ](http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/entrez/linkout/doc/liblinkout.html)_
- Frequently Asked Questions for LinkOut Libraries: _[http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/entrez/linkout/doc/liblofaq.shtml](http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/entrez/linkout/doc/liblofaq.shtml)_
- Tutorial: Setting Up LinkOut for Libraries: _[http://](http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/entrez/linkout/doc/linktutorial.html)__[www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/entrez/linkout/doc/linktutorial.html](http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/entrez/linkout/doc/linktutorial.html)_

- Set Up

## Visit These Web Pages

- Demo - Getting there from PubMed (_[http://](http://www.pubmed.gov/)__[www.PubMed.gov](http://www.pubmed.gov/)_)

## For More Information...

- NN/LM Library LinkOut Survival Guide
- _[http://nnlm.gov/libinfo/ejournals/linkout](http://nnlm.gov/libinfo/ejournals/linkout)_
- NCBI LinkOut Overview Page
- _[http://](http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/entrez/linkout/doc/linkout.html)__[www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/entrez/linkout/doc/linkout.html](http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/entrez/linkout/doc/linkout.html)_

- Set Up

## Step 2: Organize

- Everything in Its Place

- Set Up

## Things to Do Beforehand

- Discuss LinkOut program with library staff
- Assign LinkOut contact for LinkOut program maintenance (put this info in DOCLINE)
- Compile a list of vendor or publisher names with titles and years supplied
- Compare e-journal providers to the list of LinkOut providers to determine whether or not your providers participate in LinkOut.
- Contact providers to join or add holdings, if necessary

- Set Up

## More Things to Do

- For Print Holdings, know your DOCLINE LIBID or prepare a text file to upload.
- Resolve outstanding questions through your LinkOut representative:
- 1-800-338-7657
- or email lib-linkout@ncbi.nlm.nih.gov

- Set Up

## Step 3: Register

- Introduce Yourself

- Set Up

## Send Email to lib-reg@ncbi.nlm.nih.gov

- Send Email to lib-reg@ncbi.nlm.nih.gov

- Please use this format:
**Subject**: LinkOut Registration Request
**Library Name:****	**
**Contact Person:**
**Email address:****	**
**Phone Number:**
**Address:**

- Set Up

## LinkOut Writes Back

- Within a week, LinkOut will send you an email containing a username, password, and PrID for example:
- User Name: umalib
- Password: Br76D
- PrId: 1234
- User Name is used in two ways:
- Access to LinkOut files in Submission utility
- Identifies your library for PubMed to activate your icon in PubMed searches

- Set Up

## Things to Remember in Step 3

*Remember*: User names and passwords are case-sensitive
*Remember*: Your user name, which will be used to identify your library for LinkOut in general, is different from your DOCLINE LIBID which is needed to attach SERHOLD information to LinkOut

- Set Up

## Step 4: Enter Holdings

- Sign In, Complete Identity Information, Enter Holdings

- Set Up

## Edit Your Record

- 	With your user name and password, sign in to the Submission Utility and check:
- Library Name
- Library/Organization Public Web Site URL
- LinkOut Contact Person’s name and email at your library

- Set Up

## Using the Submission Utility

- Set Up

- Start with PubMed.gov.
- Click on LinkOut in the Sidebar.

## Using the Submission Utility (pt. 2)

- Set Up

- On the LinkOut web page, select the link for Library Submission.

## Using the Submission Utility (pt. 3)

- Set Up

- Select a menu item to sign in. You will be prompted for your user name and password.
- For this example, we’ll select “Update Library Identity”

## Using the Submission Utility (pt. 4)

- Set Up

- Remember: User names and passwords are CaSe sensitive!

## Using the Submission Utility: 	Edit Library Identity

- Set Up

- Library Identity provides information about your library.
- The contact person information is not publicly available.
- The Library Name, Display Name, and Public Web Site URL will be viewable by the public.
**Remember to click the Update button when you are finished**.

## 		Edit Holdings

- Once you have signed into the Submission Utility, you can navigate using the sidebar menu, or return to the Library Submission webpage.
- To add your library’s electronic holdings,  select “Edit Holdings”

- Set Up

## Finding a Journal Title:   	Three Methods 

- Three ways to find
- a title in LinkOut:
- Provider List
- Browse alphabetical list of journal names
- Search by journal name, MEDLINE abbreviation, or ISSN.

- 1

- 2

- 3

- Set Up

## Search by Provider

- Provider searching is, perhaps, the quickest and most convenient way to turn on links
- All titles (up to 50) for a given provider may be turned with two clicks.

- Set Up

## Adding By Provider

- Provider searching is an alphabetical list of all LinkOut Providers.

- Set Up

## Adding a Provider’s Titles

- Clicking on a provider’s name brings up a list of titles with check boxes for selection and drop down boxes for date manipulation.

- Set Up

- Don’t forget to click the Update button before leaving a page!

## Selecting Titles

- Click on the checkbox to add a journal title.
- Use drop-down menus to select years held.
- Use the delay drop down to account for embargoes.

- Set Up

- Don’t forget: Update!

## Adding by Name or Searching

- Adding by searching can be done by journal name or ISSN. If you are making changes to one title or have multiple providers for a title, this is probably the way to go!

- Set Up

## Tips For E-Journal Links

- If you subscribe to the entire run of an electronic title, there is no need to use the date drop-downs
- Changes made in the Submission Utility show up in PubMed within 48 hours.
- Holdings may be entered in multiple sessions
- If you don’t have a subscription, don’t add the journal! We’ll show you a special URL that will automatically apply your icon to all citations with free full-text links.

- Set Up

## Look Out for These Problems

- To access electronic full-text through LinkOut, you will have to have active subscriptions to the titles from a LinkOut provider, except for freely available full text.
- We recommend adding only those journals that validate IP addresses or are accessible through your proxy server, otherwise you will need to give out your passwords
- If you have more than one person adding holdings, assign them different letters or parts of the alphabet, so they don’t overwrite each other’s changes.

- Set Up

## Look Out for These Problems

- Sometimes the provider is not obvious
- Sometimes one journal has multiple providers

- Set Up

- If you’re not sure who your provider is, check the LinkOut display. Test provider links and see which one you can access!

- Provider links are here

## Print Holdings

- Set Up

- LinkOut-SERHOLD is available for US and Canadian libraries only
- Non-SERHOLD libraries can upload their print holdings to LinkOut in a text file. See “_[Uploading Print Holdings](http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/books/bv.fcgi?rid=helplinkout.section.lib.Managing_Your_Print_#lib.Uploading_Print_Hold)__” in LinkOut Help or the Advanced section of the on-line Tutorial for information._

## Print Holdings Display:           What You Need

- You will need to know the following:
- DOCLINE LIBID for your library
- Where your print collection is physically located, for example:
*Journal Stacks*
*Current Year (Unbound): First Floor, Main Branch Reading Room. Previous Years (Bound): Fourth Floor Open Stacks, Main Branch*.
- This can be up to 255 characters long
- URL for your library catalog (optional). If your URL is included, this link will display with your print holdings

- Set Up

## Print Holdings via SERHOLD: 		Getting There

- Print Holdings via SERHOLD: 		Getting There

- Click on LinkOut SERHOLD under Print Collection.

- Set Up

## Print Holdings Page

- From this page, you may register for or turn off Print Holdings Display or submit a call number file for classified journals

- Set Up

## Registration

- The first time you click on “Registration—add or edit library information,” you will be asked to enter the number of library ids you will be entering. If you have only one library registered in DOCLINE, enter “1”

- Set Up

## Registration (Pt. 2)

- For each LIBID enter the ID and physical location of the print collection
- Enter Library Catalog URL (optional)

- Set Up

## End of Part 4

- Registration is completed
- Changes, edits, title additions or deletions show up within 48 hours.
- If journals are classified by your library, see the Advanced portion of the online Tutorial for call number submission

- Set Up

## Step 5: Provide an Icon

- Set Up

- Provide an icon to identify your library holdings

## Create Icons For PubMed

- Create icon(s) to represent your library:
- Follow these design parameters:
- Recommended size: 100x25 pixels
- gif, jpg, or png formats only
- Should identify the library and the full text format.
- Should look like an actionable button, i.e. should have an outline and/or colored background.

- Set Up

## Store Your Icon Somewhere

- You have three choices for providing and
- storing an icon:
- Self-Hosting: store your icons in a web-accessible directory, outside any firewalls on your own server.
- Hosted by NCBI: If you cannot host your icon(s) on your own web server, NCBI will host it/them for you
- 				OR...

- Set Up

## Default Icons

- If you do not create icon(s), PubMed
- will generate default buttons:

- Set Up

## Using the Submission Utility: 	Provide an Icon

- If you are already signed in to the Submission Utility, select “Provide Icon” from the sidebar.
- Otherwise, select “Provide Icon” from the Submission Utility menu on the website.

- Set Up

## Providing an Icon: 3 Choices

- 1

- 2

- 3

- Supply the URL for an icon on your own server
- Upload an icon to NCBI
- Use the default icons

- Set Up

## Providing an Icon for Print

- The same three choices apply for the Print Collection Icon.

- Set Up

## Tips on Creating Icons

- Your marketing department or IT staff may be able to help you
- Your icon may be your institution’s logo or a statement such as “Full-text provided by My Medical Library” or “My Medical Library Print Collection”
- Icons should identify your institution

- Set Up

## Tips on Creating Icons (pt. 2)

- Create two icons: one for your print collection (SERHOLD), one for your electronic collection
- Use unambiguous terms on your icons; many people think that an icon with the word “Print” on it refers to an action.

- Set Up

## Step 6: Activate

- When you UPDATE input of holdings, the Submission Utility will record changes in NCBI’s LinkOut database.
- Your library icons will be available in PubMed the next business day after you update your files.
- Your library icon will display on the Abstract, AbstractPlus and Citation displays for those citations that were entered in the Submission Utility session.

- Set Up

## Two Ways to Activate Icons

- A link on your library website
- Through My NCBI

- Set Up

## Activating LinkOut from 	Library Website

- Default link to PubMed
- Uses a special URL: _[http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/entrez/query.fcgi?holding=](http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/entrez/query.fcgi?holding=medlib)__[medlib](http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/entrez/query.fcgi?holding=medlib)_
- where *medlib* is the LinkOut user name assigned to your library

- Set Up

## Activating LinkOut through My NCBI

- User signs in to My NCBI and selects LinkOut provider(s) as Filters.
- Provider’s icons will display in search result and provider’s holdings will display as a Filter tab.
- Works only if user is signed into My NCBI.

- Set Up

## A Quick Course on My NCBI (demo)

- _[http://](http://www.pubmed.gov/)__[www.pubmed.gov](http://www.pubmed.gov/)_

## A Quick Course on My NCBI

- Select **My NCBI** from the PubMed® screen.
- Sign in to My NCBI, or register for My NCBI, then sign in.
- You can sign in using your Cubby username and password

- Set Up

## A Quick Course on My NCBI (pt. 2)

- Select **Filters** from the My NCBI menu.
- Select **PubMed** from the database list.

- Set Up

## A Quick Course on My NCBI (pt. 3)

- This will bring you to Filters Quick Pick list
- Click the “Search” tab.
- Enter your institution’s name in the search box. Click “Go”.
- Select your library from the list of Matching Filters.

- Set Up

## A Quick Course on My NCBI (pt. 4)

- A Quick Course on My NCBI (pt. 4)

- Make sure both checkboxes under Selections are checked.
- Library icons will display on holdings.
- Holdings will be grouped as a Filter tab in the search result.

## A Quick Course on My NCBI (pt. 5)

- View Filter selections under “My Selections”
- My NCBI filters will only work when user is signed into My NCBI.
- From the Quick Pick list, you can click “Browse” to select from a list of libraries that participate in LinkOut.
- Options set using special URLs will be applied while user is in My NCBI.

- Set Up

## Step 7: Publicize

- Let your patrons know about LinkOut – Handouts, bookmarks, classes, etc.
- Provide a _[link](http://www.welch.jhu.edu/)__ to your special URL on your library website._
- Bookmark your special URL on your library computers
- Share your LinkOut Statistics, which are automatically collected by the system, with your administrators

- Set Up

## Seven Steps Review

- Familiarize – read about the program
- Organize – review e-journal subscriptions
- Register – sign up with NLM
- Enter Holdings – input library holdings
- Provide an icon – create and store library icon
- Activate – display your journal holdings
- Publicize – let patrons know collection

- Set Up

## Keeping Up to Date

- Subscribe to the Library LinkOut Announcement Mailing list.
- Announcements include new LinkOut developments and new titles added to LinkOut
- Send an email message with “subscribe” in the Subject to: _[library-linkout-request@ncbi.nlm.nih.gov](mailto:library-linkout-request@ncbi.nlm.nih.gov)_
- Or on the web at _[http://](http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/mailman/listinfo/library-linkout)__[www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/mailman/listinfo/library](http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/mailman/listinfo/library-linkout)__[-linkout](http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/mailman/listinfo/library-linkout)_

- Using

## Hands-On Practice

- Go to the list of LinkOut Libraries and see how libraries are listed and what their Web sites look like.  Make note of the library user name for some of the libraries.
- Go to PubMed using the URL to activate holdings for these libraries and look at their icons.

- Practice

## Hands-On Practice (pt. 2)

- Using your user name and password (if you have one) or a class user name and password, sign in to the Submission utility and enter:
- Library Name
- Library/Organization Public Web Site URL
- LinkOut Contact Person’s name and email at your library
- Input a URL to provide the icon located at http://nnlm.gov/psr/images/lo_psr.jpg

- Practice

## Hands-On Practice  (pt. 3)

- Enter some e-journal holdings for your library or some example holdings using a class user name, searching by provider and journal title.
- Sign in to My NCBI and activate LinkOut icons for a library. Select free full-text as a filter.

- Practice

## More LinkOut Tips

- Using

- Usage Statistics
- Access library holdings
- Searching for Full-Text

- Linking to Free Full-Text
- Localize PubMed
- LinkOut beyond journals

## Usage Statistics

- Using

-  The Statistics function on the Submission Utility sidebar shows libraries' LinkOut usage statistics.

## Usage Statistics (pt. 2)

- LinkOut Total: total full-text and print accesses.
- LinkOut Full-Text: number of times users click on your library’s online full-text icon or the electronic full text link under your library name in the LinkOut display

- Using

## Usage Statistics (pt. 3)

- LinkOut Print: number of times users click on your library's print collection icon or the Print Collection link under your library name in the LinkOut display.
- Outside Tool: Number of times users click on your library’s Outside Tool icon.
- holding=[library username] : number of times users access PubMed using the PubMed URL with your username
- Otool=[otool username]:Number of times users click on the special URL with your Outside Tool username.

- Using

## Access Your Library Holdings

- Two ways – in search box (one search) or in My NCBI (every search)
- In the search box: loprov*medlib*[filter]
- 	where *medlib* is your library’s LinkOut user name.
- Add loprov*medlib*[filter] to any search:
*	**hypersensitivity [mh] AND asthma [mh] AND loprov*medlib* [filter]*

- Using

## Access Your Library Holdings (pt. 2)

- Access Your Library Holdings (pt. 2)

- Using

## Searching for Full-Text (pt. 1)

- Searching for Full-Text (pt. 1)

- Two ways – in search box (one search) or in My NCBI (every search)
- In search box:
- full text [filter]
- free full text [filter]
- Use this filter with any PubMed search:*hypersensitivity[mh] AND asthma[mh] AND free full text [filter]*

## In My NCBI: If full-text is selected as a filter, full-text citations will be grouped as a Filter tab for every search. 

- Using

- Searching for Full-Text (pt. 2)

## Linking to Free Full-Text

- Automatically apply library icon to citations with free full-text links.
- Use special URL: _[http://](http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/entrez/query.fcgi?holding=medlib_fft)__[www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/entrez/query.fcgi?holding](http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/entrez/query.fcgi?holding=medlib_fft)__[=](http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/entrez/query.fcgi?holding=medlib_fft)__[medlib_](http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/entrez/query.fcgi?holding=medlib_fft)__[fft](http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/entrez/query.fcgi?holding=medlib_fft)_
- where *medlib* is your library’s username
- Free full-text journals will not be added to your library holdings.

- Using

## Special URLS

- Special URLs can be localized to meet user needs. For information see:
- 	_[http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/books/bv.fcgi?rid=helplinkout.section.lib.Localizing_PubMed_fo](http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/books/bv.fcgi?rid=helplinkout.section.lib.Localizing_PubMed_fo)_

- Using

## Other LinkOut Resources

- Beyond Journals

- _[http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/books/bv.fcgi?rid=helplinkout.section.Public.Examples_of_LinkOut_](http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/books/bv.fcgi?rid=helplinkout.section.Public.Examples_of_LinkOut_)_

## LinkOut to MedlinePlus

- Beyond Journals

## LinkOut to MedlinePlus (pt. 2)

- Beyond Journals

## LinkOut to Guidelines

- Beyond Journals

## LinkOut to Guidelines (pt. 2)

- Beyond Journals

## Non-Bibliographic Providers

- Beyond Journals

## Other Non-Bibliographic Providers:  A Selection

- ClinicalTrials.gov *(PubMed)*
- Cystic Fibrosis Mutation Database *(OMIM)*
- FDA Bad Bugs Book *(Taxonomy)*
- Institute for Transcriptional Informatics *(PubMed, Nucleotide, Protein)*
- National Center for Infectious Disease 	*(Taxonomy)*
- Protein Reviews on the Web *(PubMed,  **	**Nucleotide, Protein, OMIM)*
- ToxNet *(PubMed)*

- Beyond Journals

## Hands-On Practice (pt. 2)

- Use the loprov filter to limit a PubMed search to the holdings of the library used in Exercise 2.
- Apply the library’s icon to free full-text citations.
- Use the Free Full Text filter to limit a search to free full text.

- Practice

## Hands-On Practice (pt. 5)

- Go to the list of nonbibliographic providers, choose some for PubMed, click on link, see results.
- Do a PubMed search, view LinkOut display, identify the contents.

- Practice