# Presentation: 666292

## OpenURL: Linking LC’s E-Resources

- Ardie Bausenbach
- Automated Planning and Liaison Office
- Library of Congress
- November 24, 2003

## The Linking Problem

- LC acquires e-resources from many sources – aggregator services, memberships, free services
- Some services link LC users directly from citations to full-text.  Others offer predefined links to selective resources.
- Many services only offer tables of contents or citations.  To find full text, users must search LC’s OPAC or A-Z lists to determine whether LC has access to the e-journal title with appropriate coverage dates.

## Linking environment is inconsistent between resources and hard to manage.

**lists**

**Free**
**websites**

**Subject**
**gateways**

**A&I**
**services**

**Full text**
**DBs**

**Linking environment is inconsistent between resources and hard to manage.**

**TOC &**
**abstracts**

**Predefined links are  managed individually for each service, and bilaterally between services**

**LC receives two A-Z lists:  from TDNet and from Serials Solutions**

**Predefined links do not allow consistent linking across services for different user groups, such as public and staff**

**Publisher**
**sites**

**LC**
**OPAC**

## An OpenURL resolver offers consistent links to services LC selects for specific user groups

**abstracts**

**LC’s A-Z**
**Lists**

**Free**
**websites**

**Subject**
**gateways**

**LC**
**OPAC**

**A&I**
**services**

**Publisher**
**sites**

**Full text**
**DBs**

**An OpenURL resolver offers consistent links to services LC selects for specific user groups**

** ****OpenURL **
**Resolver**

## A&I Service (HLAS) as Link Source

##     OpenURL: How Does It Work?

**http://sfx.princeton.edu:9003/**sfx_pul?sid=LC:
- HLAS&genre=article&issn=0003-1615&title=Americas%3a
- +A+Quarterly+Review+of+Inter-American+Cultural+
- History&volume=58&issue=2&pages=261-283&date=
- 2001&aulast=Kapelusz-Poppi&atitle=Rural+health+and+
- state+construction+in+post-revolutionary+Mexico%3a

**Author:**  Kapelusz-Poppi, Anna María**Title:**      Rural health and state construction              in post-revolutionary Mexico**Journal:** The Americas**ISSN:**     0003-1615**Date:      **2001**Volume:** 58**Issue:**    2**Page:     **261

## What is an OpenURL?

- Transports metadata and/or unique identifiers for a requested resource, along with context information about the requestor, using a standard syntax.  OpenURL (currently version 0.1) is in the process of becoming a NISO standard:  OpenURL 1.0.
- Predetermines what metadata elements will be sent to the OpenURL resolver
- Relies at this time on the HTTP protocol for transmission.  OpenURLs are “actionable URLs.”

## An OpenURL contains:

The address of the OpenURL resolver to which the OpenURL is going to be sent

Sufficient information about the requested resource to allow the OpenURL resolver to match the metadata in the OpenURL to web services selected by the Library

- The **address of the OpenURL resolver** to which the OpenURL is going to be sent
- Sufficient **information about the requested resource** to allow the OpenURL resolver to match the metadata in the OpenURL to web services selected by the Library

**What is an OpenURL?**

## OpenURL 0.1

- Article metadata is tagged using a predetermined element set.

**genre**=article&**title**=Americas%3a+A+Quarterly+Review+of+Inter-American+Cultural+History&**issn=**0003-1615&**date=**2001&**volume=**58&**issue=**2&
**pages=**261-283&**aulast=**Kapelusz-Poppi&**atitle**=Rural+health+and+state+construction+
- in+post-revolutionary+Mexico%3a&**sid=***LC:HLAS*

## OpenURL 0.1

**genre**=article&**title**=Americas%3a+A+Quarterly+Review+of+Inter-American+Cultural+History&**issn=**0003-1615&**date=**2001&**volume=**58&**issue=**2&
**pages=**261-283&**aulast=**Kapelusz-Poppi&**atitle**=Rural+health+and+state+construction+
- in+post-revolutionary+Mexico%3a&**sid=***LC:HLAS*

- OpenURL
- Resolver

## What is an OpenURL Resolver?

**An OpenURL resolver is a server with software that:**
- Processes OpenURLs coming from diverse OpenURL-aware sources
- Constructs outgoing requests for web services to diverse target content providers
- Builds services menus for LC user groups with “just-in-time” links to full text and other web services selected by LC

## To successfully process incoming OpenURLs
and generate outgoing requests to target
service providers, a resolver must have: 

A robust knowledge database with metadata for sources, target content providers, the journal titles contained within targets, and web services

Parsers and configuration files for:
matching incoming OpenURLs to knowledge database metadata
generating web service requests to target content providers at the appropriate level of granularity (article, journal issue, journal title, or service)

**and generate outgoing requests to target**
**service providers, a resolver must have:**
- A robust knowledge database with metadata for sources, target content providers, the journal titles contained within targets, and web services
- Parsers and configuration files for:
- matching incoming OpenURLs to knowledge database metadata
- generating web service requests to target content providers at the appropriate level of granularity (article, journal issue, journal title, or service)

**What is an OpenURL Resolver?**

## Link Sources

- A&I databases
- TOC and Abstract databases
- Full text databases
- Electronic theses and dissertations
- E-journal article references in bibliographies and footnotes
- Web pathfinder links containing OpenURLs
- OPACs

- Every source must provide an **OpenURL **
- that can be sent to LC’s resolver**       **

## Target Content Providers

-  **Full Text**
- E-journals
- OPAC searches for LC print holdings
- ILL/Document delivery

-  **Extended Services**
- Citation databases
- Web search engines
- Internet bookstores
- OpenURL citation generators
- Ask a Librarian
-          ..... **LC chooses****!**

- No standard exists. All targets must have a defined **link-to or search syntax** **configured in the **
**OpenURL resolver’s knowledge database**

## LC’s OpenURL Resolver

**Configuration will include:**
- Deciding what OpenURL-aware sources and targets will be in the knowledge database
- Deciding what web services will be needed
- Building the technical infrastructure
**Maintenance will include:**
- Updating the knowledge database metadata (vendor/LC) at least monthly, protecting LC’s local changes
- Reviewing workflow to add/update LC’s journal holdings in knowledge database
- Adding/updating web services offered to users

## The New NISO Standard:    OpenURL 1.0

**OpenURL 0.1**
- Metadata values must be included in the OpenURL
- One fixed set of metadata tags and genres
- Limited contextual  information about source
- HTTP transport

**OpenURL 1.0**
- Metadata values can be included in the OpenURL or can be pointed to
- Metadata tag sets and genres can be added
- More complete contextual information about source and desired types of service
- Transport not limited to HTTP

## Challenges for OpenURLs

- Adoption of the NISO 1.0 standard in 2004
- Improving data quality for incoming OpenURLs
- Cooperatively maintaining robust knowledge databases with accurate identifiers (ISSN/ISBN) and links to web services
- Cooperatively maintaining robust parsers and configuration files
- Authentication of user groups
- Exploration of OpenURL use with non-textual genres of e-resources
- Promotion of OpenURLs within scholarly information communities and beyond

## For More Information aboutOpenURLs

**OpenURL Tutorial**
- 		_[http://www.ariadne.ac.uk/issue28/resolver](http://www.ariadne.ac.uk/issue28/resolver)_
**NISO Committee AX for OpenURL 1.0**
- 		_[http://library.caltech.edu/openurl/](http://library.caltech.edu/openurl/)_
**LC’s OpenURL requirements **(coming soon)
- 		_[http://lcweb.loc.gov/catdir/lcpaig](http://lcweb.loc.gov/catdir/lcpaig)_
- Slide graphics adapted from: OpenURL and OpenURL Framework, Oliver Pesch, _[http://www.niso.org/standards/resources/PeschOpenURL.ppt](http://www.niso.org/standards/resources/PeschOpenURL.ppt)_