Abstract:
Anna Creech, Todd King and Linda Sizemore gave a presentation at the Fall 2003 KLA/KSMA Conference on Eastern Kentucky University's implementation of the OpenURL link resolver product, SFX. This article is a summary of that presentation.
There are probably a few people reading this who are scratching their heads and wondering what an OpenURL link resolver is, or what an OpenURL is, for that matter. To begin with, one needs to understand the concept of content-sensitive reference-linking. This is the technology of linking to web resources such as electronic journal articles from online citation sources such as indexing and abstracting databases. In essence, this is an automation of a process we librarians would direct our users to do, anyway. This technology takes the citation from the abstract and indexing (A&I) database, searches a listing of all sources of content available to the user to find where that content is located, and then presents that information to the user in the form of an OpenURL.
OpenURL is the standard of data transport from a resource to a server that supports content-sensitive reference-linking. OpenURL is the vehicle for sending information from the A&I database to the SFX-type server and then back out to the user; the user then can choose to send that information on to the full-text provider, which uses the information to call up the full-text content. SFX is an ExLibris product and is one of several server software programs that make content-sensitive linking possible through seamless linking between digital resources. Other products currently on the market include Endeavor's LinkFinder Plus, SerialsSolutions' Article Linker, and Openly Informatics' 1cate. ExLibris developed SFX from Herbert Van de Sompel's work at Ghent University, Belgium, on content-sensitive linking, and has been the driving force behind the development of the technology (Van de Sompel and Beit-Arie). This was one of the reasons why Eastern Kentucky University chose their product over others in the market.
There are two more terms that are specific to SFX, but the concepts behind them are universal to OpenURL linking software. The first term is Source, which is the link-from. For most people, this is the place where the user begins the search – usually a database or indexing/abstracting tool. The second term is Target, which is the link-to. This can be anything from full-text content to abstracts to OPAC records to ILL forms, with all options customized to the needs of the service community.
When EKU Libraries first began to look at ways to provide better accessibility to our online resources, we tried out several options. The first was linking to our resources through our website, but as more and more ejournals and databases were added to our collection, we quickly realized that it would take more than one person to maintain all of that information. We decided to outsource our eJournal list to SerialsSolutions, but we knew that was not going to be the absolute solution. What we really wanted was to make the process of locating content from a citation to be virtually seamless. Even with a regularly updated and comprehensive list of electronic journals, we knew that students were not likely to remember to check that list every time they could not find full-text or print resources within their initial searches. Another solution was called for, which led us to OpenURL linking software.
Most of the original players in this field are large research institutions or state consortia. When we began to look at SFX, there were few other comprehensive public universities with this product; however, we believed that our students and faculty could benefit from this linking software. Our Research and Instruction division is highly regarded on campus, but even they cannot reach every student and faculty member on all of our campuses all of the times when they need help locating full-text content. We hoped that SFX could fill in the gaps when reference service was not available, as well as provide a faster connection between citations and full-text. EKU Libraries has licensed a number of subject-specific A&I databases that are not heavily used in relation to the full-text databases, mainly because students want full-text without having to get up from the desk. With an OpenURL link resolver product, we knew we would get more value from those databases by providing a seamless link to full-text, print, and ILL options directly from those citations; thereby removing one of the barriers to the use of those databases.
Once we decided to purchase SFX, our next step was to plan out a timeline for implementation. We purchased the software and a Linux server in January and by April all of the components were installed and running. Our training took place on site over two days, as we worked with a company representative on our own SFX knowledge base. For the next four months, Systems Administrator Todd King focused mainly on the server side of the work, while Serials & Electronic Resources Librarian Anna Creech focused on activating Targets and contacting vendors in order to activate Sources. In addition, an SFX Task Force was formed in order to make decisions about the end user elements of SFX. The task force consisted of four Research & Instruction librarians (two from our branch libraries and one distance education services librarian), the Interlibrary Loan team leader, the Systems Administrator, and the Serials & Electronic Resources Librarian. This task force was intended to represent all affected areas of the library, but small enough to make decisions quickly. This was an asset we came to appreciate as the deadline drew nearer.
The task force had two main tasks, and the first one was to create a customized button, menu banner, and menu colors. Although the "out of the box" button and end-user menu for SFX is sleek and appealing, we think that SFX is a confusing term that does not intuitively say to the user "you want to click this button to get what you want." We tossed around several ideas before deciding on a short, snappy phrase that clearly states intent – "GET MORE." We also chose to match the color scheme of the button and menu to the color scheme of the EKU Libraries website.
Once we had our "look," we needed to determine the options and order of the menu Targets. The SFX menu is what the user sees after they have clicked on the SFX button in a resource. The menu displays options for obtaining full-text, or other services such as searching the OPAC, making an ILL request, locating an abstract, contacting an e-reference resource, etc. We decided to break down the options to a few simple "full-text" ending points. Electronic full-text is the first option, followed up by "print full-text" (a.k.a. search the catalog). If electronic full-text is not available, then a link to an ILL form appears instead, along with a message indicating that the full-text is not available. Finally, we include a link to our Ask-A-Librarian service. There are many other Target options available, but we rejected them because we did not want to give our users too many options to pick from.
Two months after our GET MORE service became available to our users, the statistics showed that nearly half of its use was to locate full-text. Nearly forty percent of the usage was to search the OPAC, and anecdotal evidence indicates that the OPAC has become more visible to the students and faculty. The rest of the use has been for interlibrary loan requests, a service that many students were not aware of before. Our ILL department has noticed an increase in their numbers, but the extent of that increase due to SFX has yet to be determined. This usage reflects that our menu is linking users not only to online full-text, but also to our collection and other libraries through interlibrary loan. Upper class students, graduate students, and faculty find GET MORE more useful than the English 101 students, who are able to locate most of their resources in full-text databases. The usefulness of abstract databases such as Political Science Abstracts and America: History and Life have been enhanced because locating full text is easier, and ther is a clearer connection to materials in our print collection. GET MORE has made access easier for our students and faculty, which is exactly what we wanted it to do.
A tool is only useful if its users know that it exists and how to use it. Our main resource for educating our users is through library instruction. Upper class and graduate students get excited when we show them GET MORE in library instruction sessions because it makes their lives easier. Freshmen and sophomores become accustomed to seeing the buttons in the databases, which prepares them for their upper level classes. Our databases have a visible common thread, which makes them less confusing. Another source for communicating information about GET MORE to our users is through our award-winning brochure, which we give to every student who attends a library instruction session, and to the entire university faculty. Finally, information about GET MORE is passed on through one-on-one reference. Anecdotal evidence suggests that our reference librarians spend less time explaining database and web page navigation and more time teaching search techniques and some information literacy skills. Some feedback from faculty and students indicate that positive buzz about GET MORE is spreading throughout the campus as our users become accustomed to the convenience of this tool.
Now that we have become familiar with the basic uses of our OpenURL linking software, we are looking into future uses. Current projects include creating a user FAQ and tweaking the knowledge base so that it contains more accurate descriptions of our electronic holdings. A future project may be to include our print holdings in the knowledge base, rather than simply a link to search the OPAC. OpenURL linking is still relatively new, and we expect to see a variety of uses relevant to libraries cropping up in the next few years.
We at the Eastern Kentucky University Libraries have been very pleased with our OpenURL link resolver software, and we hope that our experience will encourage other Kentucky libraries to consider this tool for their own users.
Notes
Van de Sompel, Herbert, and Oren Beit-Arie. "Open Linking in the Scholarly Information Environment Using the OpenURL Framework." D-Lib Magazine. 11.3 (2001) 3 Dec. 2003. <http://www.dlib.org/dlib/march01/vandesompel/03vandesompel.html>.
Originally Published:
Creech, Anna and Linda Sizemore. "GET MORE From Your Electronic Resources." Kentucky Libraries. 68:2 (2004), 30-32.