SFX sets the standard for open linking for libraries

Citation

Walker, J. (2002), "SFX sets the standard for open linking for libraries", Library Hi Tech News, Vol. 19 No. 4. https://doi.org/10.1108/lhtn.2002.23919daf.003

SFX sets the standard for open linking for libraries

Jenny Walker

Since my early SFX write-up in Library HiTech News just one year ago, SFX has come of age and has set the standard for open linking solutions for libraries:

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  The OpenURL standard on which SFX linking is based is now the de facto standard for linking scholarly information and is on a fast track path towards NISO accreditation (http://www.niso.org/committees/committee_ax.html) The draft version of the specification – adopted as version 0.1 – has already been implemented by the major information providers and increasingly by Integrated Library System (ILS) and other technology vendors. For a list of these see http://www.sfxit.com/sources.htm

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  Significant numbers of libraries around the world – university libraries, national libraries, and special libraries – have now implemented SFX link servers, including a range of library consortia. SFX menu screens can now be seen with many language variants – including Chinese, German, and Czech – and with great variations in branding and formatting to meet library needs. SFX customers are not necessarily also customers of the Ex Libris ALEPH ILS, but cover a wide range of ILS vendors (see Figure 1).

Figure 1 UC-elinks

Linking continues to be a hot topic at library and library-related conferences, and ALA MidWinter in New Orleans was no exception. A number of important sessions focused on this subject, including the Publisher Vendor Library Group – OpenURL and SFX – and the Charleston Advisor Breakfast Session – CrossRef and SFX. These sessions were very well attended and generated much interest. Discussion now centers not so much on the "why" but rather on the "how" of SFX Linking. Many SFX customers were present at these sessions to share their experiences of implementing SFX and the benefits now being enjoyed by librarians and users alike.

SFX for libraries

SFX linking allows libraries to take control of their own linking environments, determining what types of links to offer their users; and how these links should be resolved. SFX linking ensures that library holdings – electronic and print – in which libraries invest so heavily are fully exploited, ensuring users are linked to library resources before, for example, document delivery requests are made, or pay-per-view options are offered.

While the focus on linking to date has been on linking to the full text, libraries are now using the tools at their disposal to provide extended linking services such as links to read a book review; or to check an author's e-mail address. SFX allows libraries to easily incorporate local collections and services into their interlinked environments. The Caltech libraries have integrated their electronic theses and dissertations collection. Other SFX customers are exploring integration with courseware systems such as WebCT and with different elements of Virtual Reference Services.

SFX provides a single point of administration for libraries to configure link services that are then available to a range of information resources. In particular it is important that SFX has knowledge of the library's journal subscriptions. User-friendly Web-based and batch loading SFX tools are provided to optimize this task for libraries – a recent SFX customer was operational with SFX in a production environment two weeks after it received training.

SFX for users

SFX helps users navigate effectively through the library's e-resources without having to re-type and re-enter searches. For document delivery requests, for example, citation data can be transferred to pre-populate the request form.

Further, with SFX links are presented to users in a consistent manner across information resources and will lead users only to those resources to which the user has access rights and/or those that the library has deemed are relevant. SFX customers report on the intuitive nature of SFX, whereby users click on the SFX button even if there has been little or no training or promotion by the library. SFX statistics provide valuable feedback to library staff on the usage of SFX.

The OpenURL: enabling open linking for libraries

The OpenURL is the mechanism by which information resources communicate with a link server such as SFX. Information providers implement the OpenURL to allow outbound linking from their resources, with linking services themselves then being determined by the library. This is a fundamental shift in linking. By disconnecting the link source from the link target, libraries can take control of their linking environments (see Figure 2).

Figure 2 By disconnecting the link source from the link target, libraries can take control of their linking environments

An SFX button represents the OpenURL for an SFX source such as an article citation or library catalog record for a book, journal or journal issue. When a user clicks on the SFX button, metadata describing the SFX source are transmitted via the OpenURL to the SFX Link Server, which then determines what links to offer to the user via the SFX menu (see Figure 3).

Figure 3 The SFX user workflow - from an SFX source (open URL-enabled resource) via an SFX services menu to an SFX target

DOI, CrossRef, OpenURL and SFX

An important announcement at ALA was the general release of the fully integrated DOI/CrossRef and OpenURL/SFX linking frameworks. This integration is now available to all libraries using OpenURL-compliant link servers which are also members of the CrossRef Library Affiliate program (see http://www.crossref.org/library.htm). This integration results from the important prototyping work undertaken during 2001 involving CrossRef, Ex Libris, CNRI, IDF, Herbert Van de Sompel and the libraries at Los Alamos, Ohio State University and the University of Illinois (Oren et al., 2001). This significant development demonstrates the willingness of stakeholders in the linking business to collaborate to find solutions that best serve library needs.

Recommended readingFor those who are new to the world of linking scholarly information some useful background reading can be found in Caplan (2001) and Van de Sompel et al. (2001).

More information about Ex Libris and SFX is available from the company's homepage http://www.exlibris-usa.com from where a link can be found to SFX. To link directly to SFX use: http://www.sfxit.com. This site contains a "Try SFX" section with some live examples of SFX services where you can see what SFX could do for your library services.

ReferencesCaplan, P. (2001), "A lesson in linking", Library Journal NetConnect supplement, Fall, http://libraryjournal.reviewsnews.com/ index.asp?layout=article&articleid= CA177643Oren, B.-A. et al. (2001), "Linking to the appropriate copy – report of a DOI-based prototype", D-Lib Magazine, Vol. 7 No. 3, available at: http://www.dlib.org/dlib/september01/caplan.htmlVan de Sompel, H. and Beit-Arie, O. (2001), "Open linking in the scholarly information environment using the OpenURL framework", D-Lib Magazine, Vol. 7 No. 3 http://www.dlib.org/dlib/march01/vandesompel/03vandesompel.html

Jenny Walker (jenny.walker@exlibris-usa.com) is a member of the Ex Libris Information Services Division based in the Ex Libris Boston office.