Link Resolvers and Knowledge Bases – Why are they so important? Sarah Pearson University of Birmingham Co-Chair KBART Working Group

Agenda  What is OpenURL technology?  Why are knowledge bases important?  Problems with knowledge base metadata  How to make content more visible to users  The role of KBART  Feedback from you!

institution     repository publisher website database print collections gateways article citation article title = … first author = … journal name = … article title = … first author = … journal name = … metadata string OpenURL query (base URL + metadata string) resolver.institution.edu base URL of link resolver link resolver’s knowledge base publisher/provider holdings data library holdings data content licence  target (cited) article predictable link

OpenURL query (base URL + metadata string)  Make their content OpenURL compliant by: –Creating outbound OpenURL links  Make their content “KB compliant” by: –Telling the knowledge base what content they have and how to link to it Which bits do publishers do? publisher/provider holdings data link resolver’s knowledge base  Together: “link-resolver compliance”

What does the link resolver do?  Takes an OpenURL and extracts the article metadata – &volume=53&issue=3&page=14  Compares article metadata to knowledge base –where is the article available? –which version is preferred by the library?  Puts together a predictable link to this version target (cited) article predictable link – &volume=53&issue=3&page=14

What bits do libraries do?  Have a link resolver! And register it with providers  Customise its knowledge base with their own holdings data institution resolver.institution.edu base URL of link resolver library holdings data link resolver’s knowledge base

Link resolver services Link Resolver Services

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What is a knowledge base?  A database  Contains information about web resources –e.g. what journal holdings are available in JSTOR –and how you link to articles in them  Contains information about the resources a library has licensed/owns –May contain electronic and print holdings (in addition to a number of other services)

So why is it so important?  It knows where all the content is  It knows which versions the library is able to access  So – it’s the only place that can get a user to an “appropriate copy”

And that means?  More content visible to end users  Content linking is more accurate for end users  Increase in content usage  Maximum reach for authors and editors  Better return on investment for library  Favourable renewal decision  Protection of revenue for content providers

Knowledge Bases – Measure of Success  Better access for users –Fewer false positives: saying it’s available when its not –Fewer false negatives: saying it’s not available when it is  Best-case scenario: –IF a user is seeking an item, and the library offers access to it through exactly 3 online resources, –THEN the OpenURL resolver returns exactly 3 accurate links to the full text –AND the ‘best’ resources appear first

Problems in the supply chain  Wrong data –Content provider gives wrong metadata for title to knowledge base –Link resolver uses bad metadata to make link –Link does not resolve to correct target –Dead end 

 Outdated data –Provider tells knowledge base it has a particular issue –Link resolver links to an article from it –Issue has been removed –Dead end  –Or, provider doesn’t notify that issue is now live –So no traffic from link resolvers to that issue! Problems in the supply chain That’s not good!

Problems in the supply chain  Lack of knowledge of its importance means:  some content providers aren’t using it  many others aren’t investing in more accurate & timely metadata transfer

And when the supply chain breaks …  Researchers will go to …

 Knowledge Bases And Related Tools  UKSG and NISO collaborative project  UKSG 2007 research report, “Link Resolvers and the Serials Supply Chain”Link Resolvers and the Serials Supply Chain  To improve navigation of the e-resource supply chain by  Ensuring timely transfer of accurate data to knowledge bases, ERMs etc. Right. So. What is KBart?

Guidelines Education Information hub What is KBart’s mission?

Definition of the problems  Lack of uptake of OpenURL technology  Poor metadata held in knowledge bases  Inaccurate implementation of OpenURL syntax by OpenURL sources  Poor inbound URL syntax management by OpenURL targets

Areas which KBART is addressing  Identifier inconsistencies  Title inconsistencies  Incorrect date coverage  Inconsistent date formatting  Inconsistencies in content coverage description  Embargo inconsistencies  Data format and exchange  Outdated holdings data  Lack of customisation

Recommendations  Phase I – encompasses the more fundamental recommendations from original research: –File format –Mandatory and optional fields –Common approaches for presenting data within fields –Handling of packages –Frequency of data update –Collection mechanism

Mandatory and optional fields  Publication title  Print-format identifier (ie, ISSN, ISBN, etc.)  Online-format identifier (ie, eISSN, eISBN, etc.)  Date of first issue available online  Number of first volume available online  Number of first issue available online  Date of last issue available online (or blank, if coverage is to present)  Number of last volume available online (or blank, if coverage is to present)  Number of last issue available online (or blank, if coverage is to present)  Title-level URL  First author (for monographs)  Title ID  Embargo  Coverage type (abstracts/fulltext)  Coverage notes  Publisher name (if not given in the file’s title)

Going public  Final Phase I KBart report now released!  Feedback and suggestions welcomed!  Phase II started in March

Phase II / Next Steps  Change of leadership and team members  Endorsement / Compliance / Engagement  Definitions for global vs local updates  Consortia-specific metadata transfer  Institution-specific metadata transfer  Review of metadata transfer for e-books  Open access material

Phase II Working Group  Jason PriceClaremont Colleges / California Digital Library  Elizabeth StevensonEdinburgh University  Chad HutchensUniversity of Wyoming  Sarah PearsonUniversity of Birmingham  Paul Moss OCLC  Sheri MearesEBSCO  Christine StohnEx Libris  Sherrard EwingSerials Solutions  Matthew LlewellinRoyal Society  Andreas BiedenbachSpringer  Marieke HeinsSwets  Ruth WellsTaylor & Francis  Rose RobinsonPublishing Technology

Let’s look at those benefits again……  More content visible to end users  Content linking is more accurate for end users  Increase in content usage  Maximum reach for authors and editors  Better return on investment for library  Favourable renewal decision  Protection of revenue for content providers

Learn more    Sarah Pearson – KBart co-chair  KBart interest group

Your Turn!  Comments on knowledge base engagement  Feedback on KBART recommendations to date  Suggestions for future work  Endorsement / take-up  Supply chain involvement