LinkSource – the sophisticated, powerful link resolver from EBSCO Information Services

The Problem Libraries want to provide their patrons with easy access to full text content. Libraries are challenged with consolidating central access to all available resources. Configuring links in every individual resource is inefficient and can be a time-consuming maintenance exercise. Often times, when talking about LinkSource, I am asked why EBSCO is getting into the link resolver business. We know that libraries today are faced with the challenge of providing their patrons access to full text. Prior to the introduction of the internet, this meant content held locally at the library. Today, content is accessed not only locally, but from publisher web sites, aggregated databases and other content suppliers. Much like we support in EBSCOhost, customers can create links to resources from individual databases. While creating the same link in database after database is possible, maintaining accuracy can be a time-consuming and resource intensive exercise. The British Library document supply service have estimated that 20% of the document requests they receive are from Institutions that already ‘own’ the material

Link Resolver – what criteria? What pre-determined information is there? How flexible is the service? What control (over links etc) will I have? Is there any ‘capital’ cost (hard & software?) Can I customise the service? Is the service universal? Cost

Many resources from many areas ISI ingenta Publisher sites Ehost DBs Ehost EJS British Library Gale Google

Some link to selective resources ISI ingenta Publisher sites Ehost DBs Ehost EJS British Library Gale Google User

Some link to selective resources ISI ingenta Publisher sites Ehost DBs Ehost EJS User British Library Gale Google

Links inconsistent and management complex ISI ingenta Publisher sites Ehost DBs Ehost EJS British Library Gale Google

With LinkSource: More comprehensive, easier to manage ISI ingenta Publisher sites Link Source Ehost DBs Ehost EJS British Library Gale Google

LinkSource is… Referred to as an item-level linker. All resources relate back to the article of interest. Accessed after a search in an OpenURL compliant database, and selects an item of interest from the result list or detail display. With so many different ways to access and link to content, it is very important to understand what LinkSource both is, and is not. LinkSource is referred to as an item-level linker. What this means is that the LinkSource menu of resources is accessed after an end-user first conducts a search in an OpenURL compliant database. The end-user searches a product, an EBSCOhost database for example, retrieves a list of results, and accesses the LinkSource menu when they find an item of interest. All of the resource links relate back to the item, which in many cases is an article citation.

LinkSource is not… A search engine that simultaneously searches multiple online services. LinkSource does not ‘search’ resources. It is configured to appropriately display links to resources based on the nature of an item, such as a citation. What LinkSource is not, is a meta-search engine. LinkSource does not go out and search a number of databases and return a unified list of results to the end-user. In fact, LinkSource does not have any searching capabilities what so ever. The power of LinkSource is in the way it is configured to properly display resource links, depending on the nature of the article citation.

Extended Linking LinkSource is a logical extension of EBSCO’s SmartLinks and CustomLinks (ILS Links) technologies. The Linksource menu of resources is easily, and centrally, configured and customized in EBSCOadmin. LinkSource is OpenURL compliant so linking to EBSCO’s full text content is now possible from non-EBSCO products. For EBSCO, LinkSource is a logical expansion of two powerful, EBSCOhost linking features, SmartLinks and CustomLinks. By extending these features to LinkSource, its menu of resources is a combination of validated full text from three sources; EBSCOhost, EBSCOhost Electronic Journals Service and CrossRef, as well as additional calculated links to other web-based resources. The LinkSource menu is centrally configured in EBSCO’s easy to use EBSCOadmin application. Customers can also customize many aspects of the LinkSource menu using this easy-to-use administrative application. Since LinkSource is OpenURL compliant, it is now possible for non-EBSCO products to link to EBSCO’s full text.

The Knowledgebase Determines how good a link resolver is: Knowledge on how to make links Knowledge how to control links Information kept up-to-date

Knowledgebase LinkSource was built on the ability to access validated* full text from three sources: 1. EBSCOhost databases 2. EBSCOhost Electronic Journals Service 3. CrossRef Article-level access to over 16 million full text articles from 12,000 journals from these three sources. * LinkSource checks that both the journal and article are available for content from resources identified in items 1-3. LinkSource will always display SmartLinked, or ‘validated’ full text if it is available for an article citation. Enabling the SmartLinking feature extends a customer’s subscription to full text from the following sources; articles available from EBSCOhost databases, content accessed from EBSCOhost Electronic Journals Service and lastly, content accessed via CrossRef. In total, LinkSource can provide access to over 16 million articles from over 12,000 journals. Unique to EBSCO, full text from these sources is not only validated, or checked, to the journal level, but also down to the physical article, dramatically increasing one-click, guaranteed access to content.

Customisation options Logo at top of LinkSource menu Which links can appear Syntax of the links Icons next to links Text of the links Hint text

Link Sources and Targets LinkSource can link to hundreds of web-based targets. Partners with products that can link to LinkSource: American Mathematical Society BioMed Central CAS DIALOG EBSCOhost Endeavor Ex Libris (Aleph) Fretwell Downing Gale HW Wilson Ingenta Innovative Interfaces Institute of Physics ISI Web of Knowledge Muse Global OCLC OVID NCBI (PubMed) RLG SilverPlatter SIRSI ZPORTAL zetoc Two terms that are important to understand when discussing products like LinkSource are link targets and link sources. Link targets, or resources that are available on the LinkSource menu, must be web-based, and able to be searched or accessed via a URL. LinkSource can be configured to link to hundreds of target resources. Link Sources, or the starting point or database where the end-user’s search is first conducted, must be OpenURL compliant. Only OpenURL compliant products can be configured to link to LinkSource. EBSCO is contacting vendors with OpenURL compliant products, to let them know that we are producing a product like LinkSource. Since we will have mutual customers, EBSCO is working to obtain the link resolver configuration instructions for each vendor. The list of participating partners will continue to grow as we discover or are informed of new vendors that have created OpenURL compliant products.

A Hosted Solution means: No hardware purchase Managed and maintained by EBSCO Publishing Statistics captured can be merged with other EBSCOhost statistics Uses the same EBSCOadmin account to manage

Integration with Other EBSCO Services EBSCOadmin acts as single point of administration for EBSCOhost and LinkSource EJS “holdings” automatically updated Will be able to perform automatic configuration using A-to-Z information Combined usage statistics

Popular Link Targets For each resource, LinkSource is configured to properly hide or show the links, based on the following ‘rules’: Aggregated Full Text Databases OPACs Interlibrary Loan Applications Document Delivery Services Search Engines Book Suppliers Free Articles on the Web Any Web-based Resource that can be searched or accessed via URL. The power of LinkSource is in its configuration. By using a series of ‘rules’ and applying them to each resource link, LinkSource will properly hide or include the link on the link menu, based on the nature of the citation or item that the end-user is coming from. Popular links off of the LinkSource menu include aggregated full text databases, OPACs, interlibrary loan applications and document delivery services. LinkSource can be configured to link to any web-based resource that can be searched or accessed by constructing a URL.

Configuring LinkSource Targets For each resource, LinkSource is configured to properly hide or show the links, based on the following ‘rules’: If the citation already has an available full text article. If the citation is missing a mandatory field of content, like the ISSN. If the journal from the citation is included as part of a pre-defined collection of titles and coverage dates. The LinkSource menu is configured in the EBSCOadmin administrative application. For each resource the following rules are used to control the link display: Whether or not the article citation already includes a full text article; whether or not the citation is missing a mandatory field of data, such as an ISSN; and whether or not the journal referenced in the citation is included as part of a predefined collection of journal titles and associated coverage dates.

Configuration Examples Citation already has full text: Links to document delivery and interlibrary loan services should be hidden. Citation is missing mandatory content: Links to products like EBSCO Book Services would be hidden unless the citation included an ISBN. Citation includes a journal which is part of a content-based product, like JSTOR: Links to journal-based products would be hidden if the journal was not part of a collection, or did not fall within the defined coverage dates. By using the rules either separately, or in conjunction with one another, the LinkSource menu is configured to properly display resource links which will provide access to full text or additional information about a citation. For example, if a citation already includes a full text article, it would not be appropriate to display links to document delivery or interlibrary loan services. For these resources, the ‘hide if full text’ rule would be applied. To properly display links to book-based services, a citation should include an ISBN. In this example, the ‘mandatory field’ rule would be applied to the book service link, and only show for citations that included an ISBN field. Lastly, and probably the most commonly used, links to content-based products, like JSTOR’s, should only display if the journal referenced in the citation is included in the content that the product covers.

Pre-defined Collections EBSCO provides pre-defined ‘filter’ collections of content for several hundred of the most popular full text products and packages. Customers identify the products they subscribe to in EBSCOadmin. EBSCO updates the content based on coverage changes on a monthly basis. Customers that have journal-based products with unique content coverage must provide or identify the ISSNs and coverage ranges. For products that are content-based, and include the same coverage for all subscribers, EBSCO has provided pre-defined ‘filter collections’ which can be used to configure the LinkSource menu. Much like a Knowledge Base of content, customers identify the products that they subscribe to in EBSCOadmin. Instead of defining the filter collection of ISSN and coverage for each product, the pre-defined filter collection provided by EBSCO is associated with the product. EBSCO, not the customer, will update the content monthly, based on content changes that are made by the vendor. If the customer also subscribes to journal-based products that are a collection of unique content and coverage, the ISSNs and coverage can be imported into EBSCOadmin to properly control the link display.

Configuring LinkSource Sources Sources must be OpenURL compliant to link to LinkSource. The customer must contact vendors to configure non-EBSCOhost links to LinkSource. EBSCO contacts each OpenURL compliant product vendor and works to obtain the instructions on the configuration process. Many OpenURL compliant products can be configured to link to LinkSource. To configure links from EBSCOhost to LinkSource, EBSCO’s support staff can assist in making the proper modifications in the customer’s EBSCOadmin account. For non-EBSCO, OpenURL complaint products, customers must contact each vendor individually. EBSCO will provide as much documentation as is available, to assist customers in this process. Customers simply provide vendors with the LinkSource URL to the EBSCO resolver, which will be the same for every vendor, and follow their configuration instructions.

User Advantages Single point of access to many resources. Exposes resources that the user may never have known existed. Saves the patron PPV money by showing available full text which may have previously purchased. For the end-user, LinkSource now provides a single point of access to many of the libraries’ resources. For the end-user, they now may be exposed to resources that they never knew existed and increasing usage traffic. Lastly, LinkSource may help to save the end-user pay-per-view money when they may have previously purchased content, not knowing that they had access to a valid subscription.

Customer Advantages Economical solution for item-level linking. Hosted service, so no hardware purchase is required. Customers do not have to purchase the CrossRef DOI and metadata look-up service for $500. Minimal LinkSource setup for SmartLinks and CustomLinks customers. For the customer, EBSCO is striving to offer an economical item-level linker. Since LinkSource is only a hosted service, the customer does not have to purchase any hardware or software to take advantage of the technology. Our customers also do not have to purchase the CrossRef DOI and metadata lookup service, which requires a $500 annual fee. All of the CrossRef metadata is loaded at EBSCO Publishing, and we pass along access to our customers. For customers already using the SmartLinks and CustomLinks features, setting up LinkSource is quick and easy.

LinkSource Pricing Based on FTE for 4 year academic customers. $1,000 discounts for each purchase: BasicBiosis, Biological Abstracts, CINAHL, INSPEC, MLA Bibliography, PsycArticles, PsycINFO $500 discounts for each purchase: ATLA/ATLAS package, each HW Wilson database LinkSource pricing for Academic institutions is based on FTE. We offer tiered pricing, which can drop to as low as $4,000 per year. If customers purchase selected secondary databases, the base price can further drop, becoming even more affordable. The price for LinkSource is all-inclusive. EBSCO does not charge separately for services such as training and support. As much as our customers prefer that we get involved in the configuration, EBSCO is happy to accommodate. LinkSource was released in February 2003 and is available for trial and purchase.

Academic Customers 15,000 FTE and above=$15,000 base price ($7,000 minimum price, regardless of total discount) 10,000-14,999 FTE=$13,200 base price ($6,000 minimum price, regardless of total discount) 5,000-9,900 FTE=$11,600 base price 2,000-4,999 FTE=$10,200 base price 2,000 FTE and below=$9,700 base price

LinkSource Configuration

Pre-Defined Filter Collections For products that are journal-based in nature, and the same for every customer, EBSCO provides pre-defined filter collections of the products’ ISSNs and coverage. Over 200 collections from vendors like ProQuest and Ovid. With involved customers, LinkSource can be configured in as little as several days or even hours.

Customization The LinkSource menu can be customized as follows: Desired wording for the LinkSource link. A list of target resources to link to, from the LinkSource menu. The link text, mouse-over text and image representing the resource. For journal based collections of custom content, a comma or tab delimited text file of ISSNs as well as start and stop coverage. For custom collections, or resources that are unique to a customer’s institution, the URL that should be used to link to the service.

Smartlinked Full Text provides validated access to content from EBSCOhost databases, EBSCOhost Electronic Journals Service and CrossRef.

Checking on ‘Smartlinking Allowed’ will enable linking non-full text databases to EBSCOhost full text content. For customers that have a subscription to EJS, Smartlinks will link to electronic journals by entering in the proper account information in EBSCOadmin. Scroll to the bottom of the Basic Menu…

When LinkSource is accessed from products other than EBSCOhost, the profile that should be used to display the LinkSource menu must be indicated. Other resource links are configured under the ‘Advanced Settings’ option.

This is the Link Menu, which displays defined configuration parameters for each link. ‘Link Text’ refers to the words the end-user will see to identify the resource. ‘Link Icon’ is the URL location to the image that will be displayed next to the link text. ‘SeqNo’ is order in which the links will display, if content is available, on the LinkSource menu. To modify the order in which the links display, click on the Re-Order button. To see the details of the JSTOR Link, click on the Modify Button.

Check JSTOR for Article Availability ‘LinkText’ ‘Mouse-over Text’ Check JSTOR for Article Availability ‘Link Icon’ URL Mask is the URL with embedded parameters, that will be used to pass a search to the product or service. Many of these parameters are used to control the Link display. Mandatory Fields are required in the citation in order to present a link to the end-user. In this case, a link to JSTOR would not show unless the citation had a SICI code. The Link Icon is the URL location of the icon located next to the link text. The Link Text is the wording that the user will see on the LinkSource menu, Result List or Detail Display to describe the service. ‘Mouse-Over Text’ is the text a user will see if they hover their mouse over the link.

Window Properties Window Name New Window Pop Up A check box in the ‘Display New Window Field will pop up a new window, when the user follows the link. The ‘Window Name’ is the name displayed at the top of the browser window the service is displayed in. Window properties can control the size of the window, and whether or not it displays criteria such as scrollbars and the internet menu

Links on the Result List CustomLinks can display on several areas of EBSCOhost Links can display on the Result List

Links On the Detail Display Links can display on the Detail Display

Links can display on the Publication List

Links on the LinkSource menu Links can appear in any combination of the Result List, Detail Display, Publication List or LinkSource menu. Or, on the LinkSource link menu

The display of individual links can be controlled by the presence of EBSCOhost full text, or whether the journal of the citation is part of a local collection. For example, if the article has full text, you would not want to display links to document delivery or interlibrary loan services. And for subscription services, local collections can be used to control the display of the link only for journals which are part of the subscription’s collection, like JSTOR for example. To hide the link from the LinkSource menu, or from the display on EBSCOhost if the item has full text, check off ‘Hide Link If Full Text’.

EBSCO will provide pre-defined filter collections for over 200 products. The Hide Full Text and Show Link features can be used together in any combination for proper link display control. EBSCO will update the collections for coverage modifications on a monthly basis. Customers simply select, from the list, the products that they subscribe to.

To display a link to the LinkSource server is as easy as creating the proper CustomLink in the user profile.

The customer account is now ready to support access to LinkSource from EBSCOhost. LinkSource can also be accessed from other OpenURL compliant products, such as FirstSearch or RLG.

To access LinkSource from other vendor products, contact the vendor individually for instruction. The URL Mask will be the same for every provider.

A controlled trial is available A controlled trial is available for interested individuals that want to take a look at something immediately.

Effective Electronic Resources – the issues Title Management – The A-Z List Content & Issue Management EBSCOhost EJS Licensing Management EBSCOhost EJS Licensing & Registration Service Linking management - Link Source Content EBSCOhost Full Text database service Article location – TOC Premier Outsourcing solution for publishers – MetaPress

Link Resolver – what criteria? What pre-determined information is there? How flexible is the service? What control (over links etc) will I have? Is there any ‘capital’ cost (hard & software?) Can I customise the service? Is the service universal? Cost

www.linkresolver.com Thank you