The Open URL By Melodie Hamilton, Connecticut College

The OpenURL  What are OpenURLs?  How do they work exactly?  What is SFX?  What’s so “special” about SFX, and how easy is it to maintain?

History of the OpenURL & SFX  Initial concept developed at the University of Ghent by Herbert Van de Sompel (now at the British Library)  His product, now known as SFX, was acquired by ExLibris in 2000, and has been sold to nearly 200 customers in some 20 countries

Responding to user needs  Users want seamless access to e-journals  Students feel frustrated with too many steps trying to use library resources  With vast amounts of information now available, expectations are high: students want it any time, anywhere  Speed is the key today: fast computers, fast connections, and fast delivery of resources

Static URLs  Static URLs are location dependent: link refers to a single copy of a resource at one location  Static URLs cannot take into consideration the user’s affiliation with the library  Static URLs must be verified periodically

The OpenURL  The nature of the OpenURL is tied directly to the article and not a specific location  Resolution service (SFX) resolves the OpenURL to a copy or a set of services appropriate for that user: SFX can also retrieve multiple versions of a full-text article regardless of where it is located

The OpenURL  Provides context-sensitive linking  Combines full-text and extended services with user authentification  The OpenURL contains elements that identify the user and information about the desired article

SFX Considerations  Publishers and aggregators must use OpenURLs rather than traditional URLs in order for SFX to work  Librarians determine what services the library will offer: what options a search in a database will provide  In addition to full-text, librarians define what extended services will be offered, including links to the OPAC, abstracts, ILL services, and search engines

More SFX Considerations  Be aware that each vender presents SFX differently; this can be challenging to the user  Not all products can be linked to SFX; users must be made aware which products are SFX-enabled

Sources  Collins, Maria D. D., and Christine L. Ferguson. “Context-Sensitive Linking: It’s a Small World After All.” Serials Review 28:4 (2002) :  Gerrity, Bob, Lyman, Theresa, and Ed Tallent. “Blurring Services and Resources: Boston College’s implementation of MetaLib and SFX.” Reference Services Review 30:3 (2002) :  Needleman, Mark. “The OpenURL: an Emerging Standard for Linking.” Serials Review 28:1 (2002) :  Schneider, Karen G. “SFX: a Linkalicious Service.” American Libraries June/July 2001 : 118.