1. Kurt De Belder Chief, Division of Electronic Services University Library Universiteit van Amsterdam The possibilities of cross searching and linking services.

2. October 24, 20035th E-ICOLC conference2  Introduction  UvA project Integration heterogeneous information systems and services.  Hyperlinks and OpenURL  Changes in Search - Locate - Obtain process  Searching in multiple databases  Reaction of our customers  Impact on our organisation & statistics  Next steps Overview presentation

3. October 24, 20035th E-ICOLC conference3  Large number of distributed electronic databases and journals, brought together by series of web pages (UvA: > 300 databases; > 13.000 e-journals).  Large variety of interfaces, search engines, data formats, database systems, indices, thesauri and services.  User unfriendly, support and training intensive, partial and overlapping services. ‘Current’ situation

4. October 24, 20035th E-ICOLC conference4  Integration of heterogeneous databases and services.  The system helps.  Use of international standards such as OpenURL, Z39.50, ZING (SRU/SRW),...  Possibility to create personal digital library (My Library), subject portals, and overarching services: alerting services, SDI, saving searches... Desired situation

5. October 24, 20035th E-ICOLC conference5  2001: Universiteit van Amsterdam: compares variety of systems and starts RFI/RFP process with three selected vendors.  Information is shared with all UKB libraries in the Netherlands (= University libraries, Royal Library, Library of Royal Dutch Academy of Sciences).  December 2001: Ex Libris (MetaLib & SFX) is selected.  March 2002: UKB consortium agreement signed.  September 2002: UvA takes SFX in production.  January 2003: UvA takes MetaLib in production.  May 2003: UvA usability study UvA: Project integration heterogeneous systems

6. October 24, 20035th E-ICOLC conference6  Universiteit van Amsterdam  Royal Library  Technische Universiteit Delft  Rijksuniversiteit Groningen  Universiteit Leiden  Universiteit Maastricht  Universiteit Utrecht  Universiteit Wageningen  Vrije Universiteit Introduction: UKB libraries and MetaLib/SFX

7. October 24, 20035th E-ICOLC conference7  OpenURL: framework for open linking that allows for link creation via components such as link- servers which are external and independent from the source of the link (the citation). In this way linking can be contextual and relevant to a particular information environment. An international open standard.  SFX: commercial application (linking server) of Ex Libris based on the OpenURL.  UvA-linker: SFX implementation of the Universiteit van Amsterdam. Hyperlinks: technologies & terminology

8. October 24, 20035th E-ICOLC conference8 DB vendors offer proprietary linking:  SilverLinker (SilverPlatter)  OpenLinks (Ovid)  SmartLinks (EBSCO)  LinkOut (NCBI)  CrossLinks (Proquest) Vendors already offer linking services!

9. October 24, 20035th E-ICOLC conference9 Problems:  Localisation: ‘appropriate copy’ problem.  Customer confronted with # linking systems ~ DB resulting in # quality and services.  Library administers # linking systems.  Often no “extended services”.  Certain vendors require uploads of e.g. holdings information.  Cannot deliver services for specific customers. Vendors already offer linking services!

10. October 24, 20035th E-ICOLC conference10 Advantages:  Localisation: ‘appropriate copy’ can be delivered.  One standardised linking system.  One point of administration for a variety of services for possibly all data sources.  Delivery of extended services.  Services for specific customers.  NISO standardisation process started.  Compatible with other standards (DOI, CrossRef). OpenURL & local linking server

11. October 24, 20035th E-ICOLC conference11 Advantages:  Subscription to Knowledge Base (Ex Libris)  Linking mechanism can be used by other systems! Electronic learning environment Electronic publishing program Digital Academic Repository OpenURL & local linking server

12. October 24, 20035th E-ICOLC conference12

13. October 24, 20035th E-ICOLC conference13 1 2 3 4 5 6 SFX Source SFX Menu SFX Target

14. October 24, 20035th E-ICOLC conference14 A&I Catalogue Full text... Source OpenURL Linking server Full text Target Link Catalogue A&I Citation DB Search engine What does a OpenURL look like? How does it work? OpenURL hook

15. October 24, 20035th E-ICOLC conference15 OpenURL http://pinakes.ic.uva.nl:9003/sfx_local?sid=SilverPlatter:MLAB& genre=article&atitle=For%20an%20Aesthetics%20of%20the%20Inconsequential&ti tle=Eighteenth-Century-Studies&isbn=&issn=0013- 2586&date=2002&volume=35&issue=3&spage=510&pid=%3CAN%3E200287020 5%3C/AN%3E%3CAU%3EHarari%2c-Josue%3C/AU%3E  Base URL  Origin description  Object-metadata-zone OpenURL

16. October 24, 20035th E-ICOLC conference16 Search Localise Obtain MLA Bibliography (Union) Catalogue JSTOR Traditional process to obtain information

17. October 24, 20035th E-ICOLC conference17  Requires a lot of knowledge from the customer about the process, the content, the information universe, …  Different steps in the process are separated.  Manual input needs to be repeated often: log in, formulate query, typing.  Information is not passed on from one system to another.  Systems don’t know the specific UvA information environment or that of the customer. Characteristics of this process COMPLEX NOT EFFICIENT DIFFICULT

18. October 24, 20035th E-ICOLC conference18  ‘Seamless’ linking of data and services.  Navigation in search - locate - obtain process.  Repetition of customer input is minimised.  Systems exchange information with each other.  System knows the information environment of the institution and the customer. Process change with OpenURL linking server

19. October 24, 20035th E-ICOLC conference19 Search LocateObtain MLA bibliography Via UvA- linker Citation database JSTOR ILL Process change with OpenURL linking server

20. October 24, 20035th E-ICOLC conference20 UvA-linker services:  Direct link to electronic article, abstract and TOC.  Automated searches in UvA catalogue, Dutch Union Catalogue, WWW search engines.  Citation searches: who cited article/book/author?  Searches book reviews/Amazon.com.  Searches dissertations.  Impact factor of journal.  Electronic reference desk [(a)synchronous].  FAQ.  Problem report function.

21. October 24, 20035th E-ICOLC conference21  Customers enthusiastic about UvA-linker.  For some customer the services offered in UvA- linker are overwhelming.  Use is intensive (catalogue lookup en FT link).  Some (first time) customer do not understand where the links will bring them and are cautious about leaving the library environment. Issues * * In part based on UvA Usability Study (2003)

22. October 24, 20035th E-ICOLC conference22  System is not flawless. Do users recognise mistakes and can they make corrections?  Technology will impact collection development decisions: complete journal collections allow for a great linking experience acquisition of data that conforms to technical requirements Issues * * In part based on UvA Usability Study (2003)

23. October 24, 20035th E-ICOLC conference23  Databases are distributed.  Heterogeneous data formats, database systems, interfaces, indices, thesauri, services.  Search process in multiple databases  Iterative search process.  Fragmentation and multiplication of services.

24. October 24, 20035th E-ICOLC conference24 Search Academic Search UvA Catalogue PAIS International Search process in multiple databases Dutch Union Cat. Search SDI (1) Circ. ILL SDI (2)

25. October 24, 20035th E-ICOLC conference25  Databases are distributed.  Heterogeneous data formats, database systems, interfaces, indices, thesauri, services.  Integration layer based on international standards.  Search process in multiple databases  Integrated search process.  Services have action radius across the complete information environment.

26. October 24, 20035th E-ICOLC conference26 Search Process change in integrated search environment Academic Search UvA Catalogue Dutch Union Cat. PAIS International ILL Circ SDI

27. October 24, 20035th E-ICOLC conference27  Customers appreciate the possibilities of searching multiple databases.  Enthusiastic about the personalised services (My Library). Issues * * In part based on UvA Usability Study (2003)  But also experience the system as complex.

28. October 24, 20035th E-ICOLC conference28  Too many possibilities.  Don’t understand why all databases can’t be searched in an integrated fashion. (50/250)  Many personalised features depend on integration.  Both interfaces are offered (native and integrated), but this causes confusion with some customers.  Thesauri aren’t integrated yet.  Language problem. Issues * * In part based on UvA Usability Study (2003)

29. October 24, 20035th E-ICOLC conference29 SFX target administration (e-journals, TOC, abstracts)  Placed within acquisitions and journals department.  2 days a month.  Administration of SilverLinker (SP) has ended.  No more maintenance of a list of e-journals via web pages has ended.  Still being discussed: shall we discontinue cataloguing e-journals in our catalogue? Or shall we generate cataloguing records from the SFX records?  2 very effective days! Impact on the organisation

30. October 24, 20035th E-ICOLC conference30 SFX target administration (other targets)  On average 1 hour per target.  Responsibility of subject specialists (content) and application managers (technology). Customer support  Introduction of UvA-linker happened without significant customer support. Introduction of DL portal was/is considerably more intensive.  Expectation: support at reference desk of search - locate - obtain process will become considerably less intensive. Impact on the organisation

31. October 24, 20035th E-ICOLC conference31 Usage  The portal is not the only entry to digital library.  Usage of electronic journals has increased considerably.  (Simultaneous) usage of database will increase (expectation). Impact on the organisation

32. October 24, 20035th E-ICOLC conference32 Impact on the organisation

33. October 24, 20035th E-ICOLC conference33 Impact on the organisation

34. October 24, 20035th E-ICOLC conference34 Impact on the organisation

35. October 24, 20035th E-ICOLC conference35 Impact on the organisation

36. October 24, 20035th E-ICOLC conference36 Z39.50  Labour intensive to reach high quality.  Important that database vendors notify library about changes in the field or record structure of the database.  Responsibility of subject specialists (content) and application managers (technology). Impact on the organisation

37. October 24, 20035th E-ICOLC conference37 Impact on the organisation

38. October 24, 20035th E-ICOLC conference38 Subject specialists  Subject specialists responsible for content side of UvA-linker & integrated searching (Z39.50). Why?  Content specialists also with regard to digital library.  Specialists with regard to information needs of customers.  They are the ones who can do quality control. Impact on the organisation

39. October 24, 20035th E-ICOLC conference39 Tasks  Generate ideas for new UvA-linker services.  Judge whether the service generates correct results.  Deliver correct OpenURL mask so that correct parsing can take place. Example: notice that the structure of the year, volume and issue field in PsycInfo has changed over the years.  Refine services. Example: notice that searching for a book review in amazon.com is pointless if book predates 1990. Impact on the organisation

40. October 24, 20035th E-ICOLC conference40 Tasks  Differentiate UvA-linker services according to subject and type of customer. Example: propose to include commercial document delivery as a service/target for faculty members.  Naming of services so that these are comprehensible. Example: how do you call the link to the “impact factor” of journals?  When the field and record structure of a database changes, indicate on a content level how the Z39.50 transformation can take place. Impact on the organisation

41. October 24, 20035th E-ICOLC conference41 Will this succeed?  We don’t yet know.  We will pay a lot of attention to training (at conceptual and detail level).  Subject specialists will need to get to know the databases in their subject area also from these perspectives.  Subject librarians will need to get more involved in the development of the digital library. Impact on the organisation

42. October 24, 20035th E-ICOLC conference42  Make changes to design and functionality of Digital Library and UvA-linker.  New usability study in 2004 (informed by actual use: statistics)  Integrate UvA-linker in BlackBoard  Make it possible to search Digital Library directly from Blackboard.  Couple specific courses in Blackboard to specific DL portals, and make searching from BB possible.  Investigation into DL use through PDA’s. Next steps

43. October 24, 20035th E-ICOLC conference43 Thank you for your attention! Questions? k.f.k.debelder@uva.nl

44. October 24, 20035th E-ICOLC conference44 Links University Library: www.uba.uva.nlwww.uba.uva.nl Digital Library: digital.uba.uva.nldigital.uba.uva.nl Digital Production Centre: www.uba.uva.nl/digital_production_centre/ www.uba.uva.nl/digital_production_centre/