Text linking in the humanities: citing canonical works using OpenURL

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Text linking in the humanitiesciting canonical
works using OpenURL

• CNI Spring 2009 Task Force Meeting

Eric Rebillard Departments of Classics and History
David Ruddy University Library
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Planning grant overview

• Mellon Foundation funding
• Three components
• Canonical citation
• OpenURL quality metrics and evaluation
• LAnnee interface enhancements

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Linking solutions

• Bilateral, direct vendor links
• Costly to implement and maintain
• Unstable
• Does not easily allow one-to-many relationships
• Does not address appropriate copy problem
• A method with more indirection, such as OpenURL

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Classical text resource (e.g., JSTOR, LAnnee)
Users link resolver
OpenURL
HTML page with link options
Source text in translation
Library catalog
Inter-library loan
Source text in original language
Others?
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OpenURL

• OpenURL a package of metadata about a resource,
  encoded within a URL and sent to a users link
  resolver
• OpenURL Framework (2004) generalized and
  formalized OpenURL 0.1 (2000) architecture so
  that services can be extended and new
  applications can evolve
• Focus on allowing context-sensitive services
  related to a specific resource

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Advantages of using OpenURL

• System/vendor independent
• Uniform linking syntax
• Minimizes cost of creating and maintaining links
• Easily allows one-to-many linking
• Allows appropriate copy

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OpenURL in practice

• Define a metadata format that can reliably
  reference canonical citations
• Devise a feasible implementation plan

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Metadata format Identifying the work

• Canonical citations are at the level of the FRBR
  work
• Very little metadata (a title, possibly an author
  name)
• An undefined work ID included in metadata format
• Community defined?
• ISTC?

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Metadata format Author names

• Existing OpenURL metadata formats expect modern,
  western names (aufirst, aulast)
• How to capture ancient author names?
• Allowing multiple ways to encode author forms,
  which may depend on era of author

aufirst auform1 aulast auform2
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Metadata format Citation components

• Two possible approaches
• Try to define every component
• Book, section, canto, stanza, act, scene, etc.
• A more abstract approach, recognizing the typical
  hierarchical structure of works
• level_1, level_2, level_3
• Second approach more generally applicable across
  heterogeneous material

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Implementation challenge

• Normally, resolution to resource is left to local
  link resolver
• And yet
• Detailed and specialized knowledge
• Uncertain commercial incentive for link resolver
  vendors
• Proposed solution domain-specific,
  community-supported knowledge bases

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Classical text resource (e.g., JSTOR, LAnnee)
Classical Works KnowledgeBase (CWKB)
OpenURL
HTML page with link options
Service X Text in original language, Edition B
Service Y Text in original language
Service Z Text in translation
Service X Text in original language, Edition A
Others?
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Problems with this approach

• Doesnt solve appropriate copy problem
• Doesnt allow for institutional branding,
  presentation, page layout
• Doesnt allow for local options (library catalog
  search, etc.)

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Classical text resource (e.g., JSTOR, LAnnee)
Classical Works KnowledgeBase (CWKB)
OpenURL
OpenURL
HTML page with link options
Users link resolver
Inter-library loan
Library catalog
Others?
Service Y Text in original language
Service Z Text in translation
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Advantages of intermediate resolver / knowledge
base

• Domain specific knowledge base can augment and/or
  normalize metadata values
• Can provide specialized linking information
• Can allow direct access to targeted resources for
  users without a local link resolver
• Could provide other potential services to
  community

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Classical text resource (e.g., JSTOR, LAnnee)
Classical Works KnowledgeBase (CWKB)
OpenURL
OpenURL
CWKB URL redirect service
HTML page with link options
Users link resolver
Inter-library loan
Library catalog
Service X Text in original language
Service Y Text in original language
Service Z Text in translation
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CWKB Classical Works Knowledge Base

• A relational database that stores metadata about
  classical works
• A link resolver software that does the lookup in
  the relational database

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CWKB the database
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CWKB Authors name

• The Latin form is the international authority
  form for Latin and ancient Greek authors.
• For lookup purpose, CWKB will store the
  established form of the author in several modern
  languages and the abbreviations used by the main
  reference tools.
• Draft ISO standard 27729 International Standard
  Name Identifier (ISNI)

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CWKB Works title

• The Latin form is the international authority
  form for Latin and ancient Greek titles.
• For lookup purpose, CWKB will store the
  established form of the title in several modern
  languages and the abbreviations used by the main
  reference tools.

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CWKB work identifiers

• They may come from a range of well-established
  registries such as
• They may come from a range of well-established
  registries such as
• The Canon of the TLG
• The Clavis Patrum Latinorum
• The Clavis Patrum Graecorum
• The CHS Canon of Greek Literature
• The Stoa Canon of Latin Literature
• CWKB will maintain a concordance between them.
• One development to follow the ISTC standard (ISO
  21047).

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CWKB the link resolver
Classical text resource (e.g., JSTOR, LAnnee)
Classical Works KnowledgeBase (CWKB)
OpenURL
1
OpenURL
2
HTML page with link options
Users link resolver
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OpenURL 1

• Baseurl cwkb.org/in/r.php?
•  
• OpenURL version ctx_ver Z39.88-2004
• Metadata format rft_val_fmt
  infoofi/fmtkevmtxcanonical_cit
•  
• Citation rft_auform1 Aeschylus
• rft_titleform1 Suppliants
• rft_slevel1 40
• rft_elevel1 57
•  
• Users resolver res_id http//resolver.library.
  cornell.edu/net/openurl/?
•  
• Sources id rfr_id infosid/aph

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OpenURL 1 (cont.)

• http//cwkb.org/in/r.php?ctx_verZ39.88-2004rft_v
  al_fmtinfoofi/fmtkevmtxcanonical_citrft.aufo
  rm1Aeschylusrft.titleform1Suppliantsrft.slevel
  140rft.elevel157res_idhttp//resolver.library
  .cornell.edu/net/openurl/?rfr_idinfosid/aph

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OpenURL 2

• Step 1
• The link resolver software looks up in the
  database for a match on the authors name and the
  works title.
• Step 2
• The link resolver software adds data to the
  incoming OpenURL 1
• authority forms of the author and the work (used
  for the lookup in the local library catalog)
• data on the services providing full text for the
  citation sent as an OpenURL ServiceType
  identifier.
• The ServiceType identifiers contain the name of
  the service and the full text url.
• Ex.  svc_idinfosid/cwkb.orgperseus_engurlhtt
  p//www.perseus.tufts.edu/hopper/text.jsp?docPers
  eustext1999.01.0016line40.
• If the service does not accept GET requests, the
  link goes to CWKB and is resolved.

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OpenURL 2 (cont.)

• http//resolver.library.cornell.edu/net/openurl/?
  ctx_verZ39.88-2004rft_val_fmtinfoofi/fmtkevm
  txcanonical_citrfr_idinfosid/cwkb.orgrft.aufo
  rm1Aeschylusrft.titleform1Suppliantsrft.titlef
  orm2Supplicesrft.auform2Aeschylusrft.slevel14
  0svc_idinfosid/cwkb.orgtlg_demourlhttp//cwk
  b.org/in/tlgpost.php?package_idtlg_demo26local_p
  ackage_id008500126schemez26hidden_z40svc_id
  infosid/cwkb.orgtlgurlhttp//cwkb.org/in/tlgpo
  st.php?package_idtlg26local_package_id00850142
  6schemez26hidden_z40svc_idinfosid/cwkb.orgp
  erseus_engurlhttp//www.perseus.tufts.edu/hopper
  /text.jsp?docPerseustext1999.01.0016line40sv
  c_idinfosid/cwkb.orgperseus_grkurlhttp//www.
  perseus.tufts.edu/hopper/text.jsp?docPerseustext
  1999.01.0015line40

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Local Link Resolver

• CWKB will provide a set of instructions for
• Creating a resource profile for each canonical
  citation package the library licenses or
  supports
• Establishing rules for displaying the full text
  links
• Creating rules for mapping canonical citation
  metadata to non-full text services, such as the
  library catalog searches.

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Local Link Resolver

• Recognize the format of the incoming OpenURL.
  Each one will contain this string rft_val_fmtinf
  oofi/fmtkevmtxcanonical_cit
• Parse each incoming canonical citation in its key
  value components
• Pull out each svc_id into two parts (name of the
  service full text url)
• Use auform2 and title2 for the display of the
  citation requested and for the search in the
  local catalog.

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Local Link Resolver

• The OpenURL 2 is thus interpreted by the local
  link resolver to produce a page such as this

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Wider application

• Potential value to any discipline that cites
  works independent of specific editions or
  translations
• Potential model for chaining link resolvers /
  knowledge bases together to provide enhanced
  services to users
• Potential for providing other information
  services to community