Getting more value from your subscriptions: cross-searching and OpenURL links

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Getting more value from your subscriptions
cross-searching and OpenURL links
Andrew Bevan (User Support)
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Background

• High user expectation
• Google effect single, simple interface to ALL
  information
• Increasing investment in resources
• But services under-used and often unknown
• Benchmarks for usage
• Projectcounter.org (standard for
  database/journals)
• Understand, compare and account for resource
  usage
• Maximise use of services
• Link to related resources, full-text where
  available

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Cross-search services

• Z39.50 standard to facilitate this
• GetRef
• EDINA Cross-search gateway for AI services
• Range of providers, EDINA and others in JISC IE
• Complement to service interfaces, not replacement
• Other gateways
• Metalib (ex-libris), UEA
• Metafind (Innovative), Luton
• Collections Gateway (Endeavour), Edinburgh

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Cross-search services
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Cross-search services
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Cross-search services
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Other alternative interfaces

• Bibliographic connection files
• EndNote, ProCite, Reference Manager
• Remote access to EDINAs and other databases
• Alternative interfaces via z39.50
• In addition to filters for importing results

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Resource linking

• OpenURL standard to facilitate it
• GetCopy
• EDINA Linking facility to locate articles
• Customisable set of targets
• Other linking services
• SFX (ex-libris), linkfinderplus (Endeavour) etc
• Supported by EDINA as part of policy at
• http//edina.ac.uk/support/openurl.shtml

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Issues Pros and Cons

• Boost awareness and usage of resources
• Reduces confusion of different interfaces
• Technical setup and need for training
• Over simplifies, limits certain functionality
• Also confuses with too many results sets
• Authentication added complication
• Different providers, different systems
• Creates elite services not all-inclusive
• Top-ten cross-searched, what about other 200?

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Final cost-benefit analysis and questions

• Cost-benefit analysis
• Investment on portal or content
• Comparison of usage over time
• Change of usage after portal introduction
• User satisfaction surveys etc.
• Experience or views from you