The OpenURL Framework

1. The OpenURL Framework Collaborative Acquisition of Content Eric F. Van de Velde, Ph.D. Director of Library Information Technology, Caltech evdv@library.caltech.edu June 23-25, 2003 Washington, DC

2. Outline:The OpenURL Framework • Static Linking • SFX • The OpenURL Framework • Collaborative Acquisition of Content

4. Jan. 17th, 2002To: web@library.caltech.edu Subject: small problem reaching elsevier science journals through NCBI Hello, This is likely a problem with NCBI […], but I thought you would know better. I am trying to download a journal article linked by the ncbi website... go here: http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov:80/entrez/query.fcgi?cmd=Retrieve&db=PubMed&list_uids=11255015&dopt=Abstract next: click on the "elsevier science. Full text article" button. ...but the link doesn't recognize my caltech IP , and it asks for a username and password. I can, however, manually go to the elsevier webpage and grab my article (so its not a pressing issue, just an annoyance) Is there something I can do […] to bypass this login page? -thank you

5. Jan. 17th, 2002From: web@library.caltech.edu Subject: RE: small problem reaching elsevier science journals through NCBI […] Thank you for letting us know. Unfortunately we can't solve this particular problem, at least not in the near term. The publisher's icon appears in the PubMed record for articles in journals for which publishers have provided full-text links to PubMed. This happens […] whether or not Caltech has site-licensed online access for the journal. Caltech […] has not yet been able to negotiate a cost-effective site license for Elsevier's Science Direct product […], although we continue to try. For many Elsevier journals […], Elsevier provides us at no extra cost what they call Web Editions […] Again unfortunately, there's no way to get […] Science Direct icons in PubMed to link to our Web Editions access, so manual navigation to the desired article is necessary […] Daniel Taylor, Technical Reference Librarian (Biology)

6. Static Linking • Third-Party Database does not know: • Local license portfolio • Location of appropriate copy • Dead-end links • No Services • Example: Document Delivery or Interlibrary Loan

7. Outline:The OpenURL Framework • Static Linking • SFX • The OpenURL Framework • Collaborative Acquisition of Content

19. SFX: Acknowledgments • Developed by: • H. Van de Sompel (U. of Ghent/Los Alamos NL) • P. Hochstenbach (U. of Ghent/Los Alamos NL) • Distributed by Ex Libris (USA), Inc. • Implemented at Caltech by: • B. Coles (software installation and maintenance) • J. McDonald (database maintenance)

20. SFX: How does it work? • Transport description to SFX resolver.

21. SFX: How does it work? • Script: • Draws the button. • Gets the resolver URL. • Constructs HTTP GET/POST command. • Transport description to the SFX resolver… • By clicking on the button.

22. SFX: How does it work? • SFX-resolver database transforms description into list of potential services. • Menu of services is displayed. • User clicks on one or more services.

23. SFX: The Resolver Database • Links Citations to Services • Possible Services: • Full text • Abstract • Table of contents • Document delivery and interlibrary loan • Web Search • Catalog Search • …

25. SFX: Lessons Learned Extended Linking Services give us: • Multiple links • Context-sensitive links produced by user-specific resolver • Persistence: • Embrace DOI† • Local link management • Potential other services †Open Linking in the Scholarly Information Environment Using the OpenURL Framework, H. Van de Sompel and O. Beit-Arie, D-Lib Magazine, Vol. 1, Nr. 3, Mar. ’01.

26. Other Resolvers • 1Cate, jake.openly.com, and link.openly.com • [Openly Informatics, Inc.] • LinkFinderPlus • [Endeavor Information Systems, Inc.] • Open Linking Technology • [Fretwell-Downing, Inc.] • OpenResolver (GNU GPL) • [Andy Powell, UKOLN] • KDB Linking System • [KINS]

27. Outline:The OpenURL Framework • Static Linking • SFX • The OpenURL Framework • Collaborative Acquisition of Content

28. Feb. 2001: NISO Committee AX formed June 2001: First meeting Feb. 2003: Fifth and (thus far) last meeting April 15th, 2003: Public Comments May 15th -- Nov. 1st, 2003: Trial Use Dec. 2003: Submit to NISO for ballot Subscribe to the OpenURL listserv at: http://library.caltech.edu/OpenURL OpenURL Standardization

29. The OpenURL Framework (Version 1.0) • An OpenURL is an HTTP(S) GET/POST based transportation mechanism for ContextObjects. • A ContextObject is a construct that describes: • One Referent • Zero or more other entities that define the context in which the reference to the referent occurs or in which the transportation of metadata takes place.

30. ContextObject • Structure: up to 6 entities • Referent (item, subject, article) • Referrer (service building the ContextObject) • Resolver (service component – link server) • Requester (user) • Service-Type (type of resolution) • Referring-Entity (citing article) • Entities described by up to 4 kinds of descriptors: • Id • By-Value • By-Reference • Private-Data

31. ContextObject: Examples • Referent described by an Id • Journal article: Digital Object Identifier • Journal: ISSN • Book: ISBN

32. ContextObject: Examples • Referent described by Metadata-description • Journal article: Journal name, Journal ISSN, Article title, Author name, Volume, Issue, Page numbers • Technical report: Corporate name, Author name, Report title, Report number

33. ContextObject: Examples • Referent described By-Reference • Journal article: “Dublin Core” and a pointer to a Dublin Core description of the article • Book: “MARC” and a pointer to a MARC description of the book

34. OpenURL: Why standardize? • Lower barrier for information providers • Make it easy to provide OpenURLs • Encourage adoption beyond “Scholarly Information Societies” • Create a market in resolvers

35. Outline:The OpenURL Framework • Static Linking • SFX • The OpenURL Framework • Collaborative Acquisition of Content • A Speculative Proposal

36. Collaborative Acquisition • Valuable Information is • Expensive • Out of reach to many • Approaches to increase availability • Make information cheaper: • Open Archives/Access Initiative • Find Information Sponsors

37. Collaborative Acquisition • Develop Network of Information Sponsors: • National Libraries • Governments • Private Foundations • International Organizations • …

38. Collaborative Acquisition • Each Organization decides • Target group of beneficiaries, for example: • Researchers in India, Africa,… • High-school students • Information to sponsor, for example: • Medical research literature • Space science • Each Organization negotiates own set of Access Licenses with Publishers

39. Collaborative Acquisition • Each Information Sponsor • Contributes relevant details of its Access Licenses to a shared database • OpenURL Resolvers use the database • Find least expensive method of accessing particular information for a particular user • Note: Importance of federated authentication (Shibboleth)

40. Conclusion • This proposal may be too far out, but… • It shows what OpenURL can do: • Targeted, narrowly focused information • Best source of information • Highly individualized information • Context-sensitive information