context-sensitive linking products

[Oberg, Steve]

In light of recent postings to this list relating to Wilson's SFX implementation and the movement of many vendors to implement context-sensitive linking of some sort as a "value-added service" to libraries, I wanted to share a citation to a new article on this topic that I think is well worth reading:

Maria D. D. Collins and Christine L. Ferguson, Context-Sensitive Linking:  It's a Small World After All, Serials Review, Volume 28, Issue 4, 2002, Pages 267-282.
(http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/B6W63-47RHXT5-3/1/1803c65b2fd71f9d3e430f1ef2e5117d)

This article provides a review of costs, features, setup issues, etc. for four major products:  SFX, LinkFinderPlus, SIRSI's OpenURL Resolver, and 1Cate.

SFX was the first such product to market and is certainly the market leader with the most implementations of the major players thus far, but it bothers me that there is routine substitution of the brand name "SFX" for "context-sensitive linking" or the OpenURL protocol.

But hey, maybe nobody cares but me or I am preaching to the choir!  ;-)

Steve

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Steve Oberg -- Electronic Resources Librarian
Taylor University -- Zondervan Library
http://www.tayloru.edu/library/