[Web4lib] Link resolvers

[David Walker]

Hi Jonathan,

Christine Ferguson and Jill Grogg recently wrote an article detailing
the plethora of link resolvers currently on the market -- "OpenURL Link
Resolvers," Computers in Libraries, Oct 2004, Vol. 24 Issue 9, p. 17.

I think there are perhaps two main criteria that you will want to
consider.

(1) Longevity.  It seems that everyone and their mother is offering a
link resolver these days.  It is a new market, and so a lot of companies
are trying to get in on it.

However, like all new technologies, in a few years the link resolver
market will shake out, and only those companies with a significant
customer base will be able to continue their service. 

The most popular link resolvers are (i) SFX by Ex Libris, the original
OpenURL link resolver with 6 times the number of customers over any
competitor, (ii) Endeavor's system and (iii) Serial Solution's system.

(2) Accuracy and depth of knowledge base.  You can, of course, compare
these systems based on features and technical sophistication.  But the
heart of any link resolver is the database of availability information
it contains.  If that is not complete and accurate, the technology makes
little difference, since your users won't find the resources they are
looking for.

This is another reason why you will want to go with a popular product.
The more customers a system has, the more people the vendor can put
toward maintaining an accurate knowledge base, and the more their
customer libraries can find and report discrepancies.

I would do a number of OpenURL tests with each of these systems to see
if they are picking-up all the online full-text they should be.

We use SFX.

--Dave

=================
David Walker
Web Developer
Library
Cal State San Marcos
760-750-4379
=================



 

-----Original Message-----
From: web4lib-bounces at webjunction.org
[mailto:web4lib-bounces at webjunction.org] On Behalf Of Jonathan Bloy
Sent: Thursday, June 02, 2005 9:26 AM
To: Web4lib at webjunction.org
Subject: [Web4lib] Link resolvers


We have been comparing the Serials Solutions and EBSCO's link resolvers,
and are wondering if we should examine some others as well.

Specifically, has anyone tried Bowker/Ulrich's Resource Linker?  In
general, what products would you recommend, and why, or why not? What
bugs have you had to work out? 


---
Jonathan Bloy
Web Services Librarian
Edgewood College
Madison, Wisconsin
http://library.edgewood.edu

608-663-3385

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