[Web4lib] Proxifier bookmarklet -- too risky?

[Bordeaux, Abigail]

Dear Keith,

This kind of functionality is included in the LibX extension and we have
not run into any problems with it yet.

In the case of Ebsco, there is an option in the Ebsco Admin module to
have your proxy string included in these links.  Once in the admin
module, go to the "Linking" tab, fill out the proxy information under
"SetUp/Maintain Proxies" and check the options you want under
"Persistent Links."

Abigail

Abigail Bordeaux
Coordinator of Digital Library Initiatives
Binghamton University Libraries
PO Box 6012 | Vestal Parkway E.
Binghamton, NY  13902-6012
607.777.3217 | bordeaux at binghamton.edu
Yahoo!/AIM/Messenger: acbtanya




-----Original Message-----
From: web4lib-bounces at webjunction.org
[mailto:web4lib-bounces at webjunction.org] On Behalf Of Keith D. Engwall
Sent: Wednesday, August 09, 2006 9:51 AM
To: web4lib
Subject: [Web4lib] Proxifier bookmarklet -- too risky?

I'm running into the notion of "Just because you *can* do it doesn't
mean you *should* do it", and I'd like to solicit some advice from the
community.
 
The faculty on our campus are starting to use persistent links from
research resources (EBSCOhost, etc.) to link to full-text articles.  One
of the challenges they've run into is that these links are *directly* to
the resource, and do not go through the library proxy server.  Thus,
when they are working from home, these persistent links do not work.
 
I've figured out how to create a "Proxifier" bookmarklet that will allow
them to enter the URL for the persistent link (or any URL), and it will
prepend the proxy part of the URL and take them to the resource through
the proxy.
 
Now, our proxy (EZProxy) is set up to only work with specific URLs, so I
*think* this is safe, but there's a nagging voice at the back of my
brain that isn't so sure.
 
Any thoughts, opinions?  Is this foolhardy?
 
Thanks,
 
Keith
 
---------------------------------
Keith Engwall
Head of Library Systems and Technology
Catawba College
Salisbury, NC
kengwall at catawba.edu
 
"For a successful technology, reality must take precedence over public
relations, for nature cannot be fooled." - Richard P. Feynman
 

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