[Web4lib] Science Direct via Google

[Bob Duncan]

On Mon, 9 Jul 2007 10:50:31 -0400
  "Ross Singer" <ross.singer at library.gatech.edu> wrote:
> On 7/8/07, Bob Duncan <duncanr at lafayette.edu> wrote:
> 
>> And I hope that someday Google Scholar will abandon its idiotic (IMO) 
>>practice
>> of generating OpenURL links based on a library's holdings.
> 
> I think this statement is untrue.  Google Scholar gives me many
> OpenURL links for items that Georgia Tech doesn't hold.  Where did you
> get this assumption?

<http://scholar.google.com/intl/en/scholar/libraries.html>:
"Google's use of electronic holdings information: We will use electronic 
holdings information for generating per article links in our search results to 
library servers. We will not share this information with third parties."

"Is electronic holdings information necessary for participating in the Library 
Links program?
Yes. We have found that users are far more likely to take advantage of links 
that lead them to full text versions of the content."

"Why do you need to know our electronic holdings?
...We need your electronic holdings so that we can highlight links to full 
text. In addition, you have the option of using a different label for full 
text and print holdings."

Google Scholar generates links to resolvers based on institutional holdings; 
that they sometimes they don't get it right is a good thing.


> There are a lot of citations that Google Scholar doesn't provide
> OpenURLs for, but I think that's because Google is unable to parse
> them accurately, not because my institution doesn't own them.

And there are results for which a link to Georgia Tech's link resolver appears 
but not a link to ours (and vice versa).  If GS was unable to parse the 
citation accurately there wouldn't be any OpenURL link.  Try going into GS's 
preferences and choosing a couple of institutions in the "Library Links" 
section to see the differences.

Bob Duncan


~!~!~!~!~!~!~!~!~!~!~!~!~
Robert E. Duncan
Systems Librarian
David Bishop Skillman Library
Lafayette College
Easton, PA  18042
duncanr at lafayette.edu
http://www.library.lafayette.edu/