A Resolution in Service: SFX Usage Logs as a Basis for Link Resolver Menu Redesign

In this study, three years of SFX usage logs at Texas A&M University were analyzed to determine how patrons use link resolver services. The study contrasts the actions taken by users when full text is and is not available and compares public versus staff usage. The results confirmed users’ preference for full-text services but also provided insights into actions taken when full text was not an option. Changes in patterns of usage over a multiyear period are shown. The data was used to redesign the SFX services menu for a more streamlined offering of services, emphasizing those that users would actually choose to use.     

利用Z39.50扩展SFX应用的实例

简要介绍SFX在清华大学图书馆的应用,分析SFX的实现原理以及INNOPAC作为SFX链接源获取链接服务存在的局限,最后详细阐述利用INNOPAC的Z39.50接口扩展SFX链接服务的思路和具体实现。     

A comparison of OpenURL link resolvers: The results of a University of Connecticut Libraries environmental scan

Open URL link resolvers are emerging technological tools designed to increase use of library collections by automating the process of locating and accessing library holdings. This study examines the system architecture and capabilities of commercially available OpenURL link resolvers to assess viable options for the University of Connecticut Libraries. Data for the study, largely experiential feedback received from libraries employing OpenURL link resolvers, were gathered through a series of evaluative activities. These included a preliminary literature review, Web survey, follow-up e-mail survey, and on-site visits to libraries. Results were analyzed within the context of the University of Connecticut Libraries' resources and needs. Analysis revealed wide variation in library experiences with and perception of product functionality and performance, as well as requisite staff and financial investments.     

NISO's IOTA Initiative: Measuring the Quality of OpenURL Links

The Improving OpenURLs Through Analytics (IOTA) initiative was formed by the National Information Standards Organization (NISO) in 2010 to continue a Mellon-funded project on OpenURL quality begun at Cornell University. IOTA's objective is to develop a scoring system for measuring the quality of OpenURL links generated by content providers at the citation level. OpenURLs have a history of failing to resolve correctly, but no method has been devised to benchmark them even a decade after the introduction of the underlying standard. The proposed system would generate scores based on specific evaluation metrics and thus rate providers' OpenURL quality. The system's analytical approach would also enable OpenURL providers to pinpoint linking problems and thus optimize OpenURL improvements. A public OpenURL analysis tool, which relies on link data contributed by OpenURL providers and libraries, is currently in use. Recently, IOTA approached the Knowledge Bases And Related Tools (KBART) initiative about a possible collaboration on a related project, which would investigate OpenURL linking not at the citation level, but the full-text level.     

The ARIEL Document Delivery System: A Cost-Effective Alternative to the Fax

ABSTRACT

ARIEL is a high-speed, high-quality, cost-effective document delivery system that runs on the Internet. Journal articles can be sent from one place to another by scanning the article directly from the journal. The text and graphics are digitized into the computer, transmitted over the Internet, and printed on a laser printer at the receiving end. Developed in 1990 by the Research Libraries Group of the Research Libraries Information Network, ARIEL is becoming the document delivery system of choice for a rapidly growing number of users in the U.S. and abroad. The key advantages which ARIEL has over the fax are: (1) no long-distance phone charges; (2) high image resolution; (3) original source can be scanned; (4) can send and receive documents at the same time; (5) does not require dedicated equipment; and (6) documents can be stored and forwarded at a later time. In the very near future, ARIEL software will incorporate MIME (Multi-purpose Internet Mail Extensions) technology which will enable documents to be transmitted to the screen via e-mail from one individual to another. This paper describes the hardware and software requirements, the cost of getting started, and one library's experience, as part of a pilot project, with the ARIEL document delivery system.     

分布异构资源整合管理系统的技术特点和应用趋势——MetaLib & SFX 综述

Meta Lib和SFX是适用于分布环境下异构资源整合管理的系统 ,能够实现跨库检索和引文链接。文中详细阐述了此系统的开发思路、技术特点、主要功能、存在问题以及应用趋势。希望对国内异构信息资源整合管理系统的开发和应用提供参考。     

Collection Development Assessment for New Collection Development Librarians

A number of articles have been written in the past several years that provide practical advice for librarians new to collection development, particularly in terms of understanding terminology, learning collection development processes, and gaining familiarity with one's library and institution. This article furthers this discussion, but with attention to working in collection development within the OhioLINK consortial environment. In order to thrive in this environment, new bibliographers are benefited by becoming familiar with and using data such as usage statistics, consortium reports, and peer institution statistics to develop and expand collections in one's assigned disciplines. Attention is also given to creating subject collection statements, faculty networking, and colleague assistance. The writer, himself relatively new to collection development, provides insights and perspectives on these matters, chiefly applicable to others new to collection development.     

Implementing SUSHI and COUNTER: A Primer for Librarians

Project Counting Online Usage of Networked Electronic Resources (COUNTER) released its first code of practice in 2002. Standardized Usage Statistics Harvesting Initiative (SUSHI) was introduced in 2007 as a way of automating the harvesting of COUNTER reports. Both initiatives have been well adopted yet there is still confusion about how to implement SUSHI. This column offers a primer for library staff wanting to take advantage of the benefits of SUSHI. It starts with a quick review of both COUNTER and SUSHI, then covers options for SUSHI clients, examines SUSHI configuration requirements, demonstrates how to use SUSHI to obtain a COUNTER report and shows an example of working with a COUNTER Journal Reports in Extensible Markup Language (XML) format to create a spreadsheet with a simple cost-per-use and package analysis. By the end the reader should gain enough knowledge to configure a SUSHI client, successfully harvest COUNTER statistics and to perform some basic analysis on that usage.     

Google Scholar Usage: An Academic Library's Experience

Google Scholar is a free service that provides a simple way to broadly search for scholarly works and to connect patrons with the resources libraries provide. The researchers in this study analyzed Google Scholar usage data from 2006 for three library tools at San Francisco State University: SFX link resolver, Web Access Management proxy server, and ILLiad interlibrary loan server. Overall, the data suggested that Google Scholar had become a very useful resource in the library and was a significant addition to the library's collection of research databases. SFX data revealed requests from Google Scholar grew ten-fold from 2006 to 2011, and that Google Scholar became the top-ranked SFX source for requests in 2011. Library patrons favored Google Scholar over San Francisco State University's federated search tool, MetaLib, and it has become an important source for interlibrary loan requests. Analysis of San Francisco State University usage data will assist other libraries in their decisions about the implementation of Google Scholar.     

Primary and Secondary Sources in History: A Primer for Undergraduates,Challenges for Librarians

This article discusses the challenges reference librarians face in identifying primary and secondary sources in the study of history. Labeling sources depends wholly on how they are used. Through better observation of sources in history, librarians can assist instructors and students in the use of primary sources in the classroom and research.     

A Long-Term Study of Collection Use Based on Detailed Library of Congress Classification,a Statistical Tool for Collection Management Decisions

This article presents the results of a long-term study of the use of print monographs in a non-circulating fine arts library spanning a period of seven academic years, from September 2008 through June 2015. The data were collected daily across the entire collection and are analyzed using Library of Congress Classification subclasses. Changes in subject areas of use over time are highlighted. The usefulness of this type of collection analysis to collection managers is discussed, and examples of how the findings are being used at the author's library are presented.     

Big Data: An Introduction for Librarians

Modern life produces data at an astounding rate and shows no signs of slowing. This has lead to new advances in data storage and analysis and the concept of “big data,” that is, massive data sets that can yield surprising insights when analyzed. This column will briefly describe what big data is and why it is important. It will also briefly explore the possibilities and problems of big data and the implications it has for librarians. A list of big data projects and resources is also included.     

Statistical Insight: A Review

Statistical Insight is a database that offers the ability to search across multiple sources of data, including the federal government, private organizations, research centers, and international intergovernmental organizations in one search. Two sample searches on the same topic, a basic and an advanced, were conducted to evaluate the database.     

Seeing Library Data: A Prototype Data Visualization Application for Librarians

Visualizations can add value to raw library data. Tools that programmatically make such visualizations interactive can further increase the value of these data by giving librarians visual tools to analyze their datasets. To demonstrate these benefits, Kingsborough Community College Library built SeeCollections (http://b7jl.org/seecollections), a Web application that visualizes the libraries’ collections of books and e-books. This article discusses the how SeeCollections gathers data from Kingsborough's discovery layer API (Application Programming Interface) and transforms these data to create visualizations for the Web. SeeCollections is a lightweight, proof-of-concept data application based on a vendor API. API data are often accessible in academic libraries but are frequently underutilized. SeeCollections was built to demonstrate the immediate value of these API data sources to Kingsborough librarians by providing a visual interface to discovery layer data. Keeping in mind the broader literature on data visualization, this article will explore how SeeCollections was built.     

How to Drink From a Fire Hose Without Drowning: Collection Assessment in a Numbers-Driven Environment

As collection budgets have dwindled, library acquisitions has become a data-driven field that relies on hard numbers. Libraries are struggling with the demands of adapting to a numbers-driven environment, both from a personnel and a data management perspective. This article includes a literature review, survey results, and practical advice that can be applied to most library environments. A model of transferable outcomes is introduced that encourages libraries to create a data pool of statistical information that can be applied to collections decisions in a variety of ways to quantify the impact of library resources to the broader community.     

Local Journal Utilization Report: Supporting Data for Collection Decisions

The Local Journal Utilization Report (LJUR) is a customized report about an institution's citation and publishing history. Based on data from the Web of Science database, LJUR can be a useful tool for libraries in a variety of capacities, from informing journal cancellation decisions to quantifying institutional research trends.     

Beyond Journal Impact and Usage Statistics: Using Citation Analysis for Collection Development

This article outlines a methodology to generate a list of local core journal titles by doing a citation analysis and details the process for retrieving and downloading data from Scopus. It analyzes correlations among citation count, journal rankings, and journal usage. The results of this study reveal significant correlations between journal rankings and journal usage. No correlation with citation count has been found. Limitations and implications for collection development and outreach are also discussed.     

用“六步法”完成医学论文数据表的审核

通过实例,总结出"六步法",用以审核医学论文的数据表。这有助于编辑系统、全面、有规律地对数据表进行审核,以减少错误,提高编辑效率和编辑质量。     

Assessment in a Tight Time Frame: Using Readily Available Data to Evaluate Your Collection

The William S. Carlson Library of The University of Toledo is experiencing a major renovation project. Its first floor is being transformed into a state-of-the-art information commons. In order to provide the space necessary for this transformation, several collections, specifically the reference and circulating, needed to be moved and shifted in a timely manner. This paper highlights how readily available data were used to evaluate the volumes in the reference collection and the circulating collection in order to maximize the space for the renovation projects.