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Skip Navigation LinksEBSCO - Australia - Products & Services - LinkSource - LinkSource FAQs

LinkSource FAQs 

LinkSource FAQs

  1. What is item-level linking?
  2. Does LinkSource provide an interface for database searching?
  3. Is LinkSource a metasearch tool?
  4. How will end users access LinkSource?
  5. Will the library need to add a link to LinkSource on their library resources page?
  6. Does LinkSource have a separate administrative interface?
  7. How can customers activate LinkSource with their vendors?


  1. What is item-level linking?
    Most databases allow the end user to find items (articles, books, documents, etc.) on a particular topic. Links provided at the item level to either the full text of an item or to other resources relevant to the item are referred to as "item-level links." LinkSource provides item-level links.

  2. Does LinkSource provide an interface for database searching?
    No, LinkSource is not a search interface. Its role is to construct context-sensitive links to full text or other services related to an item being referenced.

  3. Is LinkSource a metasearch tool?
    No, LinkSource is not a search interface. See the definition for "Metasearch Engine" in the Glossary below.

  4. How will end users access LinkSource?
    LinkSource is accessed from links that will be found, at the item level, in a variety of online information systems. A user's research starts in an OpenURL-compliant system (such as EBSCO Publishing's EBSCOhost® service or Medline's PubMed®). Once an item of interest is found, a click on the LinkSource link or icon allows the user to view the menu of LinkSource links.

  5. Will the library need to add a link to LinkSource on their library resources page?
    No, LinkSource is accessed from within other online information resources, not directly, and will be activated from within each of these systems.

  6. Does LinkSource have a separate administrative interface?
    LinkSource is managed through the EBSCO A-to-Z® administrative application. The customer will decide the configuration display rules to drive LinkSource. Setup of SmartLinks and CustomLinks are handled through the CustomLink Manager.

  7. How can customers activate LinkSource with their vendors?
    Some vendors require that customers activate LinkSource within the vendors' administrator sites, and others require an e-mail from the customer. Either way, we have done the research for customers. Visit the EBSCO Support site, which has numerous FAQs about activating LinkSource for specific vendor sites.

Most databases allow the end user to find items (articles, books, documents, etc.) on a particular topic. Links provided at the item level to either the full text of an item or to other resources relevant to the item are referred to as "item-level links." LinkSource provides item-level links. No, LinkSource is not a search interface. Its role is to construct context-sensitive links to full text or other services related to an item being referenced. No, LinkSource is not a search interface. See the definition for "Metasearch Engine" in the Glossary below. LinkSource is accessed from links that will be found, at the item level, in a variety of online information systems. A user's research starts in an OpenURL-compliant system (such as EBSCO Publishing's EBSCOhost® service or Medline's PubMed®). Once an item of interest is found, a click on the LinkSource link or icon allows the user to view the menu of LinkSource links.No, LinkSource is accessed from within other online information resources, not directly, and will be activated from within each of these systems. LinkSource is managed through the EBSCO A-to-Z® administrative application. The customer will decide the configuration display rules to drive LinkSource. Setup of SmartLinks and CustomLinks are handled through the CustomLink Manager. Some vendors require that customers activate LinkSource within the vendors' administrator sites, and others require an e-mail from the customer. Either way, we have done the research for customers. Visit the EBSCO Support site, which has numerous FAQs about activating LinkSource for specific vendor sites.


Glossary

The following is a list of terms and definitions commonly referenced when describing link resolvers such as LinkSource.

Context Sensitive Links
  The "context" of a link is considered before LinkSource decides to present the link. The "context" of the link often relates to the item, the user and the source of the link. Rules can be applied to show links for certain user groups, genres, journals, etc.
Cookie Pusher Many OpenURL-enabled resources (such as CrossRef-member publishers' journals) discover that a user has access to a link server by looking for a permanent cookie on the user"s browser. The Cookie Pusher is a script that operates on OpenURL-enabled sites (again such as CrossRef) that allows the library to "push" a cookie to the user's browser with the correct link server information. The Cookie Pusher scripts are usually activated via icons that appear on the library's resources page.
Item-Level Links Most databases allow the end user to locate items (such as articles, books, documents, etc.) on a particular topic. Links to either the full text of an item or to other resources related to the item are referred to as "item-level links". LinkSource provides item-level links.
LinkSource Menu The LinkSource interface presents the user with a list of links relevant to the item in question. This list of links is referred to as the LinkSource menu.
Link Resolver A link server. A Web-based application that accepts item information (normally citation data formatted according to OpenURL standard) as URL parameters and attempts to locate relevant and context-sensitive links for the item described. The link resolver presents the user with a list of appropriate links.
Link Server See Link Resolver.
Metasearch Engine A software interface that is designed to search many databases no matter where they are hosted (often simultaneously). The role of the metasearch engine is to provide a uniform search interface for all of a library's online resources. LinkSource IS NOT a metasearch engine. The role of LinkSource is to construct context-sensitive links to full text or other services related to an item being referenced.
OpenURL A syntax for describing an item (e.g., metadata elements) on a URL. Used primarily for use with link resolvers. OpenURL has been made a national industry standard.
OpenURL-compliant An application that can generate URLs that meet the OpenURL specifications. See the definition above for "OpenURL."
QueryString Part of a URL that follows the "?" normally in the form of name-value pairs. Variables are represented on a URL in the query string.
Resolver See Link Resolver.
Source An OpenURL-compliant Web-based application that can generate a link that points to LinkSource.
Target A Web-based application that LinkSource can link to. The links that display on the LinkSource menu are the targets.
URL Universal Resource Locator, normally in the form of http://www.somesite.com. This is a link to a Web page.
URL Parameters See Query String.

 
 

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