Linking: An Overview

North Carolina Serials ConferenceChapel Hill, NCApril 4, 2003

Critical Elements

Clean metadata So content can be found, cataloged, interpreted,

USED Allows for consistent use of terms so making

associations are practical Co-operation

The more participation and agreement on standards, the more useful content becomes

Competition Healthy; means of encouraging continuing attention

paid to user needs, product/service development

Why Link?

Disseminate content as widely as possible Distribution of metadata (rather than full text) to

gateways, databases, portals, etc – easing discovery Increased visibility to diverse user groups

Make content as functional as possible Reference resolution: find resources holding cited

article; created “on the fly” to ensure currency Forward citations: link to succeeding articles which

refer back to it Make links as intelligent as possible

Appropriate copy issues

Content Dissemination

Publisher/agent/ secondary publisher/

et al co-operation needed to build as comprehensive a network as practical

Different links needed for different groups – intermediaries with

subscription activation programs can help with pre-authentication to speed access to full text

The Wish The web provides users with

a simple online interface through which they can seamlessly access all online journals.

The Reality No one entry way exists, and

besides, users favor different starting points…

…So we need to ensure content is available through as many as possible

CrossRef

Perhaps the most significant industry development in recent years: Provides a repository of metadata (DOI) – like a

directory of mobile phone numbers, with automatic dialing

Creates persistent, sustainable links to content, ensuring long-term access to information regardless of location or status of owner

A multi-publisher initiative enabling the linking of references to the cited full text

Facilitates both inbound and outbound linking

Active References

user follows link from citation in full text …

On-the-Fly Resources

… to external resources page: follow link …

Direct Links

… to view result on chosen service

Appropriate Copy

Context-sensitive linking Allows greater control over what resources are

available to users: shows users Appropriate copy Most immediately available copy

Link servers Software enabling context-sensitive linking – helps

makes links more useful by filtering as appropriate

No Links?

Contact Information

Adam CheslerIngenta44 Brattle Street, 4th FloorCambridge, MA 02138

Office: (617) 395-4024Mobile: (617) 230-3201E-Mail: adam.chesler@ingenta.com