10,221 research outputs found

    Discovery layers and discovery services

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    The NIF LinkOut Broker: A Web Resource to Facilitate Federated Data Integration using NCBI Identifiers

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    This paper describes the NIF LinkOut Broker (NLB) that has been built as part of the Neuroscience Information Framework (NIF) project. The NLB is designed to coordinate the assembly of links to neuroscience information items (e.g., experimental data, knowledge bases, and software tools) that are (1) accessible via the Web, and (2) related to entries in the National Center for Biotechnology Information’s (NCBI’s) Entrez system. The NLB collects these links from each resource and passes them to the NCBI which incorporates them into its Entrez LinkOut service. In this way, an Entrez user looking at a specific Entrez entry can LinkOut directly to related neuroscience information. The information stored in the NLB can also be utilized in other ways. A second approach, which is operational on a pilot basis, is for the NLB Web server to create dynamically its own Web page of LinkOut links for each NCBI identifier in the NLB database. This approach can allow other resources (in addition to the NCBI Entrez) to LinkOut to related neuroscience information. The paper describes the current NLB system and discusses certain design issues that arose during its implementation

    All roads lead to Rome: channelling inter-campus, interlibrary and off-campus requests through a single user interface

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    The message from remote library clients is clear and unequivocal - they want material quickly and easily. They would prefer not to have to differentiate between the three library services of intercampus, interlibrary, or off-campus requests - they just want a particular document or book forwarded to them as soon as possible. At the University of Southern Queensland Library, VDX software has been utilised to provide a single search and request interface for library material. Differentiating between individual clients,it displays and activates only those services for which a particular client is eligible. Remote undergraduates for example, have the ability to search and request from USQ catalogue only, while those students eligible for interlibrary loans can search and initiate requests across a range of catalogues. Whilst simplifying processes for clients, the challenge to Library staff has been to successfully manipulate the software and work processes to handle this complex arrangement. This paper will discuss the introduction of this new initiative focusing on the following issues: - Background - Client view - Dual services and associated challenges - Impact on staff - Improvements planned in the next six months - Marketing - Conclusio

    Library Resources: Procurement, Innovation and Exploitation in a Digital World

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    The possibilities of the digital future require new models for procurement, innovation and exploitation. Emma Crowley and Chris Spencer describe the skills staff need to deliver resources in hybrid and digital environments. The chapter demonstrates the innovative ways that librarians use to procure and exploit the wealth of resources available in a digital world. They also describe the technological developments that can be adopted to improve workflow processes and they highlight the challenges faced on this fascinating journey

    Simplifying resource discovery and access in academic libraries : implementing and evaluating Summon at Huddersfield and Northumbria Universities

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    Facilitating information discovery and maximising value for money from library materials is a key driver for academic libraries, which spend substantial sums of money on journal, database and book purchasing. Users are confused by the complexity of our collections and the multiple platforms to access them and are reluctant to spend time learning about individual resources and how to use them - comparing this unfavourably to popular and intuitive search engines like Google. As a consequence the library may be seen as too complicated and time consuming and many of our most valuable resources remain undiscovered and underused. Federated search tools were the first commercial products to address this problem. They work by using a single search box to interrogate multiple databases (including Library catalogues) and journal platforms. While going some way to address the problem, many users complained that they were still relatively slow, clunky and complicated to use compared to Google or Google Scholar. The emergence of web-scale discovery services in 2009 promised to deal with some of these problems. By harvesting and indexing metadata direct from publishers and local library collections into a single index they facilitate resource discovery and access to multiple library collections (whether in print or electronic form) via a single search box. Users no longer have to negotiate a number of separate platforms to find different types of information and because the data is held in a single unified index searching is fast and easy. In 2009 both Huddersfield and Northumbria Universities purchased Serials Solutions Summon. This case study report describes the selection, implementation and testing of Summon at both Universities drawing out common themes as well as differences; there are suggestions for those who intend to implement Summon in the future and some suggestions for future development

    The GLASS project: supporting secure shibboleth-based single sign-on to campus resources

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    Higher and Further education institutions in the UK are in the process of migrating their IT infrastructures to exploit Shibboleth technologies for federated access management. Ease of use and secure access are paramount to the successful uptake of these technologies, both from the end user and system administrator perspective. The JISC-funded GLASS project is a one-year project investigating the use of Shibboleth to support single sign-on to a variety of campus resources at the University of Glasgow including browser-based email access; the Moodle online virtual learning environment; the WebSURF online student records facility, and a network filestore browser. This paper describes the implementation issues and experiences gained in rolling out the Shibboleth technologies to support federated access management
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