Boston College Libraries Technical Guidelines for Database & E-Journal Vendors
The following information outlines the Boston College Libraries environment and the preferred technical requirements for subscription e-resource vendors. Contents 1. Access Mechanisms 2. Authentication/Authorization 3. Content Coverage 4. Use of Content 5. Online Help 6. Usage Statistics 7. Notification of Changes 8. BC Contact Information Appendix A: OpenURL Information Appendix B: MetaLib Information =============================================================== 1. Access Mechanisms • Web Access with Standard Formats – Web access is preferred over standalone databases or CD-ROMs. Access should be simple and involve standard formats, protocols, and applications (http, HTML, PDF, gif, XML, etc). We discourage specialized client applications. Browser Requirements - Resources should support the major Internet browsers including Internet Explorer, Netscape and Safari. Title-level Access - It is extremely important for us to be able to connect from our own Web site menus directly to specific external databases or titles rather than via vendor “welcome” or menu screens.
• •
__________________________________________________________________ Boston College Libraries Technical Guidelines for Database & E-Journal Vendors January 30, 2004 1
•
OpenURL-enabled – BC Libraries have implemented a link server (SFX). It is important that databases and e-journal providers support the OpenURL framework. We prefer resources that are OpenURL-enabled and that allow customization of the OpenURL icon. Electronic works should have permanent identifiers (e.g. DOIs) for citation and linking purposes. Ideally metadata or identifiers should be sent for articles as well as references within articles. BC can use CrossRef to discover DOIs. More information on SFX and the OpenURL can be found at http://www.sfxit.com. More information on DOIs can be found at http://www.doi.org/. See Appendix A for more information on OpenURL. The BC Libraries Base URL is http://metaquest.bc.edu:4000/sfx_local The BC Libraries SFX icon is called Find It and is located at: http://metaquest.bc.edu:4000/sfx.gif
•
Linking to Content – For articles and books we prefer to link directly to content using metadata found in the OpenURL (ISSN or ISBN, Volume, Issue, Page, Date) or if a publisher is a member of CrossRef we can use DOIs to link to content through SFX. Access via Z39.50 or XML gateway - The BC Libraries have implemented the metasearch tool MetaLib from Ex Libris. It is important that we provide access to database and e-journal content through MetaLib using search protocols such as Z39.50 and XML retrieval. Access via HTTP or “screen-scraping” is not desirable. More information on MetaLib can be found at http://www.exlibrisusa.com/metalib/ See Appendix B for MetaLib requirements.
•
2. Authentication / Authorization • Access via IP address - The preferred method of access is via IP authentication for the BC campus. BC uses dynamic IPs and therefore we do not support connections for single or specific IPs. Boston College IP address range is 136.167.*.* • • • Proxy Server - BC uses EZproxy to authenticate remote users. Resources should work within EZproxy configuration guidelines. Personal IDs/Passwords – Authentication via individual id and password is strongly discouraged. Cookies - 'Persistent cookies' are not an acceptable means of authorization or profiling. Public workstations are configured to erase all temporary files each time the browser is restarted. 'Session cookies' used by the vendor solely for authorization or session-management are acceptable.
__________________________________________________________________ Boston College Libraries Technical Guidelines for Database & E-Journal Vendors January 30, 2004 2
3. Content Coverage • The content of the resource should be clearly documented. If the resources covers specific titles (journals, newspapers, books) the following information should be supplied in a text file or spreadsheet format: Title ISSN or ISBN Coverage details: initial volume/issue with month/year For closed titles, ending volume/issue with month/year Title level URL for each journal or instructions for creating BC Libraries should be notified of: Title changes, including new title details and last volume/issue of prior title Titles to be dropped from indexing Titles ceasing publication and date of last indexed issue Titles added to the indexing stream and level of coverage, e.g., cover-tocover or selective indexing.
•
4. Use of Content • • • Perpetual Access – e-journal vendors should provide perpetual access to online content in the event a subscription is cancelled. Interlibrary Loan – ILL should be allowed as directed in US Code Title 17. Downloading into Citation Management Software – BC Libraries support RefWorks and EndNote. Preferred vendors will support the NISO Z39.80 Standard Format for Downloading Records.
5. Online Help • The resource should offer online help, as well as, contact information for additional help.
6. Usage Statistics • BC Libraries support the ICOLC guidelines for web usage statistics and the COUNTER Code of Practice. We will look for vendors and publishers that adopt the COUNTER Code of Practice. Vendors are requested to collect, format and make available usage statistics described in these guidelines. ICOLC: http://www.library.yale.edu/consortia/2001webstats.htm COUNTER: http://www.projectcounter.org/code_practice.html
__________________________________________________________________ Boston College Libraries Technical Guidelines for Database & E-Journal Vendors January 30, 2004 3
7. Notification of Changes to the Resource • BC Libraries should be notified well in advance of any significant changes to the interface or content. Ideally major interface changes should occur during less heavily used times (the summer).
Additionally, we should be notified at least one week in advance of any: Planned service unavailability Expected uptime after extended emergency downtime Any significant change in the content or scope of the database or information service Any significant change or enhancement to the user interface, searching capabilities, technical requirements (e.g., Java, XML, special plug-ins) Any change to existing authentication / authorization techniques Any change to the base URL to which local users and interfaces must connect. (Important in order for us to update local proxy servers and Web interfaces.) Any other change to the service that might affect local systems, user access, local documentation, or the scope and nature of the service. 8. BC Contact Information • General and Technical: Virtual Electronic Resources Access Department, e-mail: conroyc.verad@bc.edu Ordering and Payment: Elvira Reynolds, Head of Acquisitions, e-mail: reynolds@bc.edu, phone: 617-552-3207
•
__________________________________________________________________ Boston College Libraries Technical Guidelines for Database & E-Journal Vendors January 30, 2004 4
Appendix A: OpenURL Information The following text was taken from the California Digital Library Technical Requirements for Database Vendors, May 16, 2003. Appendix IV: Use of the OpenURL Standard. http://www.cdlib.org/vendors/CDL_DB_Vendor_Req_051603.rtf OpenURL: Benefits to Vendors and Users Using the OpenURL standard to provide links to content offers the vendor several distinct advantages. A URL for any link can be generated dynamically via a single formatting criterion, with no need to vary the format depending on the source of the material. The vendor need not offer highly customized linking options for individual client groups, since the client group’s local service can now perform that function. Advantages to the user are equally significant. The user gains direct access to both electronic resources licensed specifically for his designated user community and to specialized services (e.g., document delivery) provided by his local library. Moreover, using the OpenURL framework, the library does not need to upload its local data to a variety of different systems, since it can develop and maintain its own link server to handle all customized linking. Transition to the OpenURL standard typically requires only a modest effort from the vendor. Vendors must first have a mechanism for associating the user with his particular client group in order to provide redirection to the appropriate local linking service. This is typically achieved through user profiles (associated with IP ranges and/or username and password authentication), through implementation of the Ex Libris CookiePusher mechanism or through any other technology that is supported by the vendor, e.g., Shibboleth, X.509 certificates, etc. The vendor system will then create OpenURLs for the links on pages sent to the user’s browser so that, when clicked, they lead to the appropriate local services. An OpenURL link is associated with identifiers (e.g., a DOI) or a metadata object that could be an A&I record, a reference in a journal article, a bibliographic record in a library catalog, etc. Ex Libris provides documentation on SFX for vendors: How to Make Information Resources Compatible with SFX Context-Sensitive Reference Linking Servers (http://www.sfxit.com/publications/documentation/sfx_for_ips.pdf) Note The OpenURL Draft Standard (1.0) has been submitted for balloting. Watch the NISO web site for more information on the development of this standard. Z39.88-2003 The OpenURL Framework for Context-Sensitive Services. http://www.niso.org
__________________________________________________________________ Boston College Libraries Technical Guidelines for Database & E-Journal Vendors January 30, 2004 5
Appendix B: MetaLib Information Information Resource Requirements for Interoperability with MetaLib Our library uses MetaLib to provide access to our information resources. For our users, MetaLib is two things: i. ii. A portal in which they can find and link to information resources A metasearch tool in which they can search multiple information resources in one interface
MetaLib Central KnowledgeBase Our library subscribes to the MetaLib Central KnowledgeBase (CKB) Service. Ex Libris maintains a Central KnowledgeBase (CKB) with “configurations” that define the rules for searching and retrieving/parsing records from databases. 1.) Are your database(s) configured as searchable resources in MetaLib’s Central KnowledgeBase? 2.) Do you provide ongoing test access to your databases to Ex Libris so that they can maintain the configuration(s) to your databases? Note: Please contact Ex Libris at metalibkb_changes@exlibris-usa.com for more information about including your database(s) in the MetaLib Central KnowledgeBase. MetaLib Interoperability Requirements Each level is inclusive of all of the previous levels. All links back to your “native” interface must be independent of session. In other words, because records may be saved by users in their MetaLib “eShelf”, the links back to the records in your interface must be resolvable after the initial session has ended. Level 1 – Link-To: o A direct link to the search interface of the database must be available. Level 2 – Search & Link: o Your information resource(s) must be searchable from a metasearch engine. The resource must return the number of hits and a link back to the search results list. Level 3 – Search & Return Brief Record: o Your information resource(s) must return parsable brief records containing enough information to construct an OpenURL. o Your information resource must accept a link back to each record in the result set using metadata that was retrieved in the records. The link must not use sessions.
__________________________________________________________________ Boston College Libraries Technical Guidelines for Database & E-Journal Vendors January 30, 2004 6
Level 4 – Search & Return Full Record: o Your information resource(s) must return parsable full records. o Your information resource must accept a link back to each record in the result set using metadata that was retrieved in the records. The link must not use sessions. Required information i. Connections
When a search is done via MetaLib, a connection is opened to your server from the MetaLib server, which sits on our campus within our IP range. If a user then chooses to link to your interface from MetaLib, that is a separate connection. Please provide details of how this will affect our subscription/pricing. ii. Options for Searching
Please define the protocol(s) that are supported and documented for your information resource(s): 1. Z39.50 1.1 Return records in MARC format 1.2 Return records in XML format 1.3 Return records in SUTRS format Information about z39.50 can be found at http://www.loc.gov/z3950/agency/. 2. HTTP search requests/Web Services/XML Gateways If you can construct an HTTP request to do a search in your database(s), MetaLib can use that to search your database(s). The HTTP requests may be delivered via the GET or POST method and may be packaged as an XML request. Such requests must return the number of hits (which may be parsed from an XML or HTML response). The HTTP request parameters and the parsing of the number of hits must be documented and changes to them must be announced prior to release. 2.1 Return records in XML format marked up with MARC21 field tags 2.2 Return records in XML format; requires documentation of the possible “fields”. Normally, that information would be contained in a DTD or schema, but it doesn’t necessarily have to be in that format. 2.3 Return records in HTML
__________________________________________________________________ Boston College Libraries Technical Guidelines for Database & E-Journal Vendors January 30, 2004 7
3. API An API supporting the following tasks: Minimum requirements Search Return number of hits Return records, preferably marked-up in a standard format. [Note that returning records is a requirement for full interoperability, but can also be replaced with a link to the records within your interface.] Preferred requirements: Search Default set of fields (Title, Author, Abstract, Subjects, and other relevant fields) Search Title Search Author Search Subject Search ISSN Search ISBN Search Year Return number of hits Return records in XML marked-up with MARC21 Note NISO is in the process of developing standards for metasearching. Compliance with these developing standards may be required. Watch this space: http://www.niso.org/committees/MS-workshop.html
__________________________________________________________________ Boston College Libraries Technical Guidelines for Database & E-Journal Vendors January 30, 2004 8