Post on 28-Nov-2014
description
Everything You Always Wanted To Know About SFX …
LRC Helpdesk TrainingJune 2012
What is ‘SFX’
• Link resolver and knowledge base for e-journals and e-books, from ExLibris
• Links into iCat through regular harvesting of basic metadata
• Generates A-Z list of e-journals and SFX menu• Allows linking out from databases to full-text• Doesn’t stand for anything now but was
originally ‘special effects’ and originated at Ghent University in the late 1990s
What does this mean in practice?
• One-stop list of e-journals (and eventually, e-books) from every provider, in one place
• As this is the oldest link resolver on the market, it is very technical compared to competitors such as SerialsSolutions
• Allows a range of linking (to full text, abstract, TOC) if we wished to set this up
• From databases and iCat full-text articles can be accessed within two clicks
Behind the scenes …
Where most of the work happens
First, what about that terminology?!
• Source = where the search process begins• Target = database or provider• Object = journal or book• Object portfolio = journal or book within a
target• Linking parameters = authentication• Institutes = different sites (not used)
Sources include …
• iCat• Databases with the ‘Find it!’ button• COPAC• Google Scholar• SFX Citation List and A-Z list of e-journals• Zetoc
Targets include …
• All the usual databases – but at the moment with standard system generated names so ‘Science Direct’ is ‘NESLI2 Elsevier Science Direct Freedom Collection’
• Some miscellaneous groups such as ‘Free e-journals’ which are lists from different providers, brought together
• Services such as Amazon (for book reviews)
Target list – a tick means ‘active’
Understanding what the buttons mean
Investigating an active target
Investigating an active target service - 1
Investigating an active target service - 2
Investigating active object portfolios
Behind the scenes of object portfolios
Terminology again!
• Target Service Parser – system generated, otherwise we use BULK:BULK and link to journal homepage URL only
• Parser – only used if a target service one does not exist
• Parse Param – identifying code for the journal, usually taken from the URL
• Threshold – dates the journal is available to us
An example …
• We would like to activate the journal “Test for SFX” in the database “ADISONLINE”
• First, we need to search the knowledge base to see if this journal (object) already exists – we can search by title and/or ISSN
Searching for an object
If no results, we need to add the object
Adding an object
Title added with system generated identifier (no ISSN)
Now to create a portfolio (linking the object to a target)
Find your target …
Add link through to the journal (parse param)
Adding thresholds (dates)
Finished! Now to check that it works
Generated SFX menu
Harvesting into A-Z list/iCat
• Usually takes 24 hours after setting up a new object portfolio, or making any changes, for it to appear in the A-Z list or iCat
• Titles can be searched in various ways and we have tried to add all previous titles where they are available to us
• E-books are available in iCat only, by title and author
The e-journals A-Z – labels are customizable if we wish
E-journals A-Z, title search
E-journals A-Z, the information button
E-journals A-Z, category browse
E-journals A-Z, locate search (publisher or provider)