Linking to Delivery Systems

Last updated
Save as PDF
Share
1. Share
2. Tweet
3. Share

Primo is a discovery and delivery system, but it must link to other systems to provide access to online resources, digital objects, and other services (for example, requesting a physical item from a library).

In most cases the links contain a URL to an external system. In addition, some ILS related services (such as requests, display of full holdings, and display of the library card) can be provided via the OPAC via Primo framework, which displays the ILS services as Primo pages. OPAC via Primo is available out of the box for Aleph, Alma, and Voyager. In principle, it can be implemented with local development for other ILSs as well. For more information on OPAC via Primo, refer to Configuring OPAC Via Primo.

Alma uses a combination of OPAC via Primo (for My Account) and linking directly to Alma mash-up screens that display within the Primo GetIt! Tabs for Alma services. For more information, refer to the Alma - Primo Integration Guide, which is included with the Alma documentation.

Links to external delivery systems are provided in the following contexts:

The GetIt! functionality, which provides a link to the best delivery option (Get It! Link 1) and an additional service (Get It! Link 2) as relevant. Links that display in the full record results page.
A link to My Library Card from the user’s workspace (when OPAC via Primo is not available).
Additional links, such as the following:
- A link to a link resolver’s A-Z e-Journals list. For Alma, an A-Z list displays as a Primo page. For more information, see A-Z List in the Alma - Primo Integration Guide.
- A link to bX to request recommendations in the Recommendations tab.

Types of Links

Primo uses the following types of links:

Static – A static link is a valid URL that is stored in one of the link fields of the PNX record. For example, if a source record includes MARC 856 tags, they will probably be normalized to the PNX links/linktorsrc field as a static link.
Calculated – Most URLS in Primo are calculated URLs, which means that Primo creates the URL dynamically based on a template that is defined in the Back Office.

Delivery templates are stored in the Templates mapping table under the Delivery subsystem. OPAC via Primo has its own set of Templates in the ILS Adaptors mapping table under the ILS Gateway subsystem.

For information on configuring delivery links, see the following sections: