Configuring Ebsco API for Full Text Linking via Alma and SFX link resolvers

Description

Alma and SFX link resolvers can now use an API on EBSCOHOST to pre-check the availability of an item and retrieve the direct URL. This mechanism improves the availability indication where not all articles in a particular issue are available on the EBSCO platform.

Alma and SFX will only show the full text link if the API provides a positive response. In addition, the retrieved URL increases the accuracy of links, especially if there is more than one article published on the same page. Both link resolvers use a plug-in to retrieve the response from EBSCO full text targets, based on information in the OpenURL.  Specifically it helps with:

· metadata mismatches between OpenURL sources and Ebsco targets

· incomplete coverage in some Ebsco targets (only some articles are available in Ebsco in full text, not the complete issue) 

Resolution

Please see the following resources for more information about the use of the EBSCO API for full text linking:

For Alma:

Alma January 2016 Release Notes

You can find step-by-step instructions to configure this feature in the section titled: "Alma Link Resolver Validity Checking for EBSCOhost Full-Text URLs.”  This is also described in the “EBSCO_HOST DATABASES by Parsers” section of the document:  SFX Target and Alma E-Collection Configuration

For SFX:

An overview of this option is included in the following Release Notes document from December 2015:  SFX_Update_20155000_with_SFX_4.8.2_SP,  See the section “Plug-in Program for Ebsco” in Chapter 14 of the SFX Advanced User Guide for instructions on how to configure the Ebsco API.    See also the “EBSCO_HOST DATABASES by Parsers” section of the document: SFX Target and Alma E-Collection Configuration

Additional Information

More information about setting up an EBSCOhost API (EIT) account can be found at:  http://support.ebsco.com/eit/ws_admin.php

More information about EBSCOhost API (EIT) can be found at:   http://support.ebsco.com/eit/ws_api_info.php#b

• Article last edited: 11-Feb-2016