Linker

So the folks at the main office are implementing an OpenURL resolver, SFX for this fall. Basically, this gets readers from a database to an article by removing some intermediate steps. This morning a bunch of folk got together to discuss how it will look, what options our readers will have, etc.

At one point, an astute colleague pointed out that inexperienced library users sometimes have a conceptual problem of what sits inside of what. Is the article in the database or in a book? What exactly constitutes a journal anyway?

Up till now I've had a hard enough time just explaining what peer-reviewed means. And just because it's in a peer-reviewed journal, doesn't mean it's a peer reviewed article. I looked at a 'scholarly journal' the other day that was just obituaries.

I'm very curious to see how people will be using this new service. We know so little about how people actually use this stuff. Actually, I don't really know how I use it.