E-Resource Link Proxying in OneSearch
Proxying helps library users access commercially licensed e-resources off-campus, whether at home, on the road, or even standing on-campus but using a cell phone via the phone’s data plan.
We began by proxying some vendor links, but wanted a solution that allows easy batch proxying of links while also letting library staff control individual links.
OLS’s answer to this challenge is adding a special subfield to all links that need proxying: $xproxy.
For example:
85640 $uhttp://www.llmcdigital.org/default.aspx?redir=90010
$xproxy
$zAccess for CUNY Law School users
This achieves both goals. The subfield is not being used by Aleph, but it is valid cataloging, and lets OneSearch create proxied links on the fly. At the same time, proxied links are made school-specific. In other words, proxied links only display in OneSearch for the school that OWNs the record.
To support this, OLS has globally updated more than 250,000 licensed links in Aleph and OneSearch. In addition, new batch loads from specified vendors now receive the new $xproxy subfield.
Moving forward, control of OneSearch proxying is in the hands of each library.
In the future, when you identify records that need to be proxied and are not,
- many records: please provide a record number list or other way to uniquely identify the group and open a work order asking OLS to batch update the records
- individual records: simply add the $xproxy subfield to relevant 856 fields and save
For records that are proxied and should not be, do the opposite (remove the subfield individually or ask OLS to remove them).
FYI: It usually takes about 12 hours for changes in Aleph to be reflected in OneSearch.
Example of a OneSearch record with proxying, as seen at 2 schools:
- Graduate Center OneSearch (full text link proxied on-the-fly by $xproxy)
- Baruch College OneSearch (no full text link, so nothing to proxy)
For metadata fans, here is a look behind the scenes:
- vendor URL with CUNY ezproxy:http://law.ezproxy.cuny.edu:2048/login?url=http://www.heinonline.org/HOL/Page?handle=hein.beal/bltp0001&id=1&size=2&collection=beal&index=alpha/B_beal#3
- MARC in Aleph (Graduate Center record).
- OneSearch’s XML version of the record (we call this Primo Normalized XML, aka PNX). Check out those linktorsrc fields in the links section!
EZproxy and SIP: Update
This is an update on the recent trouble with the OLS-managed EZproxy servers. As far as we can tell, this was mostly an issue with the Queens College EZproxy instance. That particular instance sees the most usage of all our EZproxy servers.
We solved the problem by adding an additional authentication step that’s invisible to the user. It executes a script that validates the user’s barcode against the Aleph X-Server API.
So if a user’s barcode is at first rejected because the connection exceeds the SIP license limit, the second step is executed and the user has a “second chance” to authenticate.
We have examined our EZproxy log files to make sure that this is not an issue any longer.
Note that the most common problems with authentication are still:
- The user’s barcode is not registered in Aleph, so the user must visit the circulation desk.
- There’s a typo in the barcode (too many or not enough digits), or a different ID is used, or a search string is entered.
- The user has a fine of $5.00 or more.
- The user has a manual block.
If you encounter a barcode that doesn’t authenticate and you can’t figure out why, don’t hesitate to open a work order with the CUNY Service Desk.
Scheduled OneSearch downtime on 04/26/2015
Ex Libris will be performing maintenance in our OneSearch production environment in the wee hours of Sunday, April 26, 2015. The server will be rebooted as part of this process so OneSearch may be unavailable between midnight and 4 AM that morning.
Easily move permanent items into temporary Course Reserves
With our updated version of Aleph, adding items to Course Reserves is easier than ever. (Removing them is a breeze now, too.) Items that are cataloged as being in the “Stacks” or any other permanent collection (including permanent “Reserves”) can be quickly added to the Course Reserves module. This process eliminates the need to edit records in the Cataloging module, allowing a trained College Assistant or student worker to place previously-cataloged items into the temporary Course Reserves, automatically changing their location to “Course Reserves.”
Removing the items added through this process is automated and does not require any manual updates. On the 4th of each month, simply look in the Task Manager for a report named ‘course_resv_inactive_XX’ (where ‘XX’ is your 2-letter institution code). Items in this report will no longer be listed for this course in the OPAC or in OneSearch. When no longer needed, simply delete each item from its corresponding course(s), and the data clean-up is completely finished. A deleted item’s bibliographic record is automatically suppressed.
More details on Aleph Course Reserves can be found on the OLS Support Site.
Recent troubles with centrally-managed EZproxy servers
If you have a centrally-hosted EZproxy instance, you may have noticed an uptick in the number of users reporting authentication problems. This is due to our exceeding our SIP* license limit thanks to the increased use of e-resources (most likely stemming from OneSearch). We are looking into requesting a new SIP2 license from Ex Libris.
Because self-checkout also relies on SIP2, libraries with automated checkout machines may notice more users reporting problems with their barcodes there, too.
While we wait for the new license from the vendor, users experiencing problems with their barcodes should wait a few minutes before trying to re-connect to the database or checkout a book using a self-checkout station.
* The SIP server is used to query the Aleph patron file with the barcode.
