NEWS

The LOCKSS Program and Ex Libris SFX Provide Access
to Archived Electronic Resources

Context-sensitive links take users to the full text of archived scholarly material

Ex Libris® Group is pleased to announce the integration of the LOCKSS (Lots of Copies Keep Stuff Safe) Program software with the SFX® OpenURL link resolver. Based at Stanford University Libraries, the LOCKSS Program is an international community collaboration that archives copies of scholarly journals so that library users can continue to access licensed copies when the journals are not available directly from the publisher.

Added as a target in SFX, the LOCKSS service retrieves licensed materials from the library’s own LOCKSS “Box” or archive. Libraries that activate this target can offer uninterrupted access, through SFX context-sensitive links, to scholarly content that is securely archived in their own LOCKSS Box.

The most widely used OpenURL link resolver, SFX® serves over 2,300 institutions in more than 50 countries. Released in 2001 as the first of its kind, SFX offers a wealth of features that go far beyond basic OpenURL link-resolver functionality. In addition to features targeted at end users, SFX includes a variety of services for librarians, such as collection management and analysis tools; an A-Z e-journal list; a query form for Citation Linker; and an option to add the bX recommender service, which helps users discover relevant literature that they would not necessarily have found otherwise.

Victoria Reich, executive director of the LOCKSS Program, commented: “Integrating LOCKSS with the SFX link resolver is an effective way for a library to make its LOCKSS-preserved content available to library users. OPACs and discovery systems already use link resolvers to provide access to a library's online content. The integration of a LOCKSS Box as a link-resolver target provides users with a reliable way to access content, regardless of whether it is still available from the publisher.”

“We are delighted to see the integration between LOCKSS and SFX,” remarked David Beychok, vice president of discovery and delivery solutions at Ex Libris. “End users will now be able to reach the full text of licensed archived journal articles via the same tools that they are accustomed to using. This winning combination thus enables libraries to continue meeting their users’ need for reliable access to scholarly content, wherever the content is stored.”

A white paper with more information is available from the LOCKSS Program Web site:
http://www.lockss.org/locksswiki/files/SFX_Integration_White_Paper.pdf.

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