-----Original Message----- From: John Mark Ockerbloom [mailto:ockerblo@pobox.upenn.edu] Sent: Monday, March 04, 2013 7:42 PM To: Wikimedia & Libraries Subject: Re: [libraries] Linking from Wikipedia articles to local library resources
On 3/4/13 9:35 PM, Asaf Bartov wrote:
Hi, John.
This is pretty nifty! Thanks for creating it.
I wonder: would it make sense to connect it to some of the open resolvers out there? (or are those only useful at the item level, whereas this produces searches?)
It depends on how the resolver is set up. Most OpenURL resolvers are primarily designed to link to known items, whereas this is trying to link to groups of items by or about someone or something. But the OpenURL 1.0 specification is pretty open-ended, and could encompass this sort of thing. I decided not to use it to implement this particular service, but if someone's library would provide better results via their OpenURL resolver than via their catalog or other discovery system, I could link to it.
(If anyone would like me to try linking to their library that way, you can let me know when you request service for the library at http://onlinebooks.library.upenn.edu/webbin/olbpcontact?type=library Tell me about your wishes in the "Anything we should know ..." comment space, and leave your contact details in case I have any questions.)
Thanks,
John
John,
What a fantastic idea! Conceptually this is the (ahem) missing link, to realign GWR (Google > Wikipedia > References) to GWL (Google > Wikipedia > Libraries). That's the party line we've been delivering for a long time but without software or practice to materialize the promise.
With that in mind, I quite agree with Asaf that your notion of Forward to Libraries could benefit from using preexisting linking technologies. With all necessary disclosure of my OCLC-partisanship I think that instead of registering libraries through this new UPenn database, it'd make more sense to use the already populated WorldCat Registry[1] . There thousands of libraries are already registered with ties into their Online Catalogs, OpenURL Resolvers, and Virtual References. Just look at the entry for UPenn [2].
This is a tremendous proposal which is theoretically complete. I'd really like to help volunteer time and code to make it work as best as possible.
[1] http://www.worldcat.org/registry/Institutions [2] http://www.worldcat.org/registry/Institutions/2583
Max Klein Wikipedia in Residence kleinm@oclc.org +17074787023