OpenURL compliance

In addition to the URL string parameters provided by the RefTracker Data dictionary, OpenURL parameters are supported by RefTracker.

Where you have a product that provides item information in OpenURL compatible Request form parameters, RefTracker will automatically recognize those parameters and place the data provided into relevant RefTracker fields.

So, for example, if you use the Summon product as a discovery layer, you can link your RefTracker Article request, or ILL request form into Summon and Summon will automatically append the OpenURL parameters describing the item being viewed, so that the RefTracker form will display with the bibliographic information already filled into the appropriate fields.

Summon will ask if the form is OpenURL compliant and if you indicate it is, you just provide the base URL for that form, and Summon will automatically add the OpenURL parameters to it.

Another example system requires that you indicate addition of openURL parameters like this:

http://patch.altarama.con/reft100.aspx?key=DocDel&[OpenURL]

Here’s what you need to know about using OpenURL with RefTracker:

The OpenURL parameters may well provide more bibliographic information than your form has been set up to accept.  When that occurs:
– If the field provided by OpenURL does not exist in the form then the value will be added to the bib_comment field.
– If the bib_comment field does not exist on the form then the bib_comment field will be added to the form as a hidden field.
– If there are no bib fields included in the RefTracker form, the OpenURL data will be ignored (so the form must include at least the Title field).

RefTracker supports both the KEV key, Monograph and Serial parameters provided by OpenURL.

Here is an example Open URL compliant URL that inserts “This book title” in the title field of the New Book form
http://patch.altarama.com/reft100.aspx?key=NewBook&url_ver=Z39.88-2004&rft_val_fmt=info:ofi/fmt:kev:mtx:book&rft.btitle=This%20book%20title

Here is an example of an OpenURL and how its data is imported into RefTracker:

http://dalapp330/reft100.aspx?key=DocRequest_Discovery&rft_val_fmt=info%3Aofi%2Ffmt%3Akev%3Amtx%3Abook&ctx_enc=info%3Aofi%2Fenc%3AUTF-8&rft.pub=Elsevier+Scientific+Pub.+Co.%2C&ctx_tim=2017-02-21T13%3A57%3A38EST&rft.dat=316549674&rft.place=Amsterdam+%3B&rft_id=info%3Aoclcnum%2F316549674&rfr_id=info%3Asid%2F72113.on.worldcat.org%3Axwc&ctx_ver=Z39.88-2004&rft.isbn=9780444414083&rft.btitle=Oil+shale&rft.genre=book&rft.aufirst=Teh+Fu&rft.pages=1+online+resource+%28292+pages%29+%3A&url_ctx_fmt=info%3Aofi%2Ffmt%3Akev%3Amtx%3Actx&rft.aulast=Yen&rfr.id=316549674&rft.id=316549674&url_ver=Z39.88-2004&rft.date=1976.&ctx_id=316549674

RefTracker’s Data dictionary URL parameters are all still valid and can be mixed with OpenURL parameters.  Any parameters that are not valid for OpenURL or for the RefTracker Data dictionary will be ignored.

Here are the valid OpenURL parameters:

The rft_val_fmt parameter must exist, AND book or journal must appear as the 5th sub-value of that parameter (using : to separate the values).

If this parameter is not present then there will be no mapping of OpenURL parameters operation performed.

The book or journal value is used to load the appropriate map of valid parameters, as follows. 

In RefTracker, the RefTracker fields that OpenURL data is loaded into are specified by the following files in the reftracker/config/settings:

OpenURLMap_book.xml

OpenURLMap_journal.xml

OpenURLKeys.xml

For those wanting to know more about using and implementing OpenURL, here’s some useful links:

The standard – http://www.niso.org/publications/z3988-2004-r2010