Page Comparison

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Recommendations

Worldcat-Primo Integration:

Campuses will select the Discovery FG recommends allowing campuses to choose one of three options for Worldcat/Primo integration most appropriate for based on their campus user needs. The following are recommended approaches to integration:: 1. separate profile; 2. link out to WorldCat; 3. combination.

1. Display Worldcat materials within Primo via a separate search profile

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• Users must navigate out to a separate system to discover materials

• Using “Get it at UC” to request materials may be less intuitive to new users (and, depending upon which Worldcat we send users to, could require VPN/Proxy to see the “Get it at UC” button)

3.

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Both: link(s) out to Worldcat and create a separate search profile

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Version of Worldcat

Discovery FG recommends allowing campuses to choose whether they will send their users to Worldcat.org or their campus Basic Worldcat Discovery when using a native Worldcat interface will benefit their users.

If a campus does choose to link to Worldcat.org, Discovery FG recommends that the campus indicate to the user that they must be on campus VPN/Proxy in order to access the “Get it at UC” link/button to make a request. This could be done in the text around the link, the link text itself, or via a pop-up alert for users not on the campus IP (see UCI’s VPN pop-up code).

Reasoning

Each approach has pros and cons. Campuses should consult with local stakeholders (eg. instruction, reference, and interlibrary loan departments) to determine which approach best fits their needs.

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1. Records found in a Primo search profile, such as the Worldcat search profile, or CDI materials in the Articles, Books, and More search profile (when libraries do not filter by availability or users expand their search)
   A link to the Request form should appear in the How to Get It tab in these records for signed-in users.
   

2. OpenURL records generated via “Fetch Item”
   Users enter citation information to generate the OpenURL record. A link to the Request form should appear in the How to Get It tab in these records for signed-in users. Note that users can enter very minimal citation information, which can result in low quality request submissions.
   

3. OpenURL records generated via “Get It at UC” (ie. link resolver)
   When users click the “Get it at UC” button, they will be directed to an OpenURL record in their campus Primo. If the desired item is not available at their UC, signed-in users will see a link to the Request form in the How to Get It tab.
   

4. Blank ILL Request form
   Users manually enter a citation into a resource sharing request form. This option does not check Primo to see if the item is available at the local campus or UC system before submission of the request. Also runs the risk of low quality request submissions due to minimally required citation information.

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Two versions of Worldcat are available to UC campus libraries: Worldcat.org and “Basic Worldcat Discovery.” Discoverey FG declined to recommend one version over the other.

• Basic WorldCat Discovery makes it easier to get back to Primo for ILL. The major identified difference between the two systems is that Basic Discovery will display the “Get It at UC” button to all users, regardless of authentication status. In contrast, Worldcat.org will require users to be authenticated (on campus IP) in order to display the “Get It at UC” button.

• Campuses do need to consider options. Even for campuses

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• that choose to include a Worldcat search profile in Primo, there will be times where users may benefit from using a native Worldcat interface rather than the Primo-mediated discovery experience. Therefore, campuses will need to determine which version of Worldcat they will recommend to users.

• Basic WorldCat Discovery is what most campuses are using. Most campus libraries have indicated that they plan to point users to Basic Worldcat Discovery rather than Worldcat.org, when needed. Discovery FG is working on a separate decision regarding the configuration of Basic Worldcat Discovery.

• Both versions of WorldCat send similar data to Primo via OpenURL. Based on brief comparative testing, we believe that both Worldcat.org and Basic Worldcat Discovery send similar data to generate the OpenURL page in Primo.

Working Assumptions

• Resource Sharing will be enabled/available for records generated via OpenURL

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• User needs. How much will our researchers appreciate the ability to start an ILL directly from the Primo interface?

• Common use scenarios. How do our researchers use Worldcat searching, and how well are they supported by including a separate Worldcat scope versus a link out to Worldcat?

  • Example scenario: Worldcat (on campuses that do not use WC Discovery) is used frequently by more advanced researchers looking for a known item that’s not available on their campus. So, for example, a search for older, more unique less-common monographs.

• Quality of WorldCat-only search scope. Primo facets are unavailable within the Worldcat search profile. Discovery FG has also discovered that some special characters (a hyphen with no trailing space and the pound/hash symbol) erroneously result in no records retrieved. How do these limitations impact the user experience and can these impacts be ameliorated?

• Quality of blended search. How well does it work?

  • Results are worse with WorldCat. ExLibris strongly discourages using WorldCat records in default search. Default search ends up the most-used search, and including WorldCat records sort of breaks the facet display because it hides number of results in the facets.
    (From experience, the format of a highlighted “Note” field in Ex Libris documentation is deceptive. It looks mild, with subtle yellow highlighting, but in reality it means ALARM.)

    • “It is not recommended to blend third-party indexes with local and Primo Central searches in the library's default scope since this may impact the end users experience in the areas of facets and relevancy between the different indexes.“ https://knowledge.exlibrisgroup.com/Primo/Product_Documentation/020Primo_VE/Primo_VE_(English)/040Search_Configurations/010Configuring_Search_Profiles_for_Primo_VE

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