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FirstSearch direct article access

Linking from your library's web pages to the full text of journal articles in FirstSearch

Library staff can add links on their library's web pages that lead directly to the full text of journal articles available in the OCLC FirstSearch service. This lets library users click a link to access the full text of a journal article and then return to their library's web pages without seeing other FirstSearch screens. This direct article access supports electronic reserves or reading lists that libraries might provide on their web pages. It is another way that FirstSearch adds value to libraries' FirstSearch subscriptions and helps libraries deliver full text to users.

This document contains information and instructions for library staff members who provide direct article access to their users.

How it works

The following list describes how direct article access works:

  1. In the FirstSearch administrative module, you indicate which databases in your account contain the full text of articles to which you want to link. The information needed to create direct article access links will be available in those databases only. For more information, see The administrative module in this document.
  2. You access the FirstSearch service using IP-address recognition or WebScript automatic logon scripting. You find full text to which you want to link. And you get the information needed to create links to the full text. For more information, see The process in this document.
  3. Using the full-text linking information, you add to your library's web pages links that lead directly to the full text of particular journal articles in particular databases. The links use IP-address recognition or WebScript automatic logon scripting. For more information, see Creating IP-address recognition links or Creating WebScript automatic logon scripting links in this document.
  4. Your library users click the link to access the journal article without seeing other FirstSearch screens. After using the article, they can click their browser's Back button to return to your library's web pages.

Requirements and costs

This section contains information about the requirements and costs of direct article access.

Requirements

The following are requirements for using FirstSearch direct article access:

  • Use IP-address recognition or WebScript automatic logon scripting to access FirstSearch.
  • Include in your FirstSearch account databases containing the full text of journal articles.
  • In the FirstSearch administrative module, turn on access to the full text that you want to make available through direct article access, including full text available through per-article purchase. Do not set the full text delivery method to E-mail only.
  • If you require your users to enter a full-text password, they must also type the password to view the full text when they click on a direct article access link.

See the More information section for links to information about IP-address recognition, WebScript automatic logon scripting, per-article purchase, and the FirstSearch administrative module.

Databases included

The FirstSearch databases used to provide direct article access contain the full text of journal articles. They also contain ISSNs and other information needed to identify a specific article. These databases include Electronic Collections Online (ECO), Periodical Abstracts, Wilson Select Plus, and others.

The databases in your FirstSearch account that can be used to provide direct article access are identified in the FirstSearch administrative module. See The administrative module in this document for more information.

Costs

For full text covered by a FirstSearch subscription, there are no additional charges for direct article access.

For full text covered by a per-search account, by monthly billing, or by per-article purchase, the usual full-text charges apply:

  • When you view full text to get the information needed to create a direct article access link
  • When you view full text while testing a link
  • When someone views full text after clicking a link

You control the costs of direct article access in the following ways:

  • You decide which articles to provide.
  • You choose the databases from which the full text is supplied.
  • In the FirstSearch administrative module, you control the availability of the information needed to create the links.

Session control

Clicking a direct article access link does not open a FirstSearch session or use any ports (simultaneous logons) of a FirstSearch subscription.

Duration of links

Direct article access links do not expire. They work as long as the direct article access requirements are met. When a link is no longer needed, remove it from your web pages.

Different from the links in e-mailed records

Direct article access links differ from the full-text links included in records sent by e-mail from FirstSearch. Although those links do not require IP-address recognition or WebScript automatic logon scripting, they are not appropriate for electronic reserves or reading lists because they expire one week after being sent.

Direct article access links do not expire but they do require IP-address recognition or WebScript automatic logon scripting.

Getting information needed to create links

This section provides tips about getting the information needed to create links for direct article access.

The administrative module

Control of information availability. In the FirstSearch administrative module, you control the availability of the information needed to create direct article access links. In the Direct Article Access column on the Database Access screen in the module, a check box appears for each database in your FirstSearch account that contains full text to which you can link. In that column, you can turn the availability of the information on (checked) or off (unchecked) for each database. In order to turn the availability on for a database, the box in the Access column for the database must also be checked so the full text is available for viewing.

If the availability of the information is on for a database, the Link Pickup button appears in FirstSearch with the full text of articles from the database. If the availability is off, the button does not appear. If the button appears, you can click it to access the Link Pickup screen containing the information needed to create a direct article access link.

Availability of per-article purchase. Per-article purchase lets you provide access to the full text of journal articles included in FirstSearch but not covered by your FirstSearch subscription.

If your library uses per-article purchase, you can make the full text of its journal articles available through direct article access.

Your library can use per-article purchase if your account includes a full-text database that offers it. A Per-Article Purchase section appears in the main menu of the administrative module if your library can use per-article purchase.

For databases that offer per-article purchase, the name of the database is highlighted and underlined on the Database Access screen. You can click the name of the database to go to the Journal Settings screen for the database.

To use per-article purchase, you must turn it on in the administrative module:

  • Check the box in the Access column on the Database Access screen for a full-text database that offers per-article purchase, and
  • Check the box in the Enable Purchase column of that database’s Journal Settings screen for one or more journals.

Users and the information. If you do not want your users to access the Link Pickup screen, you can turn availability on when you want to get information for links and turn it off when you finish. The links that you create work when information availability is on or off.

Multiple FirstSearch accounts. If you have multiple FirstSearch accounts, each account has availability settings that you can adjust.

Default availability settings. The default availability setting in the administrative module for each database depends on the method used to purchase full text from the database.

Full text
purchase method		 Default availability setting for direct article access information
Monthly billing Off (unavailable)
Per-search Off (unavailable)
Subscription On (available)

See the More information section for links to information about IP-address recognition, WebScript automatic logon scripting, per-article purchase, and the FirstSearch administrative module.

The process

To obtain the linking information:

  1. If you have multiple FirstSearch accounts, get the linking information using the account through which your users will view the full text. This ensures that the link you provide will lead users to the full text you selected.
  2. Access FirstSearch using IP-address recognition or WebScript automatic logon scripting. If you use manual logon, you cannot get the information needed for links.
  3. Search for the full text of a needed journal article to ensure that the full text is available in a database from which you want to provide it. The full-text links in FirstSearch indicate the database that contains the full text.
  4. Click a full-text link to view the full text.
  5. Click the Link Pickup button located above the full text to view the Link Pickup screen containing the information needed to prepare a direct article access link to the full text.
  6. Get the information from the Link Pickup screen using one of the options provided.

Note: If there is no Link Pickup button located above the full text, the database does not contain the needed linking information or the availability of the direct article access information is turned off in the administrative module.

The information

The following information is included on the Link Pickup screen:

  • The title, author, and source of the journal article
  • An IP-address recognition URL for the full text
  • WebScript option values for the full text
  • A text box in which you can add any other needed information or notes

SICI and database. The IP-address recognition URL and WebScript option values include the journal article's SICI and the database that contains the full text. A SICI (Serial Item and Contribution Identifier) consists of the ISSN of the journal and available data about the article, such as an abbreviation of the title, volume, date, and page number.

The options

You have the following options for getting the information from the Link Pickup screen:

  • Send it in an e-mail message from FirstSearch to yourself or someone else. The subject line of the message that FirstSearch sends is Link Pickup followed by the title of the article.
  • Download it to your computer in a text file.
  • Copy it from the screen and then paste it into a web page or document using an HTML editor or other software.
  • Right click on the Link Pickup link on the screen to copy a shortcut containing the IP-address recognition URL.

Creating IP-address recognition links

This section contains information about creating IP-address recognition links for direct article access. See the More information section for a link to information about IP-address recognition.

URL example

The following example from a Link Pickup screen is the URL for the full text of Test flight by Marcia Yablon that appeared in The New Republic, v.223, n.18, p.24. The full text is available in the Wilson Select database.

http://firstsearch.oclc.org/FSIP?sici=0028-6583%2820001030%29223%3A18%3C24%3ATF%3E&dbname=WilsonSelect

The URL contains the sici and dbname components needed to lead directly to the full text of a particular journal article in a particular database. The URL also contains the basic URL for FirstSearch (firstsearch.oclc.org) and FSIP (indicating that IP-address recognition access is being used).

Additional URL components

Depending on your library's needs, you might add one or more of the following components to the URL taken from the Link Pickup screen:

  • route component. Add &route=dedip to use OCLC Dedicated TCP/IP communications instead of the Internet to view the full text. Add &route=global to use Digital Island. Add &route=uk to use the UK node.
  • autho component. Add &autho=xxxxxxxxx if you have multiple FirstSearch authorizations and the default FirstSearch authorization for your IP-address recognition access to FirstSearch is not the authorization you want to use to access the full text of the journal article. Replace xxxxxxxxx with the authorization you want to use.
  • language component. Add &language=french if you want to use the French version of instructions and labels for the full text instead of the English version. Add &language=spanish if you want to use the Spanish version.

Do not add the journal component for direct article access. It is not needed and it may prevent access to the full text.

Other URL components have no effect on direct article access.

URL Syntax rules

URLs included on the Link Pickup screen use the following syntax rules:

  • FSIP is the first component after the basic URL.
  • / precedes FSIP.
  • ? follows FSIP and separates it from the other components.
  • & separates other components.

Link testing

Test any links that you create for direct article access to make sure they work correctly.

Creating WebScript automatic logon scripting links

This section contains information about creating WebScript automatic logon scripting links for direct article access. See the More information section for a link to information about WebScript automatic logon scripting.

WebScript option values example

The following example from a Link Pickup screen contains the WebScript option values for the full text of Test flight by Marcia Yablon that appeared in The New Republic, v.223, n.18, p.24. The full text is available in the Wilson Select database.

:sici=0028-6583%2820001030%29223%3A18%3C24%3ATF%3E
:db=WilsonSelect:

The example contains values for the sici and db options that let WebScript take the user directly to the full text of a particular journal article in a particular database.

Recommended WebScript implementation

The following recommended process uses the WebScript 2.00 automatic logon application and script template to implement direct article access using WebScript.

  1. To include the sici option in a WebScript 2.00 script, add a SET command for the option and add the option to the script's SEND command.
    • SET "sici=none"
    • SEND "GET /WEBSCRIPT:timeout=$timeout$
      :fttimeout=$fttimeout$:language=$language$;
      :topic=$topic$:db=$db$:sici=$sici$
      :journal=$journal$:screen=$screen$:logo=$logo$
      :done=$done$;&autho=$autho$&password=$password$
      ::: HTTP/1.0\r\n\r\n"
  2. Set the values for the following options in the script:
    • Path to the WebScript application on your host machine
    • Host address for FirstSearch
    • FirstSearch authorization number
    • FirstSearch password
    • Language, if you want to use French or Spanish instructions and labels for the full text instead of English
  3. Set the values for the following options in links to the script:
    • Database (db option)
    • Serial Item and Contribution Identifier (sici option)
  4. Do not set a value for the journal option because it is not needed and may prevent access to the full text.
  5. Do not set values for other options because they have no effect on direct article access.

Link testing

Test any links that you create for direct article access to make sure they work correctly.

Support and statistics

This section contains support and statistics information for direct article access.

Remote access to full text

A user accessing your web page from a remote location cannot use direct article access provided through IP address recognition if the user's IP address is not covered by your IP-address recognition request. Remote access is supported by WebScript automatic logon scripting. See the More information section for a link to information about WebScript automatic logon scripting.

Link failures

If a direct article access link does not work correctly, the user may be taken to the FirstSearch manual logon screen. The user can click the browser's Back button to return to your library's web pages.

Statistics

Journal articles viewed through direct article access are included in usage statistics for documents accessed. However, no sessions or searches are counted for usage statistics when users click on direct article access links to view full text.

Direct journal access

You can also add links on your library's web pages or in your library's online catalog that lead directly to specific journals within the Electronic Collections Online database in FirstSearch. See the More information section for a link to information about direct journal access.

More information

The following links lead to information related to direct article access:

The FirstSearch administrative module is available at
< http://firstsearch.oclc.org/admin >.

Support

Use the standard FirstSearch support options if you need assistance with direct article access.