Getting Started With
LinkOut
Denise O’Shea
Technology Coordinator
National Network of
Libraries of Medicine
Middle Atlantic Region
Susan Barnes
Resource Sharing Coordinator
National Network of
Libraries of Medicine
Pacific Northwest Region
2
Objectives
• At the end of this class you will be able
to:
–
–
–
–
–
Explain what LinkOut is
Register for a LinkOut account
Set up library identity information
Enter your library’s holdings
Bring free web-based titles into your
collection through LinkOut
– Display your library’s icon
– Keep up-to-date with LinkOut developments
Overview
3
What is LinkOut?

a software application designed to provide users with
links to web-accessible resources (e.g. full text
publications, consumer health sites, etc.)

a feature of NCBI’s Entrez database search and
retrieval system that handles external linking to
PubMed and other Entrez databases.

a service that connects PubMed users who are patrons
of the library with the e-journal and serial print
collections.

an interface tool that enables patrons to distinguish
journal articles available in full text from those only
available through publisher links.
Overview
4
LinkOut is Not…
Common misconceptions:

NOT application that connects patrons to
the NLM “universe.”
Rather: LinkOut is a utility application.
PubMed is the NCBI Entrez database that
connects patrons to NLM’s vast collection.

NOT an application that acts as a conduit
to a higher level of access.
Rather: LinkOut icons provide “quick-‘n-easy”
access, in accordance with pre-existing
licensing arrangements.
Overview
5
Why You Should LinkOut
• Link your users from PubMed citations to
full-text electronic articles in your
collection.
• Link your users to information about your
library’s print holdings as displayed in
your Serials Holding Record (SERHOLD) in
DOCLINE.
• Enables you to limit your PubMed
searches to your local holdings.
Overview
6
How LinkOut Works
• Publisher provides URL of full-text article
to NLM
• Library registers for LinkOut
• Library sets up links to journal titles
• NLM displays library-specific icons in
PubMed’s Abstract and Citation Formats
• Library’s icon links to full-text article or
print holdings record
Overview
LinkOut for Electronic Journals
• Uses existing links created by
publishers and aggregators
• Follows your authentication rules
• Holdings information is entered with
an easy to use On/Off interface:
7
Overview
LinkOut for Print Journals
Print holdings are pulled directly
from SERHOLD: no muss, no fuss
8
Overview
9
LinkOut in Action: Search Results
Overview
10
LinkOut in Action: Abstract View
Overview
LinkOut in Action: Publisher
11
Overview
LinkOut in Action: Full-Text
12
Overview
LinkOut in Action: SERHOLD
13
Set Up
14
7 Steps to Set Up LinkOut
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
6.
7.
Familiarize
Organize
Register
Customize / Icon-ize
Enter Holdings
Activate
Publicize
Set Up
Step 1: Familiarize
Get to Know LinkOut
Set Up
16
Visit These Web Pages
• Tutorial: Setting Up LinkOut for
Libraries:
http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/entrez
/linkout/doc/linktutorial.html
• Frequently Asked Questions for
LinkOut Libraries:
http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/entrez
/linkout/doc/liblofaq.html
Set Up
17
More Web Pages to Visit
• LinkOut and Library Holdings:
http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/entrez
/linkout/doc/liblinkout.html
• Files Submission Utility Sample
Screens:
http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/entrez
/linkout/doc/liblofaq.html
Set Up
18
Still More Web Pages to Visit
• NN/LM LinkOut Overview Page
http://nnlm.gov/libinfo/ejournals/link
out
• NCBI LinkOut Overview Page
http://ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/entrez/linkout
/doc/lkoverview.html
Set Up
Step 2: Organize
Everything in Its Place
Set Up
20
Things to Do Beforehand
• Discuss LinkOut program with library
staff
• Assign LinkOut contact for LinkOut
program maintenance (put this info in
DOCLINE)
• Analyze e-journal subscription
agreements and holdings
• Develop a list of vendor or publisher
names with titles and years supplied
• Contact providers to join or add
holdings, if necessary
Set Up
21
More Things to Do
• For Print Holdings, know your
DOCLINE LIBID
• Resolve outstanding questions
through your LinkOut
representative:
1-800-338-7657
Set Up
Look Out for These Problems
• Sometimes the provider is not obvious
• Sometimes one journal has multiple
providers
22
Set Up
Look Out for These Problems
23
(pt. 2)
• If you have electronic full-text access
through your subscriptions, you will need
to activate access before adding titles to
LinkOut
• We recommend adding only those
journals that validate IP addresses,
otherwise you will need to give out your
passwords
Set Up
Step 3: Register
Introduce Yourself
Set Up
25
Send Email to [email protected]
Please use this
format:
Subject: LinkOut
Registration Request
Library Name:
Contact Person:
Email address:
Phone Number:
Address:
Set Up
26
NLM Writes Back
• In less than a week, NLM will send you
email containing a username and
password, for example:
– User Name: umalib
– Password: Br76D
• User Name is used in two ways:
– Access to LinkOut files Submission utility
– Identifies your library for PubMed, thereby
activating your icon in PubMed searches
Set Up
Things to Remember in Step 3
• Remember: User names and
passwords are case-sensitive
• Remember: Your user name, which
will be used to identify your library
for LinkOut in general, is different
from your DOCLINE LIBID which is
needed to attach SERHOLD
information to LinkOut
27
Set Up
Step 4: Customize / Icon-ize
Sign In and Complete Identity
Information
Set Up
29
Edit Your Record
Using your user name and
password, sign in to the Submission
utility and enter:
– Library Name
– Library/Organization Public Web Site
URL
– LinkOut Contact Person’s name and
email at your library
Set Up
30
How to Find the Submission Utility
Start with PubMed.gov.
Click on the LinkOut link in the
Sidebar.
Set Up
31
How to Find the Submission Utility
(pt. 2)
On the LinkOut web page, select
the link for Library Submission.
This will bring up the LinkOut
Library Submission
Utility page.
Set Up
32
How to Find the Submission Utility
(pt. 3)
Click on LinkOut
Library Submission
Utility to sign in. You
will be prompted for
your user name and
password
Set Up
33
How to Find the Submission Utility
(pt. 4)
Remember: User
names and passwords
are CaSe sensitive!
Set Up
34
The LinkOut Submission Utility
From this page, you will perform all
editing of your LinkOut preferences
by selecting options from the sidebar.
Choices for editing are: Identity,
Icon, Holdings, and SERHOLD. For
our initial effort, we should choose
Edit Identity
Set Up
35
Edit Library Identity
Here is where you tell
LinkOut who you are and how
you can be contacted.
The contact person
information is not publicly
available.
Please follow the formats
listed above each box.
Remember to click the
Update button when you are
finished.
Set Up
Library Identity Information
• Some of the information entered
into your Library Identity files is
available publicly at this list of
LinkOut Libraries:
http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/entrez
/journals/active_libraries.html
• The “Contact Person” information is
not publicly available
36
Set Up
37
Create Icons For PubMed
• Create icon(s) to represent your library:
• Follow these design parameters:
–
–
–
–
–
–
Recommended size: 100x25 pixels (150x35 max)
Should look like a button
Should have an outline
Not have a white or transparent background.
Readable and easily recognized
Gif, jpg, or png
Set Up
38
Store Your Icon Somewhere
You have three choices for providing
and storing an icon:
1. Self-Hosting: store your icons in a
web-accessible directory, outside any
firewalls on your own server
2. Hosted by NCBI: If you cannot host
your icon(s) on your own web server,
NCBI will host it/them for you
3. Or…
Set Up
39
Default Icons
If you do not create icon(s), PubMed
will generate default buttons:
Set Up
40
Providing an Icon
Sign on to the
Submission
Utility and select
“Provide Icon”
from the sidebar.
Set Up
41
Providing an Icon: 3 Choices
1
3
1.
Supply
the URL
for an
icon on
your
own
server
2.
Upload
an icon
to NCBI
3.
Use the
default
icons
2
Set Up
42
Providing an Icon for Print
The Same three choices apply for the Print
Collection Icon.
Set Up
43
Tips on Creating Icons
• Your marketing department or IT staff
may be able to help you
• Your icon may be your institution’s logo
or a statement such as “Full-text provided
by My Medical Library” or “My Medical
Library Print Collection”
Set Up
44
Tips on Creating Icons
(pt. 2)
• Create two icons: one for your print
collection (SERHOLD), one for your
electronic collection
• Use unambiguous terms on your icons;
many people think that an icon with the
word “Print” on it refers to an action.
Set Up
Step 5: Enter Holdings
Set Up
46
Turning on E-Journal Links
• Have list of journal titles, years, and
providers available
• Login to the Library Submission
Utility
• Select Edit Holdings on the Sidebar
(under Electronic Full-text).
• This will bring you to the Library
Holdings page
Set Up
47
Edit Holdings
Select “Edit
Holdings” from
the Sidebar
Set Up
48
Finding a Journal Title: Three Methods
1
2
Three ways to find
a title in
LinkOut:
1.
2.
3.
3
Provider List
Browse
alphabetical list of
journal names
Search by journal
name, MEDLINE
abbreviation, or
ISSN.
Set Up
49
Search by Provider
• Provider searching is, perhaps, the
quickest and most convenient way
to turn on links
• All titles for a given provider may be
turned with two clicks
• PubMed Central is now a LinkOut
Provider
Set Up
50
Adding By Provider
Provider
searching is an
alphabetical
list of all
LinkOut
Providers.
Set Up
51
Adding a Provider’s Titles
Clicking on a
providers name
brings up a list of
titles with check
boxes for selection
and drop down
boxes for date
manipulation.
Don’t forget to click
the Update button
before going to a
new page!
Set Up
52
Selecting Titles
Click on the
checkbox to add a
journal title.
Use drop down
menus to select the
years which you
own.
Use the delay drop
down to account
for embargoes.
Don’t forget:
Update!
Set Up
Adding by Name or Searching
• Adding by journal name is advisable
if a single journal or a group of
journals from different providers are
to be added
• Adding by searching is ideal if you
wish to find a title by ISSN
53
Set Up
54
Tips For E-Journal Links
• If you subscribe to the entire run of an
electronic title, there is no need to use
the date drop-downs
• Holdings show up by 12 noon the next
business day
• Holdings may be entered in multiple
sessions
• There are a number of free titles available
on the web: all of PubMed Central,
FreeMedicalJournals.com and many
HighWire Press titles (use the delay
feature for these)
Set Up
Free Titles At PubMed Central
• PubMed Central is a free source of
approximately 100 electronic
journals
• 7 new titles forthcoming
• PubMed Central is working to scan
in 70 titles from the Vol. 1 (Titles
included: BMJ, BMLA, J Clin
Microbiology, etc.)
55
Set Up
56
Other Free Journals
Set Up
57
Other Free Journals
(pt. 2)
Set Up
58
Print Holdings
• This option is available only for US
and Canadian libraries
• A Library does not have to store its
serials holdings in SERHOLD to
display print holdings in LinkOut.
There is a file upload option. See
the advanced portion of the online
tutorial for details.
Set Up
59
Print Holdings Display: What You Need
You will need to know the following:
– DOCLINE LIBID for your library
– Where your print collection is physically
located, for example: Journal Stacks or
Current Year (Unbound): First Floor, Main
Branch Reading Room. Previous Years
(Bound): Fourth Floor Open Stacks, Main
Branch. This can be up to 255 characters
long
– URL for your library catalog (optional). If your
URL is included, this link will display with
your print holdings
Set Up
60
Print Holdings via DOCLINE Serial Holdings:
Getting There
Click on LinkOut SERHOLD under
Print Collection.
Set Up
61
Print Holdings Page
From this page, you may register for or turn off Print Holdings
Display or submit a call number file for classified journals
Set Up
62
Registration
The first time you click on “Registration—add or edit library
information,” you will be asked to enter the number of library ids
you will be entering. If you have only one library registered in
DOCLINE, enter “1”
Set Up
63
Registration (Pt. 2)
For each LIBID
enter the id and
physical location
for each print
location
Enter Library
Catalog URL
(optional)
Set Up
64
End of Part 5
• Registration is completed
• Changes, edits, title additions or
deletions show up by noon the next
business day
• If journals are classified by your
library, see the advanced portion of
the online tutorial for call number
submission
Set Up
65
Step 6: Activate
• Once you’ve completed the input of
holdings, the Submission utility will
record changes in NCBI’s LinkOut
database.
• Your library icons will be available in
PubMed the next business day after you
update your files.
• Your library icon will display on the
Abstract and Citation display for those
citations that were included in the utility
session.
Set Up
Two Ways to Activate Icons
• A link on your library website
(preferred):
• Through the cubby:
66
Set Up
67
Activating LinkOut from Library Website
• Preferred method
• Easiest to train patrons on
• Default link to PubMed
• Uses a special URL:
http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/entrez
/query.fcgi?holding=medlib
where medlib is the LinkOut user
name assigned to your library
Set Up
68
Activating LinkOut from Cubby
• Alternate method for activating links
• User logs into Cubby, selects
LinkOut providers and adds them to
her profile
• Works only if user is logged into the
cubby
Set Up
69
A Quick Course on Cubby
•
•
Select Cubby from
the PubMed® screen.
Login to Cubby, or
register for Cubby,
then login.
Set Up
70
A Quick Course on Cubby
•
•
Select My LinkOut
Preferences from the
Cubby menu. This
screen will show you if
you have chosen any
icons to display.
Select Provider
Categories to choose
icons to display.
(pt. 2)
Set Up
71
A Quick Course on Cubby
•
•
•
(pt. 3)
Choose libraries and a list of all LinkOut
Libraries is displayed. You can select to display a
library’s icons by clicking in the “Add Icon” box
to the left of the Library’s name.
When you are finished click the Update
LinkOut Preferences button.
Your preferences are in effect only when you are
logged into the Cubby.
Set Up
72
Step 7: Publicize
• Let your patrons know about LinkOut –
Handouts, bookmarks, classes, etc.
• Bookmark the personalized URL on your
library computers
• Explain to patrons what those icons mean
• Share your LinkOut Statistics, which are
automatically collected by the system, with
your administrators
Set Up
73
Seven Steps Review
1.
2.
3.
4.
Familiarize – read about the program
Organize – review e-journal subscriptions
Register – sign up with NLM
Customize/Icon-ize – create and store
library icon
5. Enter Holdings – input library holdings
6. Activate – display your journal holdings
7. Publicize – let patrons know collection
Using
More LinkOut Tips
Using
Your LinkOut Holdings:
75
Limiting Searches
• A special PubMed filter allows you
to limit your search to articles found
in your LinkOut collection:
loprovmedlib[filter] where medlib is
the LinkOut user name assigned to
your library, using UMB as an
example: loprovumblib [filter]
Using
Your LinkOut Holdings:
76
Limiting Searches
• You may add loprovmedlib[filter] to
any PubMed search:
hypersensitivity [mh] AND asthma
[mh] AND loprovmedlib [filter]
(pt. 2)
Using
Limiting Searches to Free Full Text
• A new filter in PubMed works with LinkOut
to restrict searches to fulltext available free
on the web: Free Full Text[sb]
• Use this filter with any PubMed search:
hypersensitivity[mh] AND asthma[mh]
AND free full text [sb]
77
Using
78
Keeping Up to Date
• You should subscribe to the Library
LinkOut Announcement Mailing list to
keep on top of new developments and to
know when new titles have been added to
LinkOut
• Send an email message with “subscribe”
in the Subject to: [email protected]
• Or on the web at
http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/mailman/lis
tinfo/library-linkout
Beyond Journals
Other LinkOut Resources
79
Beyond Journals
LinkOut to MedlinePlus
80
Beyond Journals
LinkOut to MedlinePlus
81
(pt. 2)
Beyond Journals
LinkOut to Guidelines
82
Beyond Journals
LinkOut to Guidelines
83
(pt. 2)
Beyond Journals
Non-Bibliographic Providers
84
Beyond Journals
Other Non-Bibliographic Providers:
•
•
•
•
•
85
A Selection
Cancer.gov (PubMed)
Clinical Trials.gov (PubMed)
Cystic Fibrosis Mutation Database (OMIM)
FDA Bad Bugs Book (Taxonomy)
Institute for Transcriptional Informatics
(PubMed, Nucleotide, Protein)
• National Center for Infectious Disease
(Taxonomy)
• Protein Reviews on the Web (PubMed,
Nucleotide, Protein, OMIM)
• ToxNet (PubMed)
Practice
86
Hands-On Practice
1. Go to the list of LinkOut Libraries and see how
libraries are listed and what their Web sites look like.
Make note of the library user name for some of the
libraries.
2. Go to PubMed using the url to activate holdings for
these libraries and look at their icons.
Practice
87
Hands-On Practice
(pt. 2)
1. Using your user name and password (if you have one)
or a class user name and password, sign in to the
Submission utility and enter:
•
•
•
•
Library Name
Library/Organization Public Web Site URL
LinkOut Contact Person’s name and email at your library
Upload Icons
Practice
88
Hands-On Practice
(pt. 3)
1. Enter some ejournal holdings for your library, or some
example holdings using a class user name, searching
by provider and journal title. Enter PubMed Central
titles, enter free titles.
2. Sign up for the LinkOut to Serials Holdings Interface.
Practice
89
Hands-On Practice
(pt. 4)
1. Go to the Cubby and activate LinkOut.
2. Use the loprov filter to limit a PubMed search to a
library’s LinkOut holdings.
3. Use the Free Full Text filter to limit to free full text.
Practice
90
Hands-On Practice
(pt. 5)
1. Go to the list of nonbibliographic providers, choose
some for PubMed, click on link, see results.
2. Do a PubMed search, view LinkOut display, identify
the contents.