OpenURL Generator help
The Open URL Generator is a tool which will generate an OpenURL for an item which will allow you to retrieve it directly. It is not a search tool, but a linking tool, albeit a very sophisticated one. By employing the OpenURL standard and going via our link resolver (Source It), it is enables you to generate a persistent link which will take you to all the available options the library can offer for the item. Have a look at this example:
Note how it provides access to the same article from a different providers. If any one of these was unavailable, or our subscription had lapsed or changed, you would still be able to get the article via another service - no dead ends as when a simple link breaks. You can read more about OpenURL in this very simple article (using OpenURL to access it!) ; or this wikipedia article.
How to use it:
- Open the OpenURL Generator - http://sfx.unimelb.edu.au/sfxlcl3/cgi/core/openurl-generator.cgi
- From the tabs at the top, select your item type, e.g. Journal Article
- Using only the "Citation" section of the form (lightly shaded area, see diagram below), enter the details of the item you wish to generate the OpenURL for. Remember, you're not searching for an item but generating an OpenURL for one you've already found, so you must enter quite detailed and specific information - title, year, volume, ISSN and start page are highly desirable.
- Make sure View OpenURL is ticked when you have finished
- Choose the submit button
- The resulting screen delivers your OpenURL. (Optionally, you may use the Tiny URL service to shorten it).
- Copy the generated OpenURL and paste it wherever you want it to appear, e.g. in a reading list, website, etc.
Citation section OpenURL Generator screen showing key fields to complete:
