Key considerations when mapping your end user experience

www.eduserv.org.uk/openathens

Improving your end user experience

Adam Snook – Technical Consultant

Library resources

• Organisations subscribe to resources• Use of electronic resources has grown exponentially

over last 10 years (many organisations are now 100% electronic)

• Individuals go to publisher websites• Need to identify themselves as subscribers• Both on and off-site

Improving access to your online collection

EBSCO A-Z list – with IP & Athens links

WAYF pages

WAYF pages

Providing appropriate links

• Publishers automatically do IP authentication…• But don’t automatically check for federated or

Shibboleth-like authentication• User typically has to navigate WAYF• i.e. choose their organisation from a list

• OpenAthens works with publishers to provide seamless links for OpenAthens users

But at the moment…

• OpenAthens URLs are different from IP authenticated URLs

• All different - each publisher has its own unique structure• http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/journal/01406736• https://auth.elsevier.com/ShibAuth/institutionLogin?entityID=https

%3A%2F%2Fidp.eduserv.org.uk%2Fopenathens&appReturnURL=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.sciencedirect.com%2Fscience%2Fjournal%2F01406736

• http://ajs.sagepub.com• http://openathens.highwire.org/initiate-login?returnURL=http%3A

%2F%2Fajs.sagepub.com%2F

The Redirector

• OpenAthens can provide a single link structure that will:• Authorise users on-network without logging in• Authorise users off-network with a single

OpenAthens login

The Redirector

• Single proxy-like structure for all publishers

• Checks user’s IP address and if on-network, sends them straight to target URL

• If not, OpenAthens constructs the OpenAthens URL and sends the user there

How does it work: on-network?

START

Library uses the same format for all* resources

https://go.openathens.net/redirector/novanthealth.org?url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.bmj.com%2Fthebmj

User clicks resource link

Redirector checks where the user is

located

IP ADDRESS

I’m using a work PC!

User taken staright there

How does it work: off-network?

START

Library uses the same format for all* resources

https://go.openathens.net/redirector/novanthealth.org?url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.bmj.com%2Fthebmj

User clicks resource linkRedirector checks where the user is

located

IP ADDRESS

I’m on a device off the network

User taken staright there

Redirector creates OA link and sends

user there

Redirector creates OA link and sends

user there

This means…

• The same URLs can be used in the library portal for on-network and off-network users

• Third party journal A-Z and link resolver products can generate these easily

• OpenAthens manages the special OpenAthens links• Updates these when the publisher makes changes

Summary

• Think about where you promote your resources• Tailor the links to provide seamless access

• Use the Redirector• Examples of good experiences

Thank you.

[email protected]

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