SFX vs FTF vs Alma

OVERVIEW

Alma's link resolver is more like SFX than EBSCO's Full Text Finder. For the benefit of USG institutions that use Full Text Finder, we have included this page to help you understand some of the more confusing aspects of the link resolver.

The following institutions administer their own instance of SFX:

  • Augusta University

  • Georgia Southern University

  • Georgia State

  • UGA

  • West Georgia

The following institutions use Full Text Finder:

  • Albany State University

  • Augusta University

  • Clayton State University

  • Columbus State University

  • Fort Valley State

  • Georgia College & State University

  • Georgia Southern University

  • Middle Georgia State College

  • University of North Georgia

  • Valdosta State University

FULL TEXT FINDER VOCABULARY

Titles - The periodicals that are included in a library's local collection or profile. Usually refers to titles owned by the library.

Custom Titles - The titles that are part of your collection but not found in Holdings Management . The administrator is responsible for the maintenance of custom titles (including the URL, if one is assigned).

Managed Titles The number of titles in your holdings managed by EBSCO.

Packages - Periodicals that a library owns that are grouped together. This grouping can be used to create a searchable collection of periodicals that meet the needs and interests of library patrons.

Custom Packages - A group of titles held locally in the library as a package that is not found in Holdings Management. The administrator creates the package and adds titles and holdings information.

Managed Packages - The packages in your holdings that are managed by EBSCO.

Mandatory Fields - The metadata required for the link to display. Example: {DOI}

Query String - The query string text you wish to use to link to the target. Use ? (question marks) within the query string if necessary. Example: ?q={AUTHOR}

Base URL - The URL or name of the target associated with this link. The Base URL of the target is the source of the OpenURL.

Display Settings - Controls the conditions under which the link displays for your holdings.

Coverage Statement - Coverage for Managed and Custom resources in dates and text.

Rank - This dictates the order the links will appear, if multiple links are available for a given publication

Vendors - The vendors from which your holdings includes titles and packages.

SFX VOCABULARY

Definition content courtesy of Laura Heilman of UGA

KB: Knowledge Base; the data in SFX.

Linking Level: The access level to which an object is linked. For example: journal level linking typically links a user to the journal homepage; issue level linking links a user to the requested issue; and article level linking links a user directly with the article they have requested. Article level linking is common in databases.

Source: Resource where requests for journals and articles originate, such as A&I databases, full‐text repositories, preprint archives, library OPACs, electronic table of contents databases, and local data repositories.

Target: Vendors or Providers of services. These can be full‐text providers, publishers, aggregators, and databases.

Service: The type of linking available; full-text or abstracts. GSU uses full-text or select full-text services only.

Target Service: Refers to the type of linking available at a specific target. Some Targets offer both full-text and abstract linking services.

Object: SFX has two object types – journals and books.

Portfolio: A group of titles provided by a vendor or vendor package.

Object Portfolio: Refers to the journal or book in relation to a specific target. The object portfolio relates information about an object to information about a target service.

Threshold: The threshold is a PERL statement that delineates access conditions for an object portfolio. Conditions typically consist of publication information such as year published, volume and issue (a parsedDate threshold). The threshold can also contain other information such as embargos, and ending dates for access.

Sample Threshold Syntax: $obj->parsedDate(“>=”,1995,undef,undef) && $obj->parsedDate(“<=”,2009,undef,undef)

Reads: Available from 1995 until 2009

Global Threshold: The information in global thresholds usually reflects the full range of access a publisher has available online. Global thresholds are provided by ExLibris. They are subject to change in weekly KB Updates. Global thresholds do not always accurately reflect GSU’s true holdings.

Local Threshold: Local thresholds reflect access information specific to a library. Adjustments to access are always made at the local level.

ADDITIONAL READING: The Consortium of Academic and Research Libraries in Illinois (CARLI) has a more thorough glossary they made available to share.

ALMA VOCABULARY

CKB/CZ — Central Knowledge Base of E-resources managed in the Alma community zone.

E-Titles (Inventory) — An electronic resource.

Portfolio (Inventory) — The specific coverage, services, and link information relevant for a particular electronic title (e-title) within an electronic collection/package. May include administrative/access information. May be local or global. Analogous to SFX KB Object Portfolio.

Electronic Collection/Package (Inventory) –A collection of electronic portfolios from a specific data provider.

Electronic Collection/Package Service — The particular services a package offers in any of its portfolios.

Stand-alone (Inventory) — a local electronic resource not part of a package that is purchased alone and has its own specific linking info and is currently not managed from the Community Zone. Stand-alone inventory does not exist in SFX.

SFX TERMS VS ALMA TERMS

SFX

SFX Knowledge Base

SFX Instance

SFX Central Instance (GALILEO)

SFX Local Instance

Target

Target Service

Object Portfolio

Objects

Global or Local

Threshold

Institute

Alma

Alma Knowledge Base (CZ)

Alma Institute / Zone

Network Zone

Institutional Zone

Electronic Collection

Package Service

Portfolios

Bibliographic Records (full records)

CZ or IZ

Global or Local Date Information

“Available for”

Full Text Finder

EBSCOAdmin Holdings Management

EBSCOAdmin Holdings Management

EBSCOAdmin Holdings Management

EBSCOAdmin Holdings Management

Packages

Links

No Equivalent

Titles

Managed or Custom

Coverage Date

No Equivalent

COVERAGE STATEMENTS

Which coverage statement will be applied?

Newly activated resources come with a global coverage statement that you can accept entirely (ONLY global), select portions based on your institution’s preferences (ONLY local), or require a BOTH/AND or an OR/EITHER presence of coverage.

Specify the coverage statement within an electronic collection:

  • ONLY local: Full text is displayed if the issue date of the article is included in the local coverage added to the portfolios.

  • Global AND local: Full text is displayed if the issue date of the article is included in the local coverage added to the portfolios AND in the coverage defined in the Central Knowledge Base.

  • Global OR local: Full text is displayed if the issue date of the article is included EITHER in the local coverage added to the portfolios OR in the coverage defined in the Central Knowledge Base.

  • ONLY global: Full text is displayed if the issue date of the article is included in the coverage defined in the Central Knowledge Base.

FIELDS MIGRATED FROM SFX TO ALMA

The following is a list of fields that migrate from SFX to Alma, so local settings and notes should migrate.

TARGET (SFX) > ELECTRONIC COLLECTION (ALMA)

  • Target internal name

  • Global public name

  • Local public name

  • Global threshold

  • Indication which threshold is active

  • Character Set

  • Aggregator

  • Authentication note

  • General note

  • Internal note

  • Indication if the target is local

  • Institute information – public name


OBJECT PORTFOLIO (SFX) > PORTFOLIO (ALMA)

  • Object

  • Global parser

  • Local parser

  • Global threshold

  • Local threshold

  • Indication of which threshold is active

  • Global parse param

  • Local parse param

  • Linking param

  • Linking value

  • Proxy

  • Authentication_note

  • General_note

  • Internal_note

  • Indication if portfolio is local

TARGET SERVICE (SFX) > E-COLLECTION SERVICES (ALMA)

  • Service

  • Global public name

  • local public name

  • Site down

  • Site down date

  • Site down reason

  • Is free

  • Global parser

  • Local parser

  • Global parse param

  • Local parse param

  • Linking param

  • Linking value

  • Autoactive

  • Autoupdate

  • Use proxy

  • Crossref supported

  • Crossref disabled

  • Linking param

  • Linking value


LOCAL OBJECT (SFX) > BIBLIOGRAPHIC RECORD (ALMA)

  • Global Object Bibliographic Records from SFX are managed by the CZ.

  • Local Object Bibliographic Records associated with global or local portfolios are migrated as local Bibliographic records.