[Eril-l] Limitations of Libkey open url solutions?

Mon Jun 23 13:01:40 PDT 2025

I have worked with LibKey in EDS and Alma environments, and am not aware of
any considerable limitations. It has been well-received and pretty
seamless/invisible from the user end. We do get the occasional link to
something we can't actually access, usually something that is indicated
incorrectly as OA, but these issues are few and far between and very
quickly fixed by the vendor.

 I have found the vendor's support staff to be knowledgeable and
responsive, and aware of and forthcoming about any issues.

As others have said, LibKey Nomad is also a great tool, though it can be a
little bit of a hard sell in terms of getting others to actually add the
browser extension. But personally, I use it constantly.

Gail

Gail Murray (she/her)
Electronic Resources & Serials Librarian
Smith College Libraries
413.585.2925

On Mon, Jun 23, 2025 at 3:56 PM Electronic Resources in Libraries
discussion list via Eril-l <eril-l at lists.eril-l.org> wrote:

> We have been very happy with LibKey.  Their linking is even better than
> Alma’s.  It’s more accurate, and it’s very fast.  With the LibKey Nomad
> add-on to browsers, you can have links appear in places like Google
> Scholar, Amazon, and the reference pages for articles.  What I like best
> about that is when you have someone searching from a publisher’s site
> without coming to the library’s webpage first, without LibKey Nomad, they’d
> get prompted to pay for an article.  But with Nomad, a button floats above
> the page that links them back to our Primo so the article can be requested
> if we don’t have it.  (If we do have it, then LibKey would take the person
> to the paid-for PDF.)
>
>
>
> Implementing it was a breeze and their support is fantastic.  They’re
> super responsive and helpful, and their whole team from the president down
> is very focused on the customer and user experience.  We’ve had to report
> incorrect linking just a handful of times in the course of a few years, and
> they were always resolved quickly.
>
>
>
> The only thing I don’t like is that in the new EBSCO UI, the LibKey links
> display first, above the link to the PDF that’s in EBSCO already.  So if
> you don’t know that the second link is direct to the PDF, then you loop
> through LibKey to land on the PDF you could’ve gotten to if you’d used the
> other link.  But LibKey is very fast so it’s not a super big deal.  (This
> issue has been reported to both LibKey and EBSCO, but it’s on EBSCO’s end
> to solve.)
>
>
>
> I tested an article with no DOI as found in EBSCO and I still got to the
> PDF with no issues.  It routed me through 2 screens that were up for just a
> second so I know it ran the article through LibKey into EBSCO’s OpenURL
> handling, and then landed on the PDF.  It was very seamless, even though
> LibKey didn’t actually find the article by itself.
>
>
>
>
>
>
>
> Melissa Platkowski
> SYSTEMS LIBRARIAN
>
> ............................................................................................
> Cofrin Library
> UW-Green Bay, 2420 Nicolet Drive, Green Bay, WI 54311
> *tel:* 920-465-2764  |  *email:* platkowm at uwgb.edu
> *web:* www.uwgb.edu/library
>
>
>
> *From:* Eril-l <eril-l-bounces at lists.eril-l.org> *On Behalf Of *Electronic
> Resources in Libraries discussion list via Eril-l
> *Sent:* Monday, June 23, 2025 2:09 PM
> *To:* Electronic Resources in Libraries discussion list <
> eril-l at lists.eril-l.org>
> *Subject:* Re: [Eril-l] Limitations of Libkey open url solutions?
>
>
>
> One great thing about LibKey Link is that if it can't make the user
> experience better it gets out of the way and will direct end users to your
> Alma OpenURL functionality.  This is especially important when you don't
> have access (either OA or subscription) and your users will need to make an
> ILL request.  I am working my way thru updating our OpenURL info with a
> variety of platforms to our LibKey Link URL instead of our Alma URL.
>
>
>
> Answers to some of your other questions can be found here:
> https://support.thirdiron.com/support/solutions/articles/72000570249-how-to-add-libkey-link-to-several-popular-databases
>
>
>
> Johanna
>
>
>
> __________________________________________________________________________
>
> *Johanna L. Riordan*  (she/her)
> Electronic Resources Librarian
> Haverford College <https://www.haverford.edu/library>
>
> Hear my name <https://www.name-coach.com/johanna-riordan>
>
> *Working remotely on Mondays and Fridays*
>
>
>
>
>
>
>
> On Mon, Jun 23, 2025 at 2:13 PM Electronic Resources in Libraries
> discussion list via Eril-l <eril-l at lists.eril-l.org> wrote:
>
> I would also like to add that if anyone had an pros and cons of using
> LibKey link OpenURL versus Alma OpenURL that would be great!
> ------------------------------
>
> *From:* Flynn, C.M.
> *Sent:* Monday, June 23, 2025 1:55 PM
> *To:* Electronic Resources in Libraries discussion list <
> eril-l at lists.eril-l.org>
> *Subject:* Limitations of Libkey open url solutions?
>
>
>
> Hi all,
>
> I hope this message finds you well! We are currently evaluating LibKey’s
> OpenURL solutions for potential integration with our library systems and
> are seeking information regarding any known limitations or challenges
> associated with its implementation.
>
> Specifically,  we are interested in understanding:
>
>    - Are there particular databases or platforms where LibKey’s OpenURL
>    linking is less effective or unsupported due to metadata or technical
>    constraints?
>
>
>    - What are the requirements for successful linking (e.g., DOI, PMID,
>    publisher support), and what happens when these are not met?
>
>
>    - Are there any known issues related to user experience,
>    accessibility, or customization when using LibKey OpenURL links across
>    different platforms?
>
>
>
>    -
>
> Any insights or first hand experiences you could provide on these points
> would be greatly appreciated as we assess the best solution for our users.
>
> Thanks for your assistance!
>
>
>
> Take care,
>
> Flynn
>
>
>
>
>
>
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