Shared e-Resources (ECC and Opt-in) -Troubleshooting

Background

The CSU uses a shared instance in Ex Libris' SFX application, the Chancellor's instance, which contains the Electronic Core Collection (ECC) and Optional (Opt-in) e-resources.  These e-resources are negiotiated and in some cases, paid for, by the Chancellor's Office Systemwide Digital Library Content (SDLC) department.  These e-resources are shared, set up and maintained by the Chancellor's Office (CO) SFX administrator.  The administrator maintains, updates and applies fixes to the shared e-resources.  Libraries report linking (OpenURL) issues and report updates needed for shared portfolios, such as the coverage date or links to the journals via e-mail and Send to Ex Libris buttons, which are redirected to the SFX administrator.  The administrator repairs errors with the portfolios or e-resources.  If the issue cannot be resolved by the administrator, the issue is reported to the appropriate vendor or SFX Support or KB teams. Some of these SFX troubleshooting techniques will be applied to the shared e-resources in Alma's Network Zone(NZ) instance.

Policy Statement

This policy document is for the shared e-resources in the Alma Network Zone (NZ).  The shared e-resources have slightly different practices for troubleshooting than from the e-resources in the Institution Zone.  For more information about IZ troubleshooting, see the Policies, Best Practices and Procedure for Troubleshooting.  Troubleshooting practices are adapted from the CSU SFX shared Chancellor's instance and for practice by the NZ administrator.

Best practice recommendations

• Adapt the Obris Network Zone questions form for CSU shared e-resources.  New form will include the e-resources as well and bib record questions.  (NEED TO KNOW WHO ORIGINALLY RECEIVES THE FORM  NZ TROUBLESHOOTING TEAM?. DECISION WORKFLOW  FOR IF AND WHEN IT NEEDS TO GO TO NZ ADMIN)
• Create and maintain a list of Content and Technical issues contacts for the various vendors.
• Shared acquisitions troubleshooting needs to be added -refer to Acquisitions policies
  
  

Procedures

Included are procedures for various issues that may occur with shared e-resources or portfolios.

Coverage Date Issues:

• Portfolio date coverage issue in CKB: (INCLUDE WORKFLOW FOR TROUBLESHOOTING-ASK MALLORY)
  • Check date coverage of the item in the subscribed title list
    • If there is no date range listed in the title list, check the coded memo or vendor contract
    • If there is no date available from the title list, the coded memo or vendor contract, contact the vendor to confirm date coverage.
    • Does the date coverage in CKB match what is listed in the central contract and what is available from the vendor’s site?
      • Yes: do nothing
      • No:
        • Portfolio date coverage does not match full text coverage from subscribed list or vendor’s site
          • If portfolio is incorrect in CKB, central office changes coverage and reports to Ex Libris
          • If portfolio is correct but vendor coverage does not match subscribed title list or contract, central office contacts vendor to open up access to full text
            • Use subscribed title list, coded memo or contract to show central full text access when contacting vendor
        • Portfolio date coverage is correct for central full text access but library has locally purchased more full text
          • Library updates locally active portfolio for local subscription using only their local full text coverage dates
        • Library contacts vendor to open full text access for the locally subscribed full text to report access issue using the local subscription or contract information
        • OR Central Office contacts vendor about local full text access, reports access issue (sometimes vendors want to hear from the library when it is a local subscription)

No access to subscribed shared portfolio:                                                  

• Portfolio access: no full text access to a subscribed portfolio in CKB:
  • Central Office contacts vendor to open up access to centrally subscribed portfolio
  • If the library subscribes to a title not included in the centrally subscribed title list, the library activates the title in the local instance and contact vendor to open up full text access
    • Central Office can contact vendor to open up access to the title, if the Central Office has a relationship with that vendor (sometimes vendors want to hear from the library when it is a local subscription)

Missing shared portfolio:            

• Portfolio access: subscribed portfolio missing or not active in shared CKB
  • Central Office checks subscribed title list to see if portfolio is present in list
    • If the portfolio is in CKB e-resource but not active, activate the portfolio
    • If the portfolio is missing from CKB e-resource, add missing portfolio and report to Ex Libris
  • Central Office checks subscribed title list – if title is NOT present:
    • Confirm with vendor CSU’s full text access - Sometimes not all of the available full text titles are listed in a title list from the vendor
      • If CSU has access, activate the portfolio 
        • add an internal note for portfolio describing why it is active since it does not appear in the subscribed title list
      • If CSU does not have access, ask library if they have a local subscription to the title, if so, ask library to activate portfolio in local e-resource in the IZ

E-Resource access: unable to access the centrally licensed resource

• Check to see if issue is systemwide or if only reporting library has issue-send out email asking if libraries having access issues
  • Systemwide: contact vendor and copy SDLC, ask to open up access for CSU libraries
• Access inactive due to contract negotiation completion delay, vendor makes a mistake and shuts down access, site is down or having issues
  • Work with SDLC to restore access or open access
  • Notify all libraries of known access issues
• Local library issue: contact vendor and confirm
  • correct IP range, 
  • correct username and password, 
  • does database need to be added to account if there are multiple databases available from the vendor (i.e. EBSCO, ProQuest)
  • see if a mistake was made during renewal -library left off renewal list    
• Check full text access for a library depending on which package they subscribe.  
  • Project Muse Standard libraries have different full text access from Project Muse Premium libraries
    • Check full text access for a library subscribed to the specific package.  CO has access to all titles included in both packages and must check coverage for a specific library.
      • If library asks for a title to be activated in package, must check if it is included in package and what full text access is included.  
      • Only activate portfolio in the e-resources if the full text is available for that package.   

OpenURL linking issues:

• • Determine where the issue lies, originating record, Alma CKB or resolved vendor record
    • Originating citation record issue - contact vendor and report issue (see list of Vendor Support Contacts)
      • List of possible issues:
        • Wrong metadata sent in OpenURL
        • Duplicate records -one has correct metadata, one has incorrect metadata-indexing issue
        • Missing metadata
      • Items recommended when contacting vendor:
        • include OpenURL from vendor if wrong metadata or missing metadata
        • if multiple citations for same article, include the link to the list of search results and indicate which citation is correct
          • may need a PDF of the article as proof of correct metadata
    • CKB issue (fix issue in CKB and/or report to Ex Libris)
      • List of possible issues:
        
        • Incorrect coverage date
        • Parse param (url or other linking metadata)
        • Linking parameters missing or need updating
        • Missing/inactive portfolio
        • Portfolio needs to be deactivated (may need to report to ExL to have removed from e-resource)
        • OpenURL is not being generated correctly-parser or parse param issue)
        • Proxy box is not checked
    • Resolved full text record (contact vendor to report access issues)
      • List of possible issues:
        
        • Article missing from journal
        • Article is not indexed
        • Missing/incorrect metadata indexed
        • DOI is incorrect (needs to be corrected by CrossRef, originating vendor or resolving vendor)
        • DOI needs to be registered or is registered with a different vendor or CrossRef is down
        • Copyright restriction on that particular article (add note portfolio there may be limited access due to copyright restrictions)
        • Vendor site having issues or is down
        • Vendor needs to open up access to full text
        • Originating vendor and resulting vendor do not index the same article the same way due to indexing policies
          • if vendors do not agree, there is no fix for this issue
      • Data to send to vendor:
        • OpenURL
        • Test Proxy User
        • If available, the link for the originating citation or screenshot of citation
          • example: permanent link from EBSCO, Primo record
        • Link to the full text article
        • Link to the journal if there is missing metadata -list which years/volumes/issues/start pages are missing
        • List of metadata missing or incorrectly indexed
          • send PDF of article if available
• Support example

  • CSU-subscribed Science Direct title was auto-update in the autoload target from 2004 to present to 2012 to present access.  Elsevier does not provide coverage dates in coded memo title list.  Autoload target does show what the CSU has access to but should it be changed to match what was agreed upon in contract.  Contact SDLC about access, they contact the account manager for vendor to confirm correct access.  This is a contract issue.

  • ProQuest San Francisco Examiner question: PQ no longer has full text.  Deactivate title and contact PQ to confirm FT has been removed or does access need to be restored.  If indeed no FT, notify ExL.  If FT is restored, activate title.

  • Article title missing from EBSCO CINAHL citation OpenURL, reported issue to EBSCO Support: sent a link to the citation, sent the OpenURL with the missing article title and the proxy test user and asked if the article title could be added to the OpenURL.

Action log