OpenURL

An OpenURL is similar to a web address, but instead of referring to a physical website, it refers to an article, book, patent, or other resource within a website. 
OpenURLs are similar to <a href="/facts/Permalinks/Icpw95Qq">permalinks</a> because they are permanently connected to a resource, regardless of which website the resource is connected to.
Libraries and other resource centers are the most common place to find OpenURLs because an OpenURL can help Internet users find a copy of a resource that they may otherwise have limited access to. 
The source that generates an OpenURL is often a bibliographic citation or bibliographic record in a database. Examples of these databases include <a href="/facts/Ovid_Technologies/KeAcGScM">Ovid Technologies</a>, <a href="/facts/Web_of_Science/4pTA4Atl">Web of Science</a>, <a href="/facts/Chemical_Abstracts_Service/CVLrS5IJ">Chemical Abstracts Service</a>, <a href="/facts/Modern_Language_Association/jJzFsTIV">Modern Language Association</a> and <a href="/facts/Google_Scholar/FhEwS2QM">Google Scholar</a>.
The <a href="/facts/National_Information_Standards_Organization/NdLoBTF1">National Information Standards Organization</a> (NISO) has developed standards for OpenURL and its data container as <a href="/facts/American_National_Standards_Institute/p3d1TQCb">American National Standards Institute</a> (ANSI) standard ANSI/NISO Z39.88-2004. OpenURL standards create a clear structure for links that go from information resource databases (sources) to library services (targets). 
A target is a resource or service that helps satisfy a user's information needs. Examples of targets include full-text repositories, online journals, online library catalogs and other Web resources and services. <a href="/facts/OpenURL_knowledge_base/GgKobIxl">OpenURL knowledge bases</a> provide links to the appropriate targets available.

OpenURL open-in-new

OpenURL