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Discovery and E-Resources Guide

This Libguide contains documentation, training, and configuration information on FLVC's PrimoVE Discovery tool.

Linking

Linking to Primo VE

You can provide access to Primo VE in several ways: direct links to a general or specific search on your library webpages, or via search widgets, which are covered in the Look and Feel section.

Linking Out

Your full-text linking parameters are set up in each collection in Alma. For "link in record" content which comes from the Central Discovery Index, there is a table in Alma where unique customer codes for certain vendors are entered. If you need assistance with linking to certain vendors, contact the FLVC Help Desk so we can ensure your institution's codes are entered in this table.

You can determine if you want patrons to be able to link directly from the brief result to the available content, or if you want them to open the full record and link from there. Your proxy and authentication settings can affect the success of your linking. You can set up additional links for things like an article ILL request using General Electronic Services and other methods, and then determine when those links will display based on display logic.

You can also add PDF and HTML links for articles from Unpaywall and Quicklinks. Unpaywall is a third party Database of Open Access Content that maintains links to full text articles and Open Access resources. The Unpaywall article link will appear with the brief record display. Unpaywall is not affiliated with Ex Libris. There may be occasional instances of incorrect links or links to non-Open Access content. The CDI Quicklinks feature enables you to embed PDF and HTML full text links directly into the brief record display to provide a convenient and quick way for users to access full text from CDI with a single click. Quicklinks, we only show one link of each type (PDF and HTML), not one link for each collection where you might be able to access the article. The full list of collections still appears on the Full Record page. Ex Libris works with vendors to support Quicklinks. The list of vendors supporting Quicklinks grows all the time, so check the Quicklinks Provider list regularly.

Ex Libris Documentation:

Linking In

Primo VE works as your link resolver as well as your discovery system. When you set up your Alma/Primo link resolver in external systems like stand-alone databases (e.g. CINAHL, JSTOR), WorldCat, or Google Scholar, the link will send OpenURL data to the link resolver services page. The system will then check to see if you own the item either physically or electronically, and if so, it will provide that information. If not, it will provide request links based on how you've set your linking up. The system defaults to search by ISBN/ISSN and if that data isn't available, it will try to search by title, which can result in poor matching. The searching and transfer of data to request systems is only as good as the incoming data, and you may need to do additional set-up to deal with some of the known issues with bad incoming data.

Ex Libris Resources:

  • Configuring the Services Page (the page that resolves after clicking on the link resolver. By default, the services page doesn't have the Main Menu Links that normally appear, but these can be added in the CSS. If this is desired, please contact the FLVC Help Desk and we will add it for you.)
  • Using the OpenURL Link Resolver Electronic Services Page (By default the OpenURL link resolver electronic services page doesn't have the Main Menu links at the top of the page. These can be added via CSS. If you don't have the Main Menu links on the services page, contact the FLVC Help Desk and we will add the code to your CSS)
  • Using the OpenURL Debugger Tool (Follow the instructions on this page for Primo VE. Primo VE uses Display CTO at the end of the Primo VE URL)

Link resolver Base URLS: