IOTA: Improving OpenURLs Through Analytics

The OpenURL Quality Metrics Working Group -- otherwise known as IOTA (Improving OpenURLs Through Analytics) built on the work by Adam Chandler (Database Management and Electronic Resources Research Librarian, Central Library Operations, Cornell University Library) to investigate the feasibility of creating industry-wide, transparent and scalable metrics for evaluating and comparing the quality of OpenURL implementations across content providers. The catalyst for this was a 2008/2009 Mellon Planning Grant (http://hdl.handle.net/1813/23171). A blog (http://openurlquality.blogspot.com/) was established by Chandler to chronicle the progress. Log processor and reporting software was also put in production (http://openurlquality.niso.org/). At the time this project was orginally proposed in November 2009, the reporting system included data from Cornell University’s link resolver and a month of EBSCO link resolver log data. The project, envisioned as a two-year project, included at the end of two years an evaluation process to be conducted and a decision made on whether or not to continue the initiative, to be provided in a published NISO Technical Report.  In 2013 the Working Group decided to finish its work following the publication of the Technical Report and Recommended Practice

This proposal was reviewed and approved by the Business Information Topic Committee in December 2009 and moved to the portfolio of the Discovery to Delivery Topic Committee in 2011.

IOTA Resources

IOTA: OpenURL Quality Website
This page has the active data and reports for the IOTA project.

IOTA Blog
Official blog of the NISO Improving OpenURLs Through Analytics (IOTA) Working Group

IOTA on Twitter
 Find tweets about IOTA.

IOTA OpenURL Glossary 
This preliminary glossary defines various terms that are used in IOTA OpenURL quality project.

Presentations & Articles

Oliver Pesch, Improving OpenURL Linking,  The Serials Librarian, v63, n2, pages 135-145, 2012: http://www.tandfonline.com/doi/abs/10.1080/0361526X.2012.689465 
Abstract: Ever since OpenURL linking was introduced in 2000 by Herbert van de Sompel the link resolver has played an important role in providing users with access to the online resources they have rights to. From the start, one of the criticisms of OpenURL linking has been that it is not 100% successful-sometimes the user is presented with a link to full text, but that link fails. In 2010 a new National Information Standards Organization (NISO) workgroup was created to tackle the issue of OpenURL quality. This column will discuss this NISO initiative and look in detail at the proposed "Completeness Index" that promises a means of measuring the quality of OpenURLs being submitted by various content providers. The article will also discuss how some OpenURL quality issues may be more perception than reality and how librarians can configure their links and link resolvers to overcome these negative perceptions.

July 17, 2012
Special Libraries Association Annual Conference, Chicago, IL
NISO'S IOTA Initiative: Fixing OpenURL Links Using Data Analysis Improving OpenURLs Through Analytics - Presentation given by Rafal Kaprowski (Rice University) 

E-Books & OpenURL Linking: A collaborative study by the 2CUL E-Books Task Force - Presentation given by Susan Marcin (Columbia University)

June 24, 2012
American Library Association Annual Conference, Anaheim, CA
NISO'S IOTA Initiative: Fixing OpenURL Links Using Data Analysis Improving OpenURLs Through Analytics - Presentation given by Rafal Kaprowski (Rice University) 

E-Books & OpenURL Linking: A collaborative study by the 2CUL E-Books Task Force - Presentation given by Susan Marcin (Columbia University)

NISO's IOTA Initiative: Completeness Index and Improving Element Weights

May 10, 2012
E-Books & OpenURL Linking, A collaborative study by the 2CUL E-Books Task Force

Presentation given by Susan Marcin at the New York Technical Services Librarians Spring Program, "E-Books: New Links in the Chain."

June 4, 2011
NISO’s IOTA Initiative: Measuring the Quality of OpenURL Links

Presentation given by Rafal Kasprowski (Rice University) at NASIG Annual Conference, St. Louis, MO.

January 9, 2011
IOTA: Improving OpenURLs Through Analytics
Presentation given at the ALCTS-CRS Continuing Resources Standards Update Forum at ALA Midwinter by Susan Marcin (Licensed Electronic Resources Librarian, Columbia University and IOTA Working Group member). 

January 8, 2011
IOTA: Improving OpenURLs Through Analytics
Presentation given at the ALCTS Holdings Committee at ALA Midwinter on the NISO project, IOTA: Improving OpenURLs Through Analytics, by Oliver Pesch (Chief Strategist, E-Resource Access and Management Services, EBSCO Information Services and IOTA Working Group member). This presentation builds on work done by Rafal Kasprowski (Electronic Resources Librarian, Rice University and IOTA Working Group member) and others. It describes the problem space, the focus of the IOTA working group, and its status as of January 2011.

January 8, 2011 
IOTA: Improving OpenURLs Through Analytics
Presentation given at the LITA Standards Interest Group at ALA Midwinter by Maria Stanton (Director of Content Operations, Serials Solutions and IOTA Working Group member).

January 7, 2011
IOTA: Improving OpenURLs Through Analytics
Presentation given at the LITA ERM Interest Group, ALA Midwinter on the NISO project, IOTA: Improving OpenURLs Through Analytics, by Oliver Pesch (Chief Strategist, E-Resource Access and Management Services, EBSCO Information Services and IOTA Working Group member). This presentation builds on work done by Rafal Kasprowski (Electronic Resources Librarian, Rice University and IOTA Working Group member) and others and provides a quick overview of IOTA, the problem space, and the status.

January 7, 2011
IOTA: Improving OpenURLs Through Analytics
Update given at the NISO AVIAC Meeting at ALA Midwinter by Maria Stanton (Director of Content Operations, Serials Solutions and IOTA Working Group member).

November 5, 2010
NISO's IOTA Working Group: Creating an Index for Measuring the Quality of OpenURL Links
Presentation at Charleston Conference 2010
Speakers: Rafal Kasprowski (Rice University), Susan Marcin (Columbia University)
About the Presentation
Presentation Slides

Published article: Rafal Kasprowski and Susan Marcin, Charleston Library Conference, 2010. NISO's IOTA Working Group: Creating an Index for Measuring the Quality of OpenURL Links. http://dx.doi.org/10.5703/1288284314855

IOTA: Improving OpenURLs Through Analytics
October 12, 2010 • NISO Webinar: "It’s Only as Good as the Metadata: Improving OpenURL and Knowledge Base Quality"
Speaker: Elizabeth Winter, Electronic Resources Coordinator, Georgia Tech Library
About the Presentation
Presentation Slides

NISO Open Teleconference: IOTA Update 
September 13, 2010 • NISO Open Teleconference
Speakers: Elizabeth Winter (Electronic Resources Coordinator, Georgia Tech Library), Adam Chandler (Database Management and E- Resources Librarian, Cornell University Library)
About the Presentation
Presentation Recording

E-Resource Standards You Should Know About 
September 16, 2010 • MidSouth eResource Symposium
Speaker: Oliver Pesch, Chief Strategist, EBSCO Information Services
About the Symposium
Presentation Slides
Presentation Podcast

Documents

Committee Roster

Approved by the Business Information Topic Committee in December 2009

Chair

Adam Chandler

Electronic Resources User Experience Librarian
Cornell University Library

Members

Former Members

Ellen Rotenberg

Director, Product Management, Platform Capabilities and Services
Clarivate Analytics