on this page
This repository contains code for a project of the Brown University Library to make getting articles and books easier.
It contains code for the web pages users see when they click links for articles and books which contain an OpenUrl.
It also contains code for the handling of article-delivery (easyArticle); for books easyAccess (invisibly to the user) hands off to an easyBorrow project.
easyAccess is, essentially, the Library's OpenUrl link-resolver, using, behind-the-scenes, the SerialsSolutions 360Link api.
from information in the openurl, the item is determined to be an article, and all subsequent pages the user sees will be branded 'easyArticle'
a check is made on the openurl to see if the item is specifically for a journal (as opposed to an article). This is rarely the case, but if so, the openurl request is redirected to Brown's 'search.serialssolutions.com' url. This is old inherited logic; we could likely improve this.
if still in flow (almost always the case), a check is made on a Brown's 360Link 'openurl.xml.serialssolutions.com' api
https://login.revproxy.brown.edu/login?url=the_destination_url
which triggers shib loginif still in flow, and the user clicks the 'Request from another library' link, a confirmation 'Submit' button appears; if clicked, the request is submitted to ILLiad (our interlibary-loan service) on behalf of the user, and the user receives a confirmation email with tracking info.
see 'Article Examples' on the easyAccess home page
from information in the openurl, the item is determined to be a book, and all subsequent pages the user sees will be branded 'easyBorrow'
a background lookup is done to see if we have it, in a circulating location, or have a similar copy
if we have the exact book, in a circulating location, the user is shown a page to that effect, with a link to the catalog record for the book
if we have an alternate version (say, an ebook), but not the exact book the user has requested, the user is shown a page to that effect, with catalog links to the alternate versions, as well as a 'Request via easyBorrow' button for the specific book the user is looking for
if the user clics the 'Request via easyBorrow' button, info about the book, the patron, and the request is temporarily stored in a db
separate easyBorrow code detects the new request, and, depending on a few factors:
see 'Book Examples' on the easyAccess home page
Not shown in the commit history is the fact that this entire project was implemented by Ted Lawless from 2012 through 2015. It has made the work of thousands of Brown University students and faculty vastly easier.