A Solution for RSS and Journals

"Here is a prototype system I call 'RSS Creator,' which allows us to create RSS feeds for any journal or newspaper indexed and abstracted in our current subscription databases.

http://public.csusm.edu/dwalker/rss.htm

The system leverages Ex Libris' SFX and Metalib systems (using Metalib's XML-based API) to create the feeds, but the idea behind it is not specific to SFX or Metalib, and could be done with other technology.

Here are some of the benefits:

(1) Gives a library instant access to 20,000 to 40,000 or more feeds.

The system can create an RSS feed for any journal or newspaper indexed by one of our databases, so long as that database is searchable via Metalib -- regardless of whether the publisher or database provider makes those feeds available now.

(2) Requires virtually no discovery, collection, or maintenance.

All of the information about the journals is already available (and updated) in the SFX knowledge base. A library simply downloads this information out of SFX, uploads it into RSS Creator, and RSS Creator takes care of the creation and maintenance of the feeds themselves. All of the feeds are in one place, conveniently available to our users.

(This takes maybe 30 minutes every three months or so.)

(3) All links point back to SFX

RSS Creator simply creates an OpenURL for each article title, which links the user to our SFX menu. If a faculty member sees a journal article they want to read, regardless of whether they are on-campus or not, SFX will provide them proxied access to the full-text, provide information about print availability in our library, or even provide a pre-populated ILL form if we don't have access to the article online or in print.

It is, in other words, a large, free RSS-based table of contents system. I just need to find some time in between more pressing matters to finish it up. But I'm hoping to roll it out to our faculty here this fall." [WEB4LIB mailing list]

David Walker, Web Development Librarian at Cal State San Marcos, put this handy little program together, and it totally rocks! Check out the Flash demo to see how it works. It's actually very elegant, user-friendly, and incredibly useful.

Dang, I wish I had time to play with this right now for our member libraries. I'm really going to have to start investigating ways to implement SFX (PDF) for them.