Extended-Linking Services: towards a Quality Web

A URL takes requesters from a citation to a destination… provided, of course, the URL is still valid. The current chaotic web is wonderful in its way. However, within this chaotic web, we believe there is a need for a high-quality web of vetted information. The emerging OpenURL standard is the cornerstone of a worldwide web with high-quality links that feature properties such as: •Persistence: Increase the probable lifetime of citations. •Multiplicity: Produce a menu of targeted services for each citation. •Context-Sensitivity: Resolve a citation in a manner appropriate to the user and to the context. To encourage the development of extended-linking services, NISO formed a committee to develop a standard OpenURL syntax. Our immediate goal is to serve the scholarly-information community immediately. However, the OpenURL technique is widely applicable, and we expect to serve many other information communities.