SFX Maastricht University Library

 

Nederlands

 


What is

SFX stands for ‘Special Effects’: a service* of Maastricht University Library. This service is represented by this icon in the e-journal list and by an SFX text link or this icon in a growing number of library databases. 

Searching one of the UL databases results in a list with search results. If the database works with SFX, the SFX link will be offered as well. This SFX link however doesn't always appear in the first overview of search results: some databases will only show the link in the extended presentation of each individual search result. The location of the link on the screen (e.g. on the top, on the bottom) may also differ per database. A click on the SFX link will generate a menu, listing all services the library provides for that particular record. Not all services will always appear on the menu. It depends on the database that you are searching and the information available for the citation.  

An example: one of your search results refers to a journal article and since you would like to obtain the full text of that particular article, you click on the SFX button. As a result an SFX menu appears. If the library has access to the electronic version of this article a link to the full text will be the first option on the menu. If the library has subscribed to a hard copy version of the journal a link to the catalogue will be on the menu. This link gives direct access to the journal record in the catalogue enabling you to check the availability of the issue you need. If neither the electronic nor the hard copy version is available you can benefit from the link to PiCarta. This database consists of the Dutch Union Catalogue NCC and the Online Catalogue OLC. PiCarta enables you to request the article by means of InterLibrary Loan (ILL).
In addition to the link options as mentioned above, which intend to obtain the article itself, there are supplementary services on the menu, from which you can choose. Overview of Services.

The databases that present SFX links may provide other links as well, for instance direct links to the full text. Those are valuable links if they really provide the full text. Access to the full text however will frequently be denied since the database is not aware of the license agreements of the Library and has no knowledge of the licensed suppliers.  

The SFX link is a unique link because of its awareness of the access rights of the UM Community and the applicable services. It provides you with a copy of an article whether an electronic or a hard copy is available and it offers direct links to carefully selected additional services.


* SFX takes its name from the required software
  ©2004 SFX by Ex Libris (USA) Inc

SFX FAQ Maastricht University Library
1. Who can use SFX?
2. How do I use SFX?
3. Why don't I see any SFX links?
4. Why don’t I see any SFX links in PubMed?
5. What services does Maastricht University Library provide via SFX?
6. What is bX and how does it work?
7. Why does the number of options in the SFX menu vary?
8. Why didn't I get a full text link for my article?
9. Why is there sometimes more than one option for full text?
10. I clicked on the link to full text but I only got to the publisher's home page?
11. What do I do if I get no full text link on the menu?
12. What do I do if the hard copy issue of a journal is not available in the library?
13. What do I do if the journal is not available in PiCarta?
14. Why are there multiple windows and how can I navigate?
15. What does the address 'about:blank' mean?
16. When I go back and choose a second option from the SFX menu, nothing seems to happen?
17. What do I do when I get an 'error, a 'bad URL', or some other 'not found' message?
18. What do I do if I need further assistance, or if I would like to report a (technical) problem?
1. Who can use SFX?

Anyone on the Maastricht University Campus can use SFX links that appear in certain databases. Current students, faculty or staff members can also access library databases remotely (off-campus) and will find SFX available for those databases that work with it. More info: eLibrary access from off-campus. 
 
2. How do I use SFX?


If the database is set up to work with SFX, you will normally see an SFX text-link or an SFX button next to the citation or in the full record of the citation. The SFX button looks like:  .
Clicking on this link or button will open a new window, presenting an SFX menu. The citation details will appear at the top of this window and all services the library provides for this particular citation will be listed on the menu.
 Choose from the listed options e.g. by clicking the supplier link.

In the e-journal list the small SFX icon will lead you to an SFX menu. If more than one supplier is available you may choose from the providers presented on this menu. The year, volume and issue that you need determines which supplier is the most appropriate for you: the availability per provider is indicated on the menu.
Optionally you may even fill in the year, volume, issue and the startpage of an article in the boxes on the menu (as displayed below). However SFX will only access the article directly if the website of the supplier supports this way of linking.


 
3. Why don’t I see any SFX links?
 
There are several reasons why the SFX button may not be appearing in the database you are searching:
 
 

  • The database does not (yet) support SFX. 

  • JavaScipt is not enabled. Check your browser settings. 

  • You are currently working outside the campus and you did not establish the same connection to the UM network as within the campus. eLibrary access from off-campus.
4. Why don’t I see any SFX links in PubMed?

Since ‘Maastricht’ is part of the text on the the SFX-button in PubMed  this button differs from the default SFX button. There are two likely reasons why this button may not be appearing in a bibliographical citation in PubMed:

  • You are currently working outside the campus and you did not establish the same connection to the UM network as within the campus. The IP address of your workstation has to be part of the IP-range of Maastricht University or azM. More information on: eLibrary access from off-campus.

  • You didn’t access PubMed via the UM homepage (www.maastrichtuniversity.nl/library, follow the link: eLibrary, select discipline 'Medicine/Health' and Type 'ALL'. PubMed will be presented in the list of databases).
5. What services does Maastricht University Library provide via SFX?

The services are presented in three groups:
 
  • Basic services focused on obtaining the document:
  - One or more link(s) to the full text if the full text is available via Maastricht University
- a link to link to the journal in the University Library Catalogue only presented if the full text link cannot be provided and the hard copy journal is available in the library.
- a link to the journal in PiCarta (containing the Dutch Union Catalogue NCC and OLC) presented if a link to the full text is not on the menu.
 
  • More options:
    The following options may be offered if they are applicable: this depends on the issue on the menu:
  - a link to DOI if this is an alternative option to get the full text
- a link to Web of science in order to find more publications from one of the authors of the article
- a link to Ulrichs Web in order to find more information on the journal
- a link that enables you to capture the citation information of the issue
- a link to ISI's Journal Citations Report (JCR) to get the impact factor of the journal
- a link to the virtual help desk: 'Ask your Librarian' to ask your questions or to submit your remarks.   
- a link to this information file you are reading now.
 
  • Users  interested in this article also expressed an interest in the following:
    Under this heading you will find the bX Recommender Service.
    For information please see the following question in line: What is bX and how does it work?
6. What is bX and how does it works?


The bX Recommender Service is presented on the SFX menu under the following self-explanatory heading:
‘Users interested in this article also expressed an interest in the following:’
The recommendations are based on the analysis of article usage. The usage data originate from scholarly institutions - including Maastricht University - who have signed up to contribute their data to this Ex Libris service.
If usage data for your article is available five recommended article titles will be presented on the SFX menu and a ‘View more’ link will give access to more articles. The SFX button and the Full Text button (the latter only if the full text is available to you) are also shown. An option to save the article citations, for instance, to Endnote is available as well.  

The UM will be offering bX until December 2012. The results of an evaluation will then determine whether the service will be continued.
 
7. Why does the number of options in the SFX menu vary?
When you click on the SFX button , the system checks what services are available via the Maastricht University Library for that particular item (e.g. an article citation). Only the available services will displayed. 
 
8. Why didn’t I get a full text link for my article?
There are two likely reasons why you didn’t get a full text link:
  • The UM has no subscription to the full text of the journal or to the requested volume.
  • The journal may be exclusively published in hard copy.
9. Why is there sometimes more than one option for full text?
There is overlap among many electronic journal collections providing full text, so sometimes we link to more than one location.  The available volumes may differ per supplier.
 
10. I clicked on the link to full text but I only got to the publisher's home page? 
 
The presence of the full text link indicates that the full text is available and SFX will try to link directly to it. However sometimes a direct link is not possible. There are two likely reasons:

  • Article-level linking is not enabled due to the structure of the publisher’s website. In that case SFX will try to get you as close to the full text as it can. You might get the TOC (table of contents) or the journal’s home page. Now you will have to navigate the publisher’s website yourself to get to the full text.

  • Sometimes the databasse, which enables you to press the SFX button, is not able to provide SFX with complete data. As a consequence SFX has to search the publisher’s database with incomplete data. Now you will have to navigate the publisher’s website yourself to get to the full text.

11. What do I do if I get no full text link on the menu?
 
If the link to the University Library Catalogue displays, it indicates that the hard copy journal is available in the library. Particular volumes and issues however may be lacking or have never been part of the subscription. That’s why you have to check the availability in the catalogue.
 The link to PiCarta will always appear when the full text is not available, whether a link to the University Library catalogues appears or not, giving you the opportunity to check the availability via another Dutch library. Information on InterLibrary Loan.
 
12. What do I do if the hard copy issue of a journal is not available in the library?
 
PiCarta (containing the Dutch Union Catalogue NCC and Online Contents OLC)  is the next option on the menu. If the volume / issue is available via another Dutch library it may be requested by means of InterLibrary Loan (ILL). Information on InterLibrary Loan.
 
13. What do I do if the journal is not available in PiCarta?
 
Should it be unavailable in the Netherlands, a special application may be made for a request to a library abroad. Information on International ILL.  
 
14. Why are there multiple windows and how can I navigate?
When you click on an SFX button, it opens a new browser window to display a menu with all available services for the citation. The citation itself is on the top of this menu.
Selecting a service from the menu results in a third browser window. 
You can use ‘alt-tab’ to navigate.
If you select another link from the menu, it will replace the actual service in the third browser window. You can only go back to an option you had chosen before by choosing it again.
 
15. What does the address ‘about:blank’ mean?
  This is a problem limited to Internet Explorer. When you select a service on the menu, SFX has to search another database. ‘About:blank’ is shown while the search is taking place. Once results are displayed, it will be replaced by the correct address of the database.
 
16. When I go back and choose a second option from the SFX menu, nothing seems to happen?
This problem is limited to Internet Explorer: the window may be hidden behind the SFX menu. When you first click on an option in the menu Internet Explorer opens a browser window on top of your open windows. However, when you make another selection on your menu this open browser window does not get promoted to the top again. One solution is to drag this window to another portion of your screen so the SFX menu does not block it.
 
17. What do I do when I get an ‘error’, a ‘bad URL’, or some other ‘not found’ message?
If the article you need is very recent, it is possible that it has not yet been loaded on the publisher’s website, so SFX cannot retrieve it. Unfortunately, you have to wait for the publisher to add it to the site.
Another problem could be that our SFX links are wrong and need to be updated. Please let us know about any problems you may have so that we can fix them.
For questions: 'Ask your librarian'.  
 
18. What do I do if I need further assistance, or if I would like to report a (technical) problem?
For questions: 'Ask your librarian'.
   

 Last update: 12-9-2011