I don't have numbers and this is really just my guess impression, but I'd
be shocked if there weren't a lot more libraries in Google Scholar than in
LibX.  It should be possible to get both numbers from publically available
lists though.

I think the google scholar search is a good one.

The other thought would be letting users somehow direct themselves to their
_own_ link resolvers, just like vendors do. You'd need to either build a
directory of link resolvers for them to choose from, or I have some memory
that there is _some_ relevant OCLC service. I don't recall if it's actually
sufficient or has a decent API, or how extensive it's directory is.

On Wed, Jan 25, 2017 at 10:16 PM, Kevin Hawkins <
[log in to unmask]> wrote:

> I've got two simple questions but first a long statement of background so
> you know why I'm asking.  If you're in a hurry, feel free to skip to the
> questions.
>
> == Background ==
>
> We've got a research group on campus that has built up an annotated
> bibliography of literature in their topic of study over the years, which
> graduate students have carefully organized according to a taxonomy of
> topics.  They are happy to continue to host this bibliography online as a
> searchable database.
>
> However, they've asked us in the library to help them think through what
> it would mean for them to help people reach the full text when available
> online (often through licensed library resources).  Supporting users at our
> institution is easy -- we can prepend the proxy server string to the DOI,
> or query our link resolver, or query our library discovery product.  But
> I'd also like to offer some options for what they could do to help users
> not at our institution.
>
> Including a hyperlinked DOI or other publisher-provided permalink will
> allow users at other institutions who are on campus and using VPN to reach
> the resource directly, assuming their institution subscribes.  So while
> that's an easy solution, it only helps certain users.
>
> In brainstorming with a colleague, we've come up with two other options
> that we might offer to the research group for helping users at other
> institutions reach the full text:
>
> a) They could recommend that users install LibX and then use its "magic
> button" feature to select the citation and search for it through their
> institution's library.
>
> b) They could build queries that go to Google Scholar and suggest that
> Google Scholar users configure "library links" in order to prepend their
> institution's proxy server link or send them to their link resolver.
>
> While I know that Google Scholar's database includes plenty of bare
> citations (without any links to full text), I'm not sure it's big enough to
> actually include the sorts of book chapters and possibly obscure journal
> articles found in this bibliography.  But I'm content to leave that to the
> research group to experiment with.
>
> == The questions ==
>
> 1. Does anyone have a sense of the number of institutions with "editions"
> for LibX versus the number of institutions with "library links" set up in
> Google Scholar?  I can't find full lists on the websites of either, but if
> we know that one is more comprehensive than the other, I'd just as soon
> recommend that.
>
> 2. Are there other options you'd suggest besides LibX and Google Scholar
> (with "library links") for helping people people find a library-licensed
> version of a resource when you don't know what institution the user is at?
>
> Thanks in advance for your thoughts,
>
> Kevin
>