CrossRef™ advantages for libraries

The CrossRef™ system has become an indispensable tool in scientific research because of the facilitation
it brings to researchers' work when they are looking for specific contents, as well as to the work of librarians, which consists of granting easy access to that very content.

The use the CrossRef™ systems makes of DOIs is perfect for that purpose: the DOIs are stored in a database, along with the electronic address of that object (URL) and the metadata attached to it in an updateable directory, and is published in place of the URL in order to avoid broken links while allowing the content to move as needed.

As a rule, CrossRef DOIs link to publisher response pages, which include the full bibliographic citation and abstract, as well as full-text access, for authenticated users, or at no charge, as determined by the publisher. The publisher response page often includes other linking options, such as pay-per-view access, journal table of contents and homepage, and associated resources.

One of the most useful applications of this system for librarians is the capacity of DOIs to link to local servers, making the most of all resources and holdings acquired by the institution. For instance, a DOI may be used to forward the user not only to online content in the Internet, but also to a paper issue or content within a database.

Moreover, full OpenURL integration means metadata gathering and source linking are preserved and enhanced.

In short, the most relevant advantages the CrossRef™ system has to offer to librarians are:

-Truly persistent links
-Increases usage of acquired resources
-Expanded access to content not owned
-Enhance localized linking
-DOI and metadata retrieval privileges at no cost to most libraries

For a detailed account of all advantages, you may visit CrossRef™'s libraries information section