Minnesota State Implements LibKey Complete
In order to support affordability efforts in libraries, Senior Vice Chancellor Green-Stephen agreed to fund Third Iron’s LibKey Complete for all institutions in Minnesota State beginning in July of 2023. This is ongoing funding that acknowledges that improving infrastructure can reduce barriers to access to research resources.
According to Third Iron’s website, “When the point of discovery is within the library, in services like databases and discovery layers, our services simplify and expedite how users get to full text. When research starts outside the library, at sites like Google and ResearchGate, Third Iron technology identifies and seamlessly connects users to library full text.” https://thirdiron.com/aboutus/
Two pieces of the implementation include:
- There is code that the PALS Office adds to the library’s Primo VE (search) instance to add the LibKey Discovery functionality. This integrates with most major vendors and reduces the number of clicks and broken links to provide one-click access to PDFs.
- LibKey Nomad, (includes demo video for user) a browser extension that brings library paid resources to the searcher when they start searching outside of the library webpage/search, can be added to machine images on campuses and students can download the extension for access outside of the campus network.
As of today, 29 of the 33 colleges and universities in Minnesota State have implemented the Discovery functionality, and six institutions have implemented the Nomad functionality. As the year progresses, we will work with Third Iron to leverage the analytics regarding the usage of the software and identify any improvements in access made by using LibKey Complete.
