What is ARTstor?
Metasearch into ARTstor
As part of our continued effort to increase the convenience of access to the ARTstor Digital Library, we have developed a new search interface, known as the ARTstor XML Gateway, that supports metasearch (also known as "federated search" or "cross-database search") into ARTstor from external resources. This, in turn, allows some of our participating institutions to include ARTstor results in the metasearch engines they have implemented for their various resource databases.
The basis for the ARTstor XML Gateway is the Search and Retrieve URL (SRU) Service. The SRU Service is a Web Services-based protocol for querying databases and returning search results. Currently under review as a part of the National Information Standards Organization's Metasearch Initiative, SRU incorporates elements of the Z39.50 protocol for Information Retrieval. The ARTstor XML Gateway was designed using SRW/U Open Source Software, developed by Online Computer Library Center Research, as a basis for implementation.
The SRU Service uses the Common Query Language (CQL) as the format for submitting search queries. Although CQL is a formal language for representing queries to information retrieval systems, it has been designed to be human-readable and writable. It allows for both very simple queries as well as complex queries involving Boolean operators, nesting, and others. The search results are returned as XML records in Dublin Core format.
Accessing the ARTstor XML Gateway
Organizations and vendors wishing to use the ARTstor XML Gateway in conjunction with a federated search engine must sign an ARTstor Metasearch Agreement. Please email userservices@artstor.org with any questions.
If you have reviewed and are ready to sign the agreement, please print and send two signed copies of ARTstor Metasearch Agreement to:
ARTstor
c/o Edward Dutton, Licensing Coordinator
149 Fifth Avenue, 8th Floor
New York, NY 10010
Phone: 212.358.6400
Fax: 212.358.6499
Upon receipt of the agreement, ARTstor will return one copy of the ARTstor XML Gateway Usage Guide and will be happy to answer questions about its implementation.
Featured metasearch partners
The following organizations have implemented the ARTstor XML Gateway through their federated search products:
| Partner | Description |
|---|---|
| Serials Solutions | Central Search customers can contact Serials Solutions at clients@serialsolutions.com or call 866.737.4257, ext 5. |
| ExLibris | Metalib users can contact their Metalib support team for more information. |
| WebFeat | Learn more about WebFeat on their site, or call 888.757.9199. |
The following organizations have partnered with ARTstor to use the XML Gateway and integrate search results from ARTstor with results from their native resources:
| Partner | Description |
|---|---|
| JSTOR | JSTOR participants can view ARTstor search results when performing a basic search within JSTOR. Learn more at JSTOR. |
| CSA / ProQuest | CSA users can view ARTstor results through CSA's "Discovery Links" in the Illumina platform. |
Image credits
Walter E. Deaves; Diver and Octopus; The Detroit Institute of Arts; ARTstor ID# AMICO_DETROIT_1039543325