open url resolver in zotero 5 beta not resolving

Chris Che-Castaldo
Hi, I am using Zotero 5 standalone beta while tunneled into to my university's network via VPN (University of Maryland College Park) and have run into the issue where Zotero does not redirect me to non-paywalled webpages for articles in my library. I have been testing this on articles for which I know my university has a subscription to and I have tried various open URL resolvers (preferences - advanced - open url - resolver) - suggested by out library's IT department but none of them work.

I fully recognize that the problem may well be the resolvers suggested by the UMD librarians are incorrect but I am wondering:

1) Is this feature non-functional in zotero 5 beta at the moment?

2) If not, does anyone know or have suggestions how to figure out what the open url resolver is for my institution? I have tried google searches, contacting out IT department, contacting the library directly without luck.

3) Do I even need to specify an open url resolver if I am tunneled into my university's network? I ask this because searching for journal articles through the browser works just fine (I am redirected via world cat for whatever article I link up in web of science), but it is only when I click on an article in zotero or click on import from an RSS feeds I am linked to that zotero does not redirect me.

I would like to say thanks for the new RSS feature in Zotero 5. Being able to import directly into my library from a journal's RSS feed is pretty amazing and a huge timesaver.

Please forgive me if I missed a pertinent discussion thread on this topic.

Thanks.

ChrisC
  • DWL-SDCA
    edited June 26, 2017
    When I make a remote connection from home to my university library system by entering my password I can access full-text articles of subscribed journals. However, when I'm in an environment such as a cafe or a waiting room, where I use my VPN for added security; [edit: although I can log-in and search the databases] the URL resolvers do not work properly [edit: and I cannot get full text]. This, in my case, has nothing to do with Zotero. When talking about this with the university network tech or library folks, I learned that this problem was the result of a purposeful decision concerning both the security of their system and the terms/restrictions of the library's subscription agreements.

    If there is a way to convince these decision-makers that this restriction is unnecessary, I'd love to know.
  • Chris Che-Castaldo
    I have been remote connecting from home and not elsewhere so I am not sure if that would matter for Univ. of Maryland. However, I can access full-text articles just fine so long as I search through our library's website (the redirect happen automatically just like if I were physically on campus). It is only when I import a reference that popped up in my RSS feeds from within zotero, or click on a reference in zotero without a pdf and am directed to a webpage in my browser that the URL resolver does not work. That is why I think the problem is with either my choice of resolver, something in zotero 5 beta, or some IT decision by my university to only allow redirects via the library website. I don't think it is this last one since we have a bookmark that will automatically do a redirect from any journal's page have a subscription to if you just click on it.
  • adamsmith
    1) Definitely works in 5.0

    2) have you tried https://umaryland.on.worldcat.org/atoztitles/link
    That seems to work for me in 5.0 beta (via http://lib.guides.umd.edu/citationtools/endnote )
  • Chris Che-Castaldo
    Adam,

    OK that is good to know. I tried that link earlier and I just tried it again and no luck. Just to confirm, you entered

    https://umaryland.on.worldcat.org/atoztitles/link

    as the resolver in zotero standalone's preferences/advanced/general and left the Version as 1.0. Then when you click on a reference in zotero it opens firefox and redirects you properly behind the paywall? Also, are you on campus or remote accessing using the VPN who you do this? I am on a mac. I should have mentioned that.

    Thanks.

    Chris
  • DWL-SDCA
    edited June 26, 2017
    I may be misunderstanding or we may be talking across ideas.

    If I directly connect from home I have no problem with the resolver and obtaining full text. I don't normally use a VPN from home to connect. When I connect from home but through my VPN, I cannot get full text but I have full access to all database searches.

    [edit: the key issue I'm raising is the use of a VPN as a security measure in addition to directly connecting to your university system via your home network.]
  • adamsmith
    I think you're misunderstanding or misremembering what this should do.

    What the OpenURL resolver is supposed to do is when you click on the small arrow next to the right-pointing green arrow to the right of the search field and select "Library Lookup" it shows you if your library owns an item and which options you have to access it. On clicking the respective link you are then taken to UMD authentication as needed (at this point I can't test anymore. I'm not at UMD).

    Are you describing a feature that you have previously used in Zotero? You may mean the proxy set-up, which still exists in 5.0 but works slightly differently?
  • adamsmith
    To clarify: this is where Zotero's "Locate" feature takes you for a sample item:
    http://imgur.com/AAifP02
    Everything after that is entirely outside Zotero
  • Chris Che-Castaldo
    edited June 26, 2017
    Adam,

    Thanks for clarifying that. I do not normally use Zotero (coming from BibDesk) and I was misunderstanding both you and DWL-SDCA. When I click on that arrow and do library lookup it does work as you describe - it redirects me properly to the UMD authentication and then gives me full-text access to the pdf outside of zotero. I was incorrectly thinking that double-clicking on the reference directly in zotero would do these steps, but it instead just sends me to the url for the article without redirecting me. The only kludgy thing about the library lookup is that clicking on "save to zotero" via the zotero connector in firefox after I am redirected saves a new entry to my zotero library, as opposed to attaching the pdf to the reference I did the library lookup in the first place.

    Perhaps the proxy you mentioned avoids all that? If so, how did you manage to set that up?

    Thanks.
  • adamsmith
    I mean -- the hope would be that you have few items with no attached full text in the first place. Where are those coming from?
  • Chris Che-Castaldo
    Adam,

    It happens like this: An article pops up in the RSS feed (with zotero) that I wish to import. I click "add to my library" on the far right, and the article appears in my library. However, the pdf did not come along for the ride, so I click (thanks to your help) library lookup and am redirected to a page in firefox where I can link to full text. Oddly enough sometimes the link to full text link goes to a different article than the one I did a library lookup on, but I am already re-directed behind the paywall so I can get to the pdf via searching the journal's webpage. Then, using the zotero connector I click "save to zotero" when I have the pdf loaded in the browser and a new entry appears in zotero with the metadata and the pdf. Now I have to delete the original entry so I don't have a duplicate.

    So obviously that is a bit cumbersome - I am sure because of my ignorance. So then the question becomes: what's the best way to import an article into voter's library from the RSS feeds that captures both the metadata and pdf with the minimum number of mouse clicks?

    https://www.dropbox.com/s/fa9xbxiw3iw20im/Screenshot 2017-06-26 16.43.17.png?dl=0


  • adamsmith
    Let me look at that. I haven't used the RSS functionality much. I think technically it should be able to include PDFs in most cases (certainly for Wiley) but I may be wrong about that and need to test this out before saying more.

    One thing you _can_ do for sure is, if you have a PDF loaded in your browser, simply drag the URL to the item in Zotero -- you click and drag on the icon to the left of the URL. In Chrome, e.g., that's either the lock for secure connections or the (i) for site info.

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