How Alma determines whether to apply the proxy for a link

How Alma determines whether to apply the proxy for a link


Links can come from one of two sources. So, proxy enablement varies depending on the source. First, links can come from the Link Resolver. The Link Resolver checks Alma for inventory and builds links from the inventory record details. Second, links can come from a link included in the metadata for a Central Discovery Index Record. 

Alma builds these links from the collection, service, portfolio records, and CDI records linking information and metadata.  
  1. The link is the Level URL or Level URL (override) from the collection record for collection-level bib records.  
  2. For portfolio-level bib records, the link comes from the portfolio and service records.  
  3. Alma builds the link from information in the portfolio and service records for CDI content records. It might have additional information added to the link from the content record. 

You control whether links for these resources go through the proxy by using the proxy settings in the collection, service, or portfolio records. 

The short version of how this works is:  
  1. If you enable the proxy at the collection level, it is only for the collection-level bib’s link. 
  2. The portfolios inherit the service level proxy unless you specify a different setting for individual portfolios.
  3. If you enable the proxy at the portfolio level, the portfolio will use that setting. If it contradicts the service-level setting, it will override the service-level setting. 

Ex Libris has supplied documentation for Resolver Proxies. In this document, Ex Libris added a Proxy Relationships table. Based on your collection, service, and portfolio settings, you can use it to determine whether the user will go through the proxy or directly to the resource.  

The Central Discovery Index includes these links in the metadata for a Central Discovery Index Record. If your activated collections tell the CDI that you should be using the link in the CDI record, you control whether the link goes through the proxy with the Use Proxy settings from Discovery > Central Index and Proxy Set-Up page. You can choose whether to apply the proxy to all records or only non-OA records. For more information on how the CDI chooses the linking method, you might want to study the “Central Discovery Index merged records and linking behavior” document.  

Ex Libris has supplied documentation for Configuring Central Index and Proxy settings for Primo VE.

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