Scenario A: Resolve given only referent identifier: Search (single instance)

  1. User searches repository federation fred.gov.au for objects in the federation matching the search criterion "Call of the wild".
  2. Search service returns listing of matching FRBR Manifestations (i.e. particular file formats and versions of the content), with brief descriptions, for display on a browser:
    • London, Jack: Call of the Wild. PDF. [LINK]
    • London, Jack: Call of the Wild. MP3. [LINK]
    • Cooper, Justine: Call of the Wild. Computer game. [LINK]
  3. The listing contains a hyperlink for each matching object, which can be used to trigger a request to obtain that object through Obtain HTTP/URL/Browser.
    • Because the repository federation is OpenURL-enabled, the hyperlinks are not directly to the object instances on participating repositories. Instead, they are calls to the OpenURL Resolution service.
  4. Each call contains a single parameter: the identifier of the object at the FRBR Manifestation level. (So the PDF and MP3 of Jack London's Call of the Wild have distinct identifiers):
  5. The user clicks on the hyperlink http://openurl.example.com?rft_id=hdl%3A102.100%2F372&rfr_id=info%2Fsid%3Afred.gov.au , with the intent of obtaining the object "London, Jack: Call of the Wild. PDF." (a PDF file) associated with the hyperlink.
  6. The OpenURL service retrieves all the URLs of object instances in the repository federation matching an object with Manifestation identifier hdl:102.100/372 . There is only one such object:
  7. The OpenURL service selects http://perth.example.com/content/id=4738 as the only available locator of the instance.
  8. The URL service call is redirected to http://perth.example.com/content/id=4738 , which is an Obtain HTTP/URL/Browser request.
  9. The content of http://perth.example.com/content/id=4738 is delivered to the end user as a PDF file.
  10. The user's request to obtain the PDF file corresponding to the description "London, Jack: Call of the Wild. PDF" is satisfied.

Scenario B: Resolve given only referent identifier: Search (multiple instances)

User searches repository federation for objects in the federation matching the search criterion "Call of the wild".

  1. Search service returns listing of matching FRBR Manifestations (i.e. particular file formats and versions of the content), with brief descriptions, for display on a browser:
    • London, Jack: Call of the Wild. PDF. [LINK]
    • London, Jack: Call of the Wild. MP3. [LINK]
    • Cooper, Justine: Call of the Wild. Computer game. [LINK]
  2. The listing contains a hyperlink for each matching object, which can be used to trigger a request to obtain that object through Obtain HTTP/URL/Browser.
    • Because the repository federation is OpenURL-enabled, the hyperlinks are not directly to the object instances on participating repositories. Instead, they are calls to the OpenURL Resolution service.
  3. Each call contains a single parameter: the identifier of the object at the FRBR Manifestation level. (So the PDF and MP3 of Jack London's Call of the Wild have distinct identifiers):
  4. The user clicks on the hyperlink http://openurl.example.com?rft_id=hdl%3A102.100%2F372 , with the intent of obtaining the object "London, Jack: Call of the Wild. PDF." (a PDF file) associated with the hyperlink.
  5. The OpenURL service retrieves all the URLs of object instances in the repository federation matching an object with Manifestation identifier hdl:102.100/372 .
  6. The OpenURL service has no further information on the context of the obtain request (no further parameters) to decide which URL to return as a matter of business logic.
  7. The OpenURL service creates an HTML document containing a listing of the three object instances, each hyperlinked to an Obtain HTTP/URL/Browser request (i.e. each resolvable). Each instance is annotated or branded with sufficient information for the user to make a selection (e.g. location).
  8. The HTML document is returned to the user.
  9. The user selects from the instances presented the instance http://perth.example.com/content/id=4738 , and clicks the associated hyperlink.
  10. The content of http://perth.example.com/content/id=4738 is delivered to the end user as a PDF file.
  11. The user's request to obtain the PDF file corresponding to the description "London, Jack: Call of the Wild. PDF" is satisfied.

Scenario C: Resolve given referent identifier and requester affiliation: Search

  1. User at Cairns High School searches repository federation for objects in the federation matching the search criterion "Call of the wild".
  2. As in Scenario A, search service returns listing of matching FRBR Manifestations, with hyperlinked calls to the OpenURL Resolution service.
  3. Each call contains two parameters: the identifier of the object at the FRBR Manifestation level, and the institutional affiliation of the user (as determined when the user gained access to the federation):
  4. The user clicks on the hyperlink http://openurl.example.com?rft_id=hdl%3A102.100%2F372&req.affil=cairnsHS&rfr_id=info%2Fsid%3Afred.gov.au , with the intent of obtaining the PDF for "London, Jack: Call of the Wild".
  5. The OpenURL service retrieves all the URLs of object instances in the repository federation matching an object with Manifestation identifier hdl:102.100/372
  6. The OpenURL service selects http://townsville.example.com/content/id=37583 as the locator of the instance most appropriate for delivery to a user logging in from Cairns (req.affil=cairnsHS), based on physical proximity.
    • Note that there is not a one-to-one mapping between affiliations and repositories. For example, the Townsville repository could be the repository for the Far North Queensland school district.
  7. The URL service call is redirected to http://townsville.example.com/content/id=37583 , which is an Obtain HTTP/URL/Browser request.
  8. The content of http://townsville.example.com/content/id=37583 is delivered to the end user as a PDF file.
  9. The user's request to obtain the PDF file corresponding to the description "London, Jack: Call of the Wild. PDF" is satisfied.

Scenario D: Resolve given referent identifier and requester affiliation: Link from Object

  1. A content object contains a hyperlink to another content object in a datastream (either metadata or content).
  2. The content object to be linked to is specified by an identifier: hdl%3A/102.100/378
  3. Both content objects are ingested as object instances into several repositories within the federation.
  4. A user at Cairns High School access the first content object through the federation.
  5. The federation content delivery system renders the hyperlink to the second content object as a call to OpenURL.
  6. The call contains two parameters: the identifier of the object, and the institutional affiliation of the user.
  7. The user clicks on the hyperlink http://openurl.example.com?rft_id=hdl%3A102.100%2F378&req.affil=cairnsHS&rfr_id=info%2Fsid%3Afred.gov.au , with the intent of obtaining a manifestation of the second content object.
  8. The OpenURL service selects http://townsville.example.com/content/id=37583 as the locator of the instance most appropriate for delivery to a user logging in from Cairns (req.affil=cairnsHS), based on physical proximity.
  9. The content of http://townsville.example.com/content/id=37583 is delivered to the end user.
  10. The user's request to obtain the second content object through a hyperlink from the first content object is satisfied.
  1. A user at Tweed Heads High School also access the first content object through the federation.
  2. The federation content delivery system renders the hyperlink to the second content object as a call to OpenURL.
  3. The call contains two parameters: the identifier of the object, and the institutional affiliation of the user. The institutional affiliation is different for the second user.
  4. The user clicks on the hyperlink http://openurl.example.com?rft_id=hdl%3A102.100%2F378&req.affil=tweedsheadHS&rfr_id=info%2Fsid%3Afred.gov.au , with the intent of obtaining a manifestation of the second content object.
  5. The OpenURL service selects http://birdsville.example.com/content/id=9340 as the locator of the instance most appropriate for delivery to a user logging in from Tweed Heads(req.affil=tweedheadsHS), based on physical proximity.
  6. The content of http://townsville.example.com/content/id=37583 is delivered to the second end user.
  7. The second user's request to obtain the second content object through a hyperlink from the first content object is also satisfied.
  8. The hyperlink was used to deliver distinct object instances of the same file to different users, depending on appropriateness.

Scenario E: Resolve given referent identifier and requester affiliation: External Link

  1. User A at Cairns HS identifies the object manifestation with identifier hdl:102.100/372 as an object of interest.
  2. User A wishes to provide user B at Tweed Heads HS with a URL linking to object hdl:102.100/372 . This URL is intended to be used to request Obtain HTTP/URL/Browser.
  3. The two users both have access to the same federation, but have distinct institutional affiliations. As a result, the object instance A accesses through an OpenURL request is not the same as the object B accesses.
  4. User A clicks a "mail this link" button next to a screen description of hdl:102.100/372 , and fills in the email of user B.
  5. The delivery system rejects any non-institutional email addresses for B.
  6. As a result, the system can infer the institutional affiliation of B from the email address given.
  7. The system formulates an OpenURL query appropriate for B, given the object identifier and B's affiliation: http://openurl.example.com?rft_id=hdl%3A102.100%2F378&req.affil=tweedsheadHS&rfr_id=info%2Fsid%3Afred.gov.au
  8. B clicks on the OpenURL link as formulated.
  9. B accesses the copy of hdl:102.100/372 appropriate for Tweed Heads.

Scenario F: Resolve given referent identifier and requester accessibility profile

  1. User A has a visual disability.
  2. User A accesses the federation; his access profile is known to the federation on login.
  3. User A wishes to access the object manifestation with identifier hdl:102.100/372 through the federation.
  4. The federation provides access to the object only through an OpenURL query.
  5. The OpenURL query contains the user's accessibility profile as a parameter: http://openurl.example.com?rft_id=hdl%3A102.100%2F372&req.accessibility=visual&rfr_id=info%2Fsid%3Afred.gov.au
  6. User A clicks http://openurl.example.com?rft_id=hdl%3A102.100%2F372&req.accessibility=visual , expecting to obtain the object through his Braille browser.
  7. The OpenURL service checks the metadata of hdl:102.100/372 to confirm that the object conforms with the visual accessibility profile. It does.
  8. The OpenURL service resolves to the URL of the conformant object instance, which is delivered to the user.
  9. User A wishes to access the object manifestation with identifier hdl:102.100/373 through the federation.
  10. User A clicks the provided OpenURL query http://openurl.example.com?rft_id=hdl%3A102.100%2F373&req.accessibility=visual&rfr_id=info%2Fsid%3Afred.gov.au , expecting to obtain the object through his Braille browser.
  11. The OpenURL service checks the metadata of hdl:102.100/373 to confirm that the object conforms with the visual accessibility profile. It does not.
  12. The OpenURL service fails to resolve to an appropriate copy of hdl:102.100/373 , and instead outputs an error page to the user, indicating that the object is not renderablen through a braille browser.

Scenario G: Resolve given referent identifier and requester accessibility profile: Choice of Manifestation

  1. User A has a visual disability.
  2. User A accesses the federation; his access profile is known to the federation on login.
  3. User A wishes to access the object expression with identifier hdl:102.100/374 through the federation.
  4. The federation provides access to the object only through an OpenURL query.
  5. The OpenURL query contains the user's accessibility profile as a parameter: http://openurl.example.com?rft_id=hdl%3A102.100%2F374&req.accessibility=visual&rfr_id=info%2Fsid%3Afred.gov.au
  6. User A clicks http://openurl.example.com?rft_id=hdl%3A102.100%2F374&req.accessibility=visual&rfr_id=info%2Fsid%3Afred.gov.au , expecting to obtain a manifestation of the object through his Braille browser.
  7. The OpenURL service checks the metadata of hdl:102.100/374 to confirm that the object conforms with the visual accessibility profile.
  8. The metadata informs the OpenURL service that only a certain manifestation of the object conforms.
  9. The OpenURL service retrieves the identifiers of the conformant manifestations.
  10. The OpenURL service resolves the manifestation identifier to the URL of a conformant object instance.
  11. The conformant object instance URL is used to delivered the content to the user.

Scenario H: Resolve given referent identifier and requester identity: DRM

  1. User Jack at Cairns HS logs in to the federation and is identified to the federation by an authenticated email address: mailto:jack@cairnshs.qld.gov.au
  2. Jack wishes to access the object manifestation with identifier hdl:102.100/372 .
  3. The system formulates an OpenURL query appropriate for Jack, given the object identifier and Jack's identifier: http://openurl.example.com?rft_id=hdl%3A102.100%2F372&req_id=mailto%3Ajack%40cairnshs.qld.gov.au&rfr_id=info%2Fsid%3Afred.gov.au
  4. User Jack clicks the URL, expecting to obtain the object.
  5. The OpenURL service determines based on Jack's identifier that Jack is a user at Cairns HS.
  6. The OpenURL service confirms that users from Cairns HS are authorised to access hdl:102.100/372 under the terms through which hdl:102.100/372 was licensed to the federation. They are.
  7. The OpenURL service resolves the request the URL of an instance appropriate to Jack's user profile.
  8. Jack obtains the object.
  1. User Jill at Tweed Heads HS logs in to the federation and is identified to the federation by an authenticated email address: mailto:jill@tweedheadshs.nsw.gov.au
  2. Jill wishes to access the object manifestation with identifier hdl:102.100/372 .
  3. The system formulates an OpenURL query appropriate for Jill, given the object identifier and Jill's identifier: http://openurl.example.com?rft_id=hdl%3A102.100%2F372&req_id=mailto%3Ajill%40tweedheadshs.nsw.gov.au&rfr_id=info%2Fsid%3Afred.gov.au
  4. Jill clicks the URL, expecting to obtain the object.
  5. The OpenURL service determines based on Jill's identifier that Jill is a user at Tweed Heads HS.
  6. The OpenURL service confirms that users from Tweed Heads HS are authorised to access hdl:102.100/372 under the terms through which hdl:102.100/372 was licensed to the federation. They are not.
  7. The OpenURL service does not resolve the request into the URL of an instance. Instead, Jill is shown an error page, explaining the lack of authorisation for her institution and outlining alternate means of delivery.

Scenario I: Resolve given referent identifier, requester affiliation, and requester physical location

  1. User A is based in Melbourne, and is affiliated with Boeing.
  2. Boeing has an institutional repository in Fremantle and in Sydney.
  3. User A accesses the federation and wishes to obtain object hdl:102.100/372
  4. The institutional affiliation of A is not sufficient to determine which repository A should access content through: req.affil=boeing is satisified by both the Fremantle and the Sydney repositories.
  5. Recognising this, the system formulates an OpenURL query parameterised on both the institutional affiliation and the physical location of A (drawn from a limited vocabulary): http://openurl.example.com?rft_id=hdl%3A102.100%2F372&req.affil=boeing&ref.location=mel&rfr_id=info%2Fsid%3Afred.gov.au
  6. The user clicks the URL, expecting to obtain the object.
  7. The OpenURL service retrieves all the URLs of object instances in the repository federation matching an object with Manifestation identifier hdl:102.100/372
  8. The OpenURL service restricts the selection of instances to http://freo.boeing.example.com/content/id=8394 and http://emeraldcity.boeing.example.com/content/id=3457 , based on the user's institutional affiliation.
  9. The OpenURL service further restricts the selection of instances to http://emeraldcity.boeing.example.com/content/id=3457 , based on the user's physical location.
  10. The URL service call is redirected to http://emeraldcity.boeing.example.com/content/id=3457 , and the Melbourne user ends up obtaining the Sydney Boeing instance of the object.
  1. User A is a student at Cairns High, but is accessing the federation from home, rather than from the school campus.
  2. The most appropriate copy for a user accessing the federation from home is on the Townsville repository: content at the Cairns High repository is only meant to be accessed on campus.
  3. User A wishes to obtain object hdl:102.100/372
  4. The institutional affiliation of A is not sufficient to determine which repository A should access content through.
  5. Recognising this, the system formulated an OpenURL query parameterised on both the institutional affiliation and the physical location of A (drawn from a limited vocabulary): http://openurl.example.com?rft_id=hdl%3A102.100%2F372&req.affil=cairnshs&ref.location=home&rfr_id=info%2Fsid%3Afred.gov.au
  6. The user clicks the URL, expecting to obtain the object.
  7. The OpenURL service retrieves all the URLs of object instances in the repository federation matching an object with Manifestation identifier hdl:102.100/372
  8. The OpenURL service restricts the selection of instances to http://cairnshs.example.com/content/id=4738 and http://townsville.example.com/content/id=37583 , based on the user's institutional affiliation.
  9. The OpenURL service further restricts the selection of instances to http://townsville.example.com/content/id=37583 , based on the user's physical location.
  10. The URL service call is redirected to http://townsville.example.com/content/id=37583 , and the Cairns user at home ends up obtaining the Townsville instance of the object rather than the on-campus instance.

Scenario J: Resolve directly to object vs. to metadata

  1. A federation presents the digital objects in its repositories through a front page presenting object metadata: http://cairnshs.example.com/content/id=4738 .
  2. Users can directly access the digital object for viewing on a browser through a link from the front page: http://cairnshs.example.com/content/id=4738?view .
  3. Users can package and download the digital object through a second link from the front page: http://cairnshs.example.com/content/id=4738?package .
  4. By default, a request to resolve to the object resolves to the front page.
  5. So if our object has identifier hdl:102.100/372, the OpenURL call http://openurl.example.com?rft_id=hdl%3A102.100%2F372&req.affil=cairnsHS&rfr_id=info%2Fsid%3Afred.gov.au resolves to http://cairnshs.example.com/content/id=4738
  6. The federation distributes a curriculum object: an aggregate digital object containing references to various digital objects in the federation.
  7. The curriculum object has its own metadata and front page, and links to component digital objects. hdl:102.100/372 is one of the component objects.
  8. The links are OpenURL links, since the curriculum object may be distributed to any member of the federation.
  9. Since the aggregate has its own front page, the user clicking on the OpenURL link for hdl:102.100/372 should not be taken to the front page for that component object; they should be taken directly to viewing the object.
  10. The OpenURL link is presented as http://openurl.example.com?rft_id=hdl%3A102.100%2F372&req.affil=cairnsHS&svc.view=yes&rfr_id=info%2Fsid%3Afred.gov.au
  11. The OpenURL resolver extracts the svc.view=yes parameter, and interprets this to mean that the link presented should be that for viewing the object on a browser, rather than the object front page.
  12. The OpenURL resolver resolves the OpenURL query to http://cairnshs.example.com/content/id=4738?view instead of http://cairnshs.example.com/content/id=4738