COinS

ContextObjects in Spans, commonly abbreviated COinS, is a method to embed bibliographic metadata in the HTML code of web pages. This allows bibliographic software to publish machine-readable bibliographic items and client reference management software to retrieve bibliographic metadata. The metadata can also be sent to an OpenURL resolver. This allows, for instance, searching for a copy of a book in one's own library.^[1]

History

In the late 1990s OpenURL was created at Ghent University as framework to provide context-sensitive links. The OpenURL link server implementation called SFX was sold to Ex Libris Group which marketed it to libraries, shaping the idea of a “Link resolver”. The OpenURL framework was later standardized as ANSI/NISO Z39.88 in 2004^[2]. A core part of OpenURL was the concept of “ContextObjects” as metadata to describe referenced resources.

In late 2004 Richard Cameron, the creator of CiteULike brought attention to the need of a standard way to embedding metadata into HTML pages^[3]. Daniel Chudnov suggested the use of OpenURL.^[4] Embedding OpenURL ContextObjects in HTML had been proposed before by Herbert Van de Sompel and Oren Beit-Arie^[5] and a working paper by Chudnov and Jeremy Frumkin^{[citation needed]}. Discussion of the latter on the GPS-PCS mailing list^[6] resulted in a draft specification for embedding OpenURLs in HTML^[7] which later became COinS.

The adoption of COinS was pushed by various publications and implementations. The specification can now be found at http://ocoins.info/. This page includes specific guides to implement COinS for journal articles and books and a COinS generator.

Summary of the COinS data model

From OpenURL 1.0 COinS borrows one of its serialization formats (“KEV”) and some ContextObject metadata formats included in OpenURL implementation guidelines^[8]. The ContextObject implementation guidelines of COinS include four publication types (article with several subtypes, book, patent, and generic) and a couple of simple fields. However the guidelines are not required part of COinS, so the standard does not provide a strict metadata model like Dublin Core or the Bibliographic Ontology.

Use in web sites

The following web sites make use of COinS:

• Citebase
• CiteULike
• Copac
• HubMed
• Mendeley^[9]
• ResearchGate^[10]
• Wikipedia
• WorldCat

Server-side applications

Several server-side applications embed COinS:

• refbase
• WordPress^[11][12][13]
• CMFBibliograpyAT ^[14]

Client tools

Client tools which can use COinS include:

• Bookends (Mac)
• LibX
• Mendeley^[9]
• Openly Informatics OpenURL Referrer^[15]
• Zotero

See also

• unAPI
• Microformat

References

1. ^ Chudnov, Daniel (2006-07). "COinS for the Link Trail". Library Journal: 8–10. http://www.libraryjournal.com/article/CA6344742.html. 
2. ^ ANSI/NISO Z39.88 - The OpenURL Framework for Context-Sensitive Services. 2004. ISBN 978-1-880124-61-1. 
3. ^ "Autodiscovery and embedding metadata". gcs-pcs-list. 2004-12-20. http://old.onebiglibrary.net/yale/cipolo/gcs-pcs-list/2004-December/000004.html. Retrieved 20 March 2011. 
4. ^ "sample inline openurl". gcs-pcs-list. 2005-01-06. http://old.onebiglibrary.net/yale/cipolo/gcs-pcs-list/2005-January/000010.html. Retrieved 20 March 2011. 
5. ^ Van de Sompel, Herbert; Beit-Arie, Oren (July/August 2001). "Generalizing the OpenURL Framework beyond References to Scholarly Works - The Bison-Futé Model". D-Lib 7 (7/8). doi:10.1045/july2001-vandesompel. ISSN 1082-9873. http://www.dlib.org/dlib/july01/vandesompel/07vandesompel.html. 
6. ^ "GCS-PCS mailing list". Groups.google.com. http://groups.google.com/group/gcs-pcs-list. Retrieved 2010-06-07. 
7. ^ "Latent OpenURLs in HTML for Resource Autodiscovery, Localization and Personalization". http://ocoins.info/latent-class.html. Retrieved 20 March 2011. 
8. ^ Apps, Ann (2003-04-16). "Z39.88-2004 KEV Implementation Guidelines". http://epub.mimas.ac.uk/openurl/KEV_Guidelines-200706.html#sect5_4. Retrieved 20 March 2011. 
9. ^ ^{a b} "Mendeley Web now supports COinS". 2009-08-06. http://www.mendeley.com/blog/academic-features/mendeley-web-now-supports-coins/. Retrieved 2009-08-06. 
10. ^ "ResearchGATE now supports COinS". 2010-02-05. http://news.researchgate.net/index.php?/archives/119-ResearchGATE-now-supports-COinS.html. Retrieved 2010-02-11. 
11. ^ Peter Binkley's plugin, described further in this post, can be used to refer to external sources within a WordPress post
12. ^ Zotero's plugin (by Sean Takats) generates self-referential COinS for each WordPress post as an alternative to Binkley's UnAPI plugin
13. ^ John Miedema's plugin creates COinS for books referenced in WordPress posts
14. ^ an add-on for the Plone content-management-system for managing bibliographic references
15. ^ "OpenURL Referrer". OCLC. http://www.openly.com/openurlref/. Retrieved 20 March 2011. 

External links

• OpenURL COinS: A Convention to Embed Bibliographic Metadata in HTML
• Using COinS from Max Planck virtual Library
• Introducing COinS: ContextObjects in Spans
• What are COinS? — From Online Computer Library Center
• Citation proposal - for a microformat for the same purpose
• KEV implementation guidelines