This project helps users both within and external to the National Science Digital Library (NSDL) to quickly find relevant documents and services across and beyond the spectrum of NSDL resources. The IntegraL (Integrating Libraries) project brings the potentially huge user population of traditional libraries to the NSDL through their own on-line resources (article databases, on-line catalogs and special collections). Users interact with these systems as before, but in addition, IntegraL automatically adds customized sets of context-sensitive links within their displays to related NSDL resources and appropriate services. Further links lead to related resources and appropriate services within the traditional library systems. IntegraL adds links to the digital library screens as well, leading NSDL users to related collections and appropriate services both within digital library systems and (with authentication) traditional library resources at their local libraries, as well as to publicly accessible special collections. IntegraL integration ameliorates the separate silos of information problem endemic to libraries that own a myriad of independent systems. This results in more effective library resource utilization, especially for lesser-known assets such as special collections, since IntegraL leads users directly to appropriate resources. IntegraL's initial implementation is testing direct NSDL access to many thousand users through the largest public library in New Jersey, on-line accessibility to all New Jersey public library users, and four college and university libraries.
