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Requester (req)

The Requester names the party making the request — typically a user or their institution — and conveys authorization context to the resolver.

The Requester names the party on whose behalf the OpenURL is being submitted: a user, their institution, or some other identifiable agent. In KEV form the prefix is req. The Requester is optional.

When to include a Requester

Most OpenURLs do not include a Requester. The reader's identity is established by other means — typically by which resolver the request is sent to (the resolver itself is the institution) and, behind the resolver, by IP address, single sign-on, or an EZproxy session. Where a Requester is included, it usually carries one of two things:

  • An institutional identifier, so that a shared or proxy resolver can route the request correctly.
  • An anonymous user identifier, for analytics or per-user customisation behind the resolver.

Example

req_id=info:ofi/req:example.edu/library
&req.aulast=Smith
&req.aufirst=Anne

The identifier form, req_id, is whatever URI the community has agreed on for naming institutions or users. The descriptive form, req.<descriptor>, accepts the same kinds of values as a Referent.

Privacy

Because the Requester can identify a user, populating it carries a privacy cost. Implementations that emit Requester data should make sure that data is consistent with the privacy policies of the institutions whose users they serve. Many resolvers explicitly avoid logging Requester identifiers for this reason.

Sources