Research Solutions and Third Iron Partner for Enhanced Academic Library Access Platform

Research Solutions (RSSS) has partnered with Third Iron to integrate Article Galaxy Scholar (AGS) into LibKey's linking ecosystem, providing libraries with direct access to over 34,000 journals. The integration simplifies the process of accessing articles not available through traditional subscriptions, and will be piloted with select institutions before being widely available in the coming months.

Research Solutions, Inc. (NASDAQ: RSSS) has announced a strategic partnership with Third Iron to integrate Article Galaxy Scholar (AGS) into LibKey's linking ecosystem. This collaboration aims to enhance how academic libraries and researchers access scholarly content, particularly for articles not available through traditional subscriptions.

The integration simplifies the process of accessing these articles by providing direct, one-click access to over 34,000 journals. This is achieved through AGS's incorporation into LibKey's established "waterfall" linking structure, which first checks open access, publisher subscription, and aggregator subscription sources before automatically turning to AGS when full-text access isn't available through these sources. This approach ensures libraries avoid duplicate payments for content they already own and provides direct access to materials that would otherwise require interlibrary loan (ILL) requests.

Scott L. Ahlberg, Chief Operating Officer at Research Solutions, stated, "This integration significantly improves how libraries can serve their research communities. By bringing Article Galaxy Scholar directly into the discovery workflow through LibKey, we're streamlining access while providing users with clear information about their options. Libraries also gain valuable insight into actual research demand patterns to inform collection development decisions."

John Seguin, President and Chief Librarian at Third Iron, added, "This integration combines user convenience with institutional efficiency. By incorporating AGS into LibKey's waterfall linking structure, we're able to present researchers with immediate access options through the interfaces they already use and trust."

The LibKey-AGS integration is currently being piloted with select institutions and will be more widely available in the coming months. It is available for LibKey Discovery/API implementations, including Ex Libris Primo and Summon integrations, with additional LibKey services receiving AGS integration capabilities in Summer 2025.

References:

[1] https://www.researchsolutions.com/resources/press-releases/research-solutions-and-third-iron-partner-to-streamline-content-access-for-academic-libraries
[2] https://finance.yahoo.com/news/research-solutions-third-iron-partner-120000801.html