As more translations and classical resources were appearing online, faculty and librarians saw an opportunity to smooth the paths of scholars through the maze of digital texts and complex citations.

That opportunity became the Classical Works Knowledge Base (CWKB), a database that uses specialized link resolver software to seamlessly link abstracts to the works they cite and connect disparate pieces of information. Cornell University Library and Cornell's Department of Classics developed the tool, which allows scholars to access online, full-text versions of the primary sources that their institutions own or license.

CWKB works with ancient Greek and Latin texts, and will be used first in the online database "L'Année philologique (The Year in Philology)." Other online resources can make use of it as well; for example, if a database on American history used CWKB, a researcher could look at citations in a pamphlet by Thomas Jefferson and arrive in one click at passages he cites from Plato's dialogues, Cicero's letters and other sources in multiple languages and translations.

"The library is committed to open-access tools, and we deliberately developed a service that could be extended easily," said Anne R. Kenney, the Carl A. Kroch University Librarian. "We are committed to creating tools where none exist, and there is a clear case that scholarship would benefit greatly. We also focus on development that can be broadly applicable for other researchers, facilitating work in a range of disciplines."

CWKB relies on OpenURL links, which are parsed when a user clicks on them. A link resolver then uses the metadata to pull up multiple links to several versions of the texts. The CWKB website features a demonstration of OpenURL, using the Canonical Metadata Citation Format. The software has far-reaching implications for scholarship in other disciplines, because any field that relies heavily on primary-source texts could adapt it. It will be available under an Educational Community License.

The project began in 2009. The Andrew W. Mellon Foundation provided support with a grant to the American Philological Association (APA) in 2010.

Professor of classics and history Eric Rebillard, the editor of "L'Année philologique sur L'Internet," conceived of this service and worked with David Ruddy, the library's director of scholarly communications services, and electronic resources user experience librarian Adam Chandler.

"Users of 'L'Année philologique,' the premier bibliographical database in classical studies, will applaud this eagerly awaited enhancement," said Jeffrey Henderson, APA president. "It is exciting to know that the CWKB may similarly benefit the many other fields informed by classical texts."

Gwen Glazer is the staff writer and editor at Cornell University Library.