How can I check that LibKey and BrowZine are working in my instance of the NHS Knowledge and Library Hub? Why do particular buttons appear against different results?
We use Third Iron products to enhance the NHS Knowledge and Library Hub in several ways. Some changes to the linking experience will happen on 5th January 2026. This will see fewer links displayed with the "best link" shown by Third Iron rather than more than one and some new link types introduced.
Third Iron enriches the holdings data for each instance that are maintained by you in the EBSCO link resolver (HLM). It is critical to keep your HLM up to date.
You can ensure that LibKey has been correctly installed by checking that the following enhancements are working through your instance of the NHS Knowledge and Library Hub:
Journal Cover Art
In your list of results in the NHS Knowledge Hub, you should notice that most (not all) journals have cover art - this makes your results page look more colourful and user-friendly:
Get PDF Links - to be relabelled LibKey Instant PDF
If you have full-text access to an article, in many cases you should notice a "Get PDF" link - this uses LibKey to provide a one-click link to the PDF of an article:
When you click on the Get PDF link, the article should appear.
Please note that the Get PDF link will not appear for all full-text articles. EBSCO full text-content is provided through a different PDF button:
Some full-text articles do not have a one-click PDF button at all. This is usually because the journal is neither compatible with Lib Key nor EBSCO content. January 2026 will see a new LibKey link option of "View article" providing a high quality link where a direct PDF link is not an option (an example would be ClinicalKey articles). You should also still see an Access Item button - this will often link you back to the publisher's website to access the full-text:
Reminder - if you do not have full text access to an article, you should see a button to request the item - this should link to an interlibrary loan request form or the Koha ILL Module.
RETRACTED / Expression of Concern links
Retracted items currently get an additional link alongside the Get PDF link. Both point to the same clarification page from Third Iron that flags the issue while still providing a route to access. Expression of interest warnings are not currently supported on the Hub. From January the user will only be presented with one of the three links. We will seek to monitor whether users understand that the RETRACTED link will still give them the option to choose to read an article.
View Complete Issue Links
If you have full-text access to a journal, you should see the BrowZine "view complete issue" button appearing in the results page. If you click on this link it will take you to the issue of the journal in BrowZine that contains the relevant article:
Browse Journals
On the left hand navigation of the NHS Knowledge and Library Hub, you will find a link to Browse Journals. This will take you through to the BrowZine instance for your service and contains the journals in your local holdings as well as the nationally purchased content:
If you identify any issues with LibKey set-up in your instance of the NHS Knowledge and Library Hub please log a ticket with the Hub service desk.