Web-scale discovery services: searching the library in the era of Google Katie Dunn Technology & Metadata Librarian Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute Presented to the New York State Library Assistants’ Association June 6, 2014 Slides: tinyurl.com/nyslaa-discovery
Web-scale discovery services • What is web-scale discovery? • Assessing needs and selecting a web-scale discovery service • Implementation • Maintenance and evaluation
Who are you and where are you coming from? • Public/academic/other? • Tech services/public services/other? • Does your library have a discovery service? • Summon, EDS, Primo, WorldCat Local?
Web-scale discovery services • What is web-scale discovery?
Why web-scale discovery? • Libraries have many places to search (“silos”) • Catalog • Databases and e-journals (many) • Digital collections • Other? • Which have relevant content for my search? • Where do I start?
Why web-scale discovery? • Users expect a Google-like single search box that searches everything, and assume library search boxes work this way. • (Library literature, user testing) • Users have a hard time knowing where to start, especially searching for articles. • Desire for integration of the majority of library’s collection in one place - books and articles together
Why web-scale discovery? How to make searching the library more like searching Google? Libraries first tried federated search: • Search entered • Search sent out to multiple databases in real time • Results returned from multiple databases • Results compiled in a single display list.
Example – mainstreaming
Why web-scale discovery? • Federated search was dissatisfying • Slow • Clunky, non-intuitive • Limited number of results retrieved • Hard to integrate results from multiple sources into single list • Refining search is difficult • Breakable • Thumbs down, from librarians and users.
Why web-scale discovery? Enter web-scale discovery • Vendor provides a GIANT index of articles, reference sources, reports, patents, etc. (mega-database) • Allows integration of local records (catalog, digital collections) into same index/interface. • Fast to return results • Intuitive search interface – easier to adjust results.
Web-scale discovery example Example
The road to Quick Search at RPI • Fall 2009: Usability testing of library website • Spring/Summer 2010: Evaluation of discovery landscape: federated search and web-scale discovery • Fall 2012: Usability testing of library website, needs assessment, information gathering • Spring 2013: Evaluation of current discovery service products, selection of EDS • Summer 2013: Implementation of EDS • August 2013: Rollout of EDS • Fall 2013: Refinement based on feedback, testing
Web-scale discovery services • What is web-scale discovery? • Assessing needs and selecting a web-scale discovery service
Assessing needs and selecting a web-scale discovery service Our plan (~ 5 months) • Gather information • Literature search • Current product landscape • Local needs assessment • Survey of peer institution websites • Decide which products to investigate further (continued)
Assessing needs and selecting a web-scale discovery service Our plan (~ 5 months - continued) • Investigate 3 web-scale discovery products • Product feature and coverage comparison • Demos / quotes • User tests • Conference calls with other institutions about their products • Make product recommendation to library director
Assessing needs and selecting a web-scale discovery service Our plan (~ 5 months) • Gather information • Literature search • Current product landscape • Local needs assessment • Survey of peer institution websites • Decide which products to investigate (continued)
Assessing needs and selecting a web-scale discovery service Local needs assessment: What is important to your library? For us, it was solving the article search problem: • A place to start your research, especially for articles. • Bonus: integration of the majority of our collections in one place – books and articles together.
Assessing needs and selecting a web-scale discovery service • Reducing barriers to access for our important full-text resources (databases and journals) - should increase usage? • Catalog works great for providing access to books (print and e-books), but only 10% of our budget is spent on books.
Assessing needs and selecting a web-scale discovery service Other things that may be priorities for your library: • Integration with catalog • Improved catalog search • Control over search interface / maintaining existing search interface
Assessing needs and selecting a web-scale discovery service Our plan (~ 5 months) • Gather information • Literature search • Current product landscape • Local needs assessment • Survey of peer institution websites • Decide which products to investigate (continued)
Survey of peer institution websites • What are our peer institutions using? • How do they present the tool on their site?
Single-box article search at 27 peer institutions – by type Fall 2010 Federated Search WSD Other Now None Spring 2013 Other F. S. Web-Scale Discovery None
Assessing needs and selecting a web-scale discovery service Our plan (~ 5 months) • Gather information • Literature search • Current product landscape • Local needs assessment • Survey of peer institution websites • Decide which products to investigate (continued)
Assessing needs and selecting a web-scale discovery service Our plan (~ 5 months - continued) • Investigate 3 web-scale discovery products • Product feature and coverage comparison • Demos / quotes • User tests • Conference calls with other institutions about their products • Make product recommendation to library director • Contract negotiation
Assessing needs and selecting a web-scale discovery service Investigate 3 web-scale discovery products • Product feature and coverage comparison • EBSCO Discovery Service • Ex LibrisPrimo • Serials Solutions Summon
Assessing needs and selecting a web-scale discovery service Our plan (~ 5 months - continued) • Investigate 3 web-scale discovery products • Product feature and coverage comparison • Demos / quotes • User tests • Conference calls with other institutions about their products • Make product recommendation to library director • Contract negotiation
Assessing needs and selecting a web-scale discovery service Our plan (~ 5 months - continued) • Investigate 3 web-scale discovery products • Product feature and coverage comparison • Demos / quotes • User tests • Conference calls with other institutions about their products • Make product recommendation to library director • Contract negotiation
Assessing needs and selecting a web-scale discovery service Our plan (~ 5 months - continued) • Investigate 3 web-scale discovery products • Product feature and coverage comparison • Demos / quotes • User tests • Conference calls with other institutions about their products • Make product recommendation to library director • Contract negotiation
Assessing needs and selecting a web-scale discovery service Our plan (~ 5 months - continued) • Investigate 3 web-scale discovery products • Product feature and coverage comparison • Demos / quotes • User tests • Conference calls with other institutions about their products • Make product recommendation to library director • Contract negotiation
Assessing needs and selecting a web-scale discovery service Our plan (~ 5 months - continued) • Investigate 3 web-scale discovery products • Product feature and coverage comparison • Demos / quotes • User tests • Conference calls with other institutions about their products • Make product recommendation to library director • Contract negotiation
Web-scale discovery services • What is web-scale discovery? • Assessing needs and selecting a web-scale discovery service • Implementation
The road to Quick Search at RPI • Fall 2009: Usability testing of library website • Spring/Summer 2010: Evaluation of discovery landscape: federated search and web-scale discovery • Fall 2012: Usability testing of library website, needs assessment, information gathering • Spring 2013: Evaluation of current discovery service products, selection of EDS • Summer 2013: Implementation of EDS • August 2013: Rollout of EDS • Fall 2013: Refinement based on feedback, testing
Implementation Vendor factors • How long does it take to set up? • Less if you had a trial • What support is provided during implementation? • Configuration • data mapping, interface options, link resolver, off-campus access, etc. • Need to make some decisions locally to determine this. • Local data loads • e-resource holdings info, catalog, digital collections, etc.
Implementation Local factors • Local data: What to load? • Catalog? Digital collections? Other stuff? • Data mapping decisions • Interface options • Default to displaying your library’s materials only in results? Or everything, even things not held by library? • Configuration options • Link resolver, off-campus access, etc. • Which data providers to include in vendor index?
Implementation Local factors • How do you present it on your site? • What do you call it? • Find it!, QuickSearch, OneSearch, branded name? • Promotion • Library staff, users • Instruction • Web-based guides? • Integration into in-person instruction
Web-scale discovery services • What is web-scale discovery? • Assessing needs and selecting a web-scale discovery service • Implementation • Maintenance and evaluation
Maintenance and evaluation Maintenance • Data loads • catalog, e-resource holdings (from link resolver) • Automated, but requires some troubleshooting • Troubleshooting – access, linking • Wider variety of stuff getting sent to link resolver. • Keeping up with new developments in the tool – explaining to library staff and users • New features • New content sources – decide whether to include or not • (read the product listserv)
Maintenance and evaluation Evaluation (How are people using the service? How is it impacting usage of your other resources?) • User/usability testing • Surveys • Trouble reports – where are people having problems? • Statistics
Maintenance and evaluation Evaluation • Statistics • Discovery service: sessions, records viewed, clickthroughs • E-resources (native interface searches, fulltext accesses) • ILL • Link resolver statistics
Web-scale discovery services • What is web-scale discovery? • Assessing needs and selecting a web-scale discovery service • Implementation • Maintenance and evaluation • Questions? Comments? Ideas?
