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CDL’s Metasearch Infrastructure

CDL’s Metasearch Infrastructure. ICOLC, Boston April 13, 2005 Laine Farley, Director Digital Library Services. The “Holy Grail” of Resource Discovery. One-stop shopping Simplify a complex task User focuses on results, not on where to search. Metasearching at CDL: A Brief History.

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CDL’s Metasearch Infrastructure

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  1. CDL’s Metasearch Infrastructure ICOLC, Boston April 13, 2005 Laine Farley, Director Digital Library Services

  2. The “Holy Grail”of Resource Discovery • One-stop shopping • Simplify a complex task • User focuses on results, not on where to search

  3. Metasearching at CDL: A Brief History • 1997: UC San Diego creates Database Advisor • 1999: CDL creates metasearch tool based on DBA • 2000: SearchLight launched • 2002-3: CDL looks beyond SL • 2002-3: Commercial products arrive • 2003: CDL Metasearch Infrastructure project

  4. Metasearching at CDL: A Brief History • 2004: RFP “bakeoff” – consortial model • 2004: Metalib installed, v. 3 • 2005: Reality sets in…

  5. Lessons Learned from SearchLight • Metasearching is worth doing (many users want it) • For a large research library, focus on specific audience, subject, task, format • Service should be placed as close to the user as possible

  6. Lessons Learned from SearchLight • Size of result set isn’t as important as how the results are displayed (e.g., relevance) • All things being equal, one place to search is better than two or more • “Good enough” is often just that • Only librarians like to search, everyone else wants to find

  7. Prototypes • Two campus partners • “Smart Start” – undergrads (UCSC, UCLA) • “European Studies” – faculty (UCLA) • Two grant projects • National Science Digital Library – Geology? • Hewlett Foundation - American West

  8. “Vanilla” Interface

  9. Usability testing / Focus Groups • Upper division undergrads – UCB • Google: use to get started but not for “real” • Already know “their” database(s) –more options for limiting • Some still wanted metasearch - multidisciplinary

  10. Lower division undergrads – UC Santa Cruz • “A Google search will probably give me celebrity gossip” but…useful for terms, narrowing topic • “If you can’t trust the library to give you good information, who can you trust? “ • “I don’t know what all these databases are” • Various usability problems

  11. Custom Interface • UCLA – European Studies • Help develop processes, workflow • Develop templates for other campuses • Research oriented • Not all resources can be searched

  12. Custom Interface - 2 • National Science Digital Library • Test integration of NSDL content with academic library resources • Proof of concept – may not become production service

  13. Custom Interface – 3 • American West • OAI harvested metadata - primary • Licensed databases for UC users - secondary

  14. Developments to Date • Ex Libris • X-server enhancements • NISO Metasearch • SRU/SRW “light”

  15. Development • CDL: • Harvesting tools • ATE: Analyze, Transform, Enrich • UI and Common Framework • UCLA: • Analyzing targets • Testing groupings

  16. Timeline • Fall 2005? • NSDL • UCLA European Integration • Smart Start • Spring 2005 • American West

  17. Future Possibilities • Medical texts (e.g., MDConsult equivalent) • Images • East Asian

  18. What keeps me awake at night • Walmart (Target?) vs boutique • Just in case vs just in time • Commodity vs crafted • Search vs services • Users want to find, but also use

  19. What keeps me awake at night • If you can’t trust the library… • What is the value of selection, curation, expertise

  20. Stay tuned…. Questions? Project Manager Roy.Tennant@ucop.edu

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