DISCOVERY INTERFACES If all the big kids are doing it, why can’t I? Jonathan Jacobsen Andornot Consulting

Presentation Outline Why Learn About Discovery Interfaces? What is a Discovery Interface? Live Demonstrations Selecting a Discovery Interface Implementing a Discovery Interface

About Andornot Consulting 6 librarians / web developers / technology experts / software developers twitter.com/andornot

Why are we giving this presentation? “If all the big kids are doing it, why can’t I?” Discovery interfaces are widespread on the web Increasingly popular in academic and public libraries Slow to spread to special libraries (and archives, museums and other cultural institutions) All organizations must keep up with changing technologies to remain relevant and usable Discovery interfaces are one approach

What is a Discovery Interface? A web 2.0, next-generation interface to any data: library catalogue, archival collection, museum collection, ecommerce store Encourages serendipitous discovery, rather than pre-determined search Can bring multiple resources together into a single, unified index and search interface Let’s look at some examples

What is a Discovery Interface?

Facets

What is a Discovery Interface? Facets

What is a Discovery Interface? Social Media Sharing

What is a Discovery Interface? Facets

What is a Discovery Interface? Facets Typos corrected

What is a Discovery Interface? Facets Related Items Reviews

What is a Discovery Interface? Related Items

What is a Discovery Interface? Ratings and Reviews Additional Content

What is a Discovery Interface? Typos corrected

What is a Discovery Interface? Facets Ratings and Reviews Relevant Results

What is a Discovery Interface? Related Items Reviews

What is a Discovery Interface? Common Features Typos and mis-spellings corrected Relevancy-ranked search results Facets for easy browsing and narrowing of results Related items Ratings, reviews and other user-contributed or third-party content Social media sharing (Facebook, Twitter, etc.)

What is a Discovery Interface? Other Common Features Save searches and records Export to RefWorks, XML, text, MARC (!) Subscribe to RSS feeds Book covers Links to Google Books, Hathi Trust, and other additional content providers Mobile-friendly interface Connection to ILS for real-time info (e.g. loan status, placing holds, etc.) Crawl URLs and index PDFs and other linked content

What is a Discovery Interface? Why so many commercial websites? Pioneers in web application usability Libraries can take advantage of this R&D

Library Discovery Interfaces SearchDiscover

Library Discovery Interfaces

What goes in a Discovery Interface? Your local catalogue Specialized, locally managed data Metadata AND full-text Journal articles and other scholarly resources All data accessible through a single index and search interface

What are some available systems?

Andornot Discovery Interface (AnDI) Uses Apache Solr search engine and Dublin Core metadata

What are some available systems? Discovery SystemReported Installations Primo914 AquaBrowser250 Encore326 LS2 PAC236 Summon407 WorldCat Local1,578 SirsiDynix Enterprise251 Civica Sorcer39 Axiell Arena76 Chamo51 VuFind90+ Sources: Automation Marketplace 2012: The Complete Survey Data. March 29, 2012 By The Digital Shift

Demonstrations AquaBrowser BiblioCommons Summon VuFind

What about Federated Search? Discovery InterfaceFederated Search Your Website Local Search Index Data Source Your Website Web Service

What about Federated Search? Hybrid Your Website Local Search Index Data Source Web Service

Implementation So you think you want a discovery interface? Choosing a system Implementing a system

System Evaluation Checklist

Does it have core features? Facets Spelling corrections Relevancy-ranking

System Evaluation Checklist Does it have additional features? Save searches and records Export to RefWorks, XML, text, MARC (!) Subscribe to RSS feeds Book covers Links to Google Books, Hathi Trust, and other additional content providers Mobile-friendly interface Connection to ILS for real-time info (e.g. loan status, placing holds, etc.)

System Evaluation Checklist How does it handle data import and real- time data retrieval? Does it include data from other sources (e.g. journal articles)? Which ones?

System Evaluation Checklist Configurability and customization options Tools and skills required

System Evaluation Checklist How do you incorporate it into your existing website? XIn a frame? XAs a new web application, but with only your logo? As a new web application, but with the same branding? Replacing your existing website altogether?

System Evaluation Checklist Do your users like the interface? Is staff or user training needed?

System Evaluation Checklist Effort to implement Total staff time (hours / days) Spread out over how many days / weeks / months?

System Evaluation Checklist Costs: Software purchase or license Configuration and customization Maintenance and support Additional features Future upgrades Hardware and other infrastructure costs

System Evaluation Checklist Hosted (SaaS) vs local installation Hosted in Canada?

System Evaluation Checklist System requirements (for non-hosted) Windows Server or Linux Often based on anticipated data storage requirements and simultaneous users

System Evaluation Checklist

Implementation Plan You’ve chosen a system! Now what?

Implementation Plan Local installation or hosted? Local IT support available?

Implementation Plan Determine appropriate content to index What system is content in? Can it be exported? Can the discovery interface import it or fetch it? Can data movement be automated and hands-off? How often will you update the Discovery Interface? SourceExport FormatFrequency and Method ILSMARCAutomated Nightly Export In-house Publications Database XMLManual Monthly Export Externally Hosted Article Database OAIAutomated Weekly Fetch

Implementation Plan Create a “metadata crosswalk” MARCDublin Core 245atitle 100a, 700acreator 655 Genre – Formtype XML OutputDublin Core Combine and title Take 4 digit year only from date

Implementation Plan What condition is the data in? e.g. Does it have suitable facets? Have authority files been used?

Implementation Plan Common bibliographic facets: Author Subject Series Genre Geographic region Time period Publication date Audience Material type

Implementation Plan Material Types: Serial Journal Periodical Magazine

Implementation Plan Interface configuration or customization

Implementation Plan Embed search in existing library website / home page or replace altogether with new system e.g. vs

Implementation Plan

Final activities: Trial import Usability testing with select users Training Launch !

In Conclusion Why Learn About Discovery Interfaces? What is a Discovery Interface? Live Demonstrations Selecting a Discovery Interface Implementing a Discovery Interface Andornot can help!

Further Reading “The Ins and Outs of Evaluating Web-Scale Discovery Services” by Athena Hoeppner. Computers In Libraries. April Scale-Discovery-Services.shtmlhttp:// Scale-Discovery-Services.shtml “Automation Marketplace 2012: The Complete Survey Data” The Digital Shift. March 29, survey-data/ survey-data/ “Discovery Layers in Law Libraries” by Valeri Craigle. AALL Spectrum. December “Discovering What Works: Librarians Compare Discovery Interface Experiences” Library Journal. December 7, what-works-librarians-compare-discovery-interface-experiences/ what-works-librarians-compare-discovery-interface-experiences/ “The Next Generation of Discovery” By Judy Luther & Maureen C. Kelly. Mar 15, Library Journal /the_next_generation_of_discovery.html.csphttp:// 403/the_next_generation_of_discovery.html.csp “Designing the Samurai sword: using facets to support agile, highly-effective information management” by Jennifer Smith. 1st June VuFind usage five times that of "classic catalogue" “Designing for Faceted Search” By Stephanie Lemieux, Earley and Associates (originally published in KM World, March 2009.)