1. Web-scale discovery services: searching the library in the era of Google Katie Dunn Technology & Metadata Librarian Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute Slides: tinyurl.com/nyslaa-discoverytinyurl.com/nyslaa-discovery Presented to the New York State Library Assistants’ Association June 6, 2014

2. Web-scale discovery services What is web-scale discovery? Assessing needs and selecting a web-scale discovery service Implementation Maintenance and evaluation

3. 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?

4. Web-scale discovery services What is web-scale discovery?

5. Why web-scale discovery? Libraries have many places to search (“silos”)silos – Catalog – Databases and e-journals (many) – Digital collections – Other? Which have relevant content for my search? Where do I start?

6. 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

7. 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.

8. ExampleExample – mainstreaming

11. 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.

12. 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.

13. Web-scale discovery example Example

16. 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

17. Web-scale discovery services What is web-scale discovery? Assessing needs and selecting a web-scale discovery service

18. 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)

19. 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

20. 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)

21. 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.

22. 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.

23. 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

24. 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)

25. Survey of peer institution websites What are our peer institutions using? How do they present the tool on their site?

26. Single-box article search at 27 peer institutions – by type F. S. None Now Federated Search None Other WSD Other Fall 2010 Spring 2013 Web-Scale Discovery

27. 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)

28. 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

29. Assessing needs and selecting a web-scale discovery service Investigate 3 web-scale discovery products – Product feature and coverage comparison EBSCO Discovery Service Ex Libris Primo Serials Solutions Summon

30. 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

31. 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

32. 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

33. 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

34. 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

35. Web-scale discovery services What is web-scale discovery? Assessing needs and selecting a web-scale discovery service Implementation

36. 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

37. 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.

38. 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?

39. 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

40. Web-scale discovery services What is web-scale discovery? Assessing needs and selecting a web-scale discovery service Implementation Maintenance and evaluation

41. 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)

42. 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

43. Maintenance and evaluation Evaluation Statistics – Discovery service: sessions, records viewed, clickthroughs – E-resources (native interface searches, fulltext accesses) – ILL – Link resolver statistics

44. 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?