Search results

Seeks to describe library federated search engines MetaLib and WebFeat as research tools by comparing MetaLib with WebFeat and by highlighting their strengths and weaknesses against Google and Google Scholar.

This study tested MetaLib and WebFeat from various libraries; attended vendor demos and asked vendors questions; reviewed literature; and interviewed system administrators of MetaLib and WebFeat.

MetaLib and WebFeat have fundamental differences between them. They cannot compete with Google in speed, simplicity, ease of use, and convenience, nor can they be truly one‐stop shopping. Their strengths lie in the contents they search as well as in the objective way they retrieve and display results. With the federated search engines, information literacy education is still relevant.

The comprehensive comparisons of MetaLib and WebFeat from the perspectives of both users and system administrators are original. It helps libraries make decisions when they select federated search engines, and it gives libraries realistic expectations of federated search engines compared with Google.

The purpose of this paper is to present how, in May 2008, the Ad Hoc Committee on Federated Search was formed to prepare a preliminary report on federated searching for a special meeting of Librarians Academic Council at Memorial University Libraries. The primary purpose is to discuss current implementation of federated searching at this institution, explore what other institutions have done, examine federated search technologies, and offer recommendations for the future of this resource.

Information was drawn from a recent usability study, an informal survey was created, and a literature/technology review was conducted.

These four recommendations were proposed and unanimously accepted: actively develop the current federated search implementation by developing a web presence supporting “federated search in context”, re‐evaluating the need for consortial purchase of a federated search tool, continuing to assess the current federated search marketplace with an eye to choosing a next‐generation federated search tool that includes effective de‐duping, sorting, relevancy, clustering and faceting, and that the selection, testing, and implementation of such a tool should involve broad participation from the Memorial University Libraries system.

Provided is an inside look at one institution's experience with implementing a federated search tool. The paper should be of interest to anyone working in academic libraries, particularly the areas of administration, public services, and systems.

The purpose of this paper is to compare the efficacy of two approaches to finding articles on a topic by measuring student perceptions of the ease‐of‐use of the search process and the perceived relevancy of search results retrieved using both a single multidisciplinary database and a federated search tool.

Students are asked to search both a federated search tool and a single multidisciplinary database, record their searches and respond to a series of quantitative and qualitative questions regarding their experiences with searching both search tools.

Study results indicate a slight preference for federated searching over single database searching based on perceived relevancy of results and likeliness of future use. Study data supports equal promotion of single database searching and federated searching to undergraduate students.

The results of this paper have practical implications for reference and instruction librarians teaching undergraduate students and library users in general to find the most effective, efficient and manageable approach to finding articles on a topic.

Previous research comparing federated searching to other research methods uses prescribed topics outside of an actual class setting, while this is a naturalistic study in which students searched for articles on a research topic of their own choosing for a required research assignment. A previous study compared federated searching to navigating and searching numerous databases. This paper compares a federated search tool to a single multidisciplinary database.

This paper aims to shed light on federated search engine solutions by documenting how Westminster College implemented a new system after a failed attempt.

The librarians became interested in a new federated search solution after a previous vendor was unable to provide a satisfactory product. After seeing demonstrations from several vendors, the librarians decided on WebFeat. This paper chronicles that decision and its implementation, which surprisingly took less than three months.

The librarians found WebFeat to be a superior product in comparison with the first federated search engine. WebFeat made an immediate impact on how the students and faculty searched for information. The seamless integration into the library web page made it easier for users to search databases and the library catalog without confusion and frustration.

The value of this paper comes from the fact that the library became a “federated search casualty” after adopting a system in 2003 that did not live up to expectation and eventually had to be terminated. WebFeat was the next choice, and it has performed above expectations. The librarians witnessed the failure of one federated search engine solution and the success of another over the past three years.

This paper aims to examine the behaviour of the Egyptian scholars while accessing electronic resources through two federated search tools. The main purpose of this article is to provide guidance for federated search tool technicians and support teams about user issues, including the need for training.

Log files were exploited to examine the behaviour of users of information retrieval systems. This study examined two log files extracted from federated search tools available to the Egyptian scholars' community for accessing electronic resources. A data mining approach was implemented to investigate user behaviour through deep analysis of these logs.

Results show that: none of the available tools provide error messages for dummy queries; most of the Egyptian scholars had short queries; Boolean operators are not used in about 50 per cent of the queries; federated search tools do not provide techniques for query reformation; the optimal days for system maintenance are the non‐weekend vacations; and early morning is the best time for maintenance.

To maximise the value of the federated search tools by understanding user trends when utilising federated search tools. The study shows that more attention should be given to the search capabilities through ongoing training and awareness in order to maximise the benefit from the available resources and tools.

The hypothetical value of the federated search tools has not been previously examined and analysed to understand user trends.

Purpose –  – To explore the searchability and search results obtained from the Central Search federated search engine product.Design/methodology/approach – Common keywords are used to test how Central Search processes the search query and how it categorizes search results by subject.Findings – Central Search offers a wide number of results but is not as effective in sorting results by subject.Research limitations/implications – The literature on federated searching is limited because of the products have only recently been released. More study is necessary to determine how effective Central Search and related federated search engines will be for more refined, subject‐specific searches.Practical implications – This assessment emphasizes some of the problematical aspects of federated searching in an academic library environment.Originality/value – Responds to the need for a practical demonstration of how federated search products such as Central Search actually perform searches and how they processes the myriad results they retrieve.

The purpose of this research is to show that federated content collections are important for providing access to multiple content repositories, including image, video, audio and Web sites.

This paper presents findings from an analysis of differences in users' Web searching patterns as they access various federated content collections. A dataset of 4,056,374 records submitted to the Dogpile.com Web meta‐search engine were analysed. An analysis was conducted of search session length, query length, number of results pages viewed, use of systems' assistance and the frequency of repeat queries.

Overall, users entered two to three terms per query and examined only the first pages of results. However, findings include differences in users' access patterns to various content collections. Web, news and audio queries were longer sessions but shorter queries. More users seeking images and videos sought systems assistance.

This is a large‐scale original study using data from a commercial Web search engine. The paper provides a valuable comparison of different types of search – text v. audio, image, etc.

The purpose of this paper is to describe the experiences of developing an open source federated searching tool. It is hoped that it will generate interest not only in dbWiz, but in the many other open source projects either completed or in development at the Simon Fraser University Library and at other libraries around the world.

The methods used in this paper include reviewing of related literature, analysis of other federated search tools, and the observation and description of the development process at the Simon Fraser University Library.

The paper discusses the benefits and challenges faced in developing an open source federated searching tool for libraries. As a case study, it demonstrates the strength of the collaborative, open source development model. The paper also describes the key features required of any federated searching tool.

Federated searching is becoming an important new product for both academic and public libraries, with several commercial products to choose from. This paper describes the development of an open source federated search tool that provides a low‐cost, yet highly functional alternative for the wider library community.

The purpose of this paper is to describe the work of the Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI) in the US Department of Energy Office of Science and OSTI's development of the powerful search engine, WorldWideScience.org. With tools such as Science.gov and WorldWideScience.org, the patron gains access to multiple, geographically dispersed deep web databases and can search all of the constituent sources with a single query.

The paper is both historical and descriptive.

That WorldWideScience.org fills a unique niche in discovering scientific material in an information landscape that includes search engines such as Google and Google Scholar.

This is one of the few papers to describe in depth the important work being done by the US Office of Scientific and Technical Information in the field of search and discovery.

The purpose of this study is to determine how undergraduate students search in the context of a library instruction session. The results of an assessment of transaction logs are shared to provide evidence of student search behavior within a class setting.

Transaction logs from 29 library instruction sessions using the library’s federated search tool were analyzed. Using a rubric, the authors assessed the logs to discover if students followed the instruction provided to construct more relevant, targeted searches, if they selected recommended resources and if they exhibited persistence in their searching.

The study found most students had difficulty translating instruction on how to use quotation marks into their own searches, were mostly successful when choosing a database and notes varying participation patterns in classes taught at different times.

Implications of this study include greater awareness of student search behaviors during library instruction sessions as well as guidance for providing reference services, particularly virtual reference where it is not possible to see how students construct searches.

Although there have been studies of student search behaviors, examining behaviors during the context of a library instruction session is unique. This study provides an opportunity to observe student searching in a classroom setting and provides recommendations for more effective library instruction, both in the classroom and at the reference desk.