Evaluating Web-Scale Discovery Services: A Step-by-Step Guide

Abstract

Selecting a web-scale discovery service is a large and important undertaking that involves a significant investment of time, staff, and resources. Finding the right match begins with a thorough and carefully planned evaluation process. To be successful, this process should be inclusive, goal-oriented, datadriven, user-centered, and transparent. The following article offers a step-by-step guide for developing a web-scale discovery evaluation plan rooted in these five key principles based on best practices synthesized from the literature as well as the author's own experiences coordinating the evaluation process at Rutgers University. The goal is to offer academic libraries that are considering acquiring a web-scale discovery service a blueprint for planning a structured and comprehensive evaluation process. INTRODUCTIONAs the volume and variety of information resources continue to multiply, the library search environment has become increasingly fragmented. Instead of providing a unified, central point of access to its collections, the library offers an assortment of pathways to disparate silos of information. To the seasoned researcher familiar with these resources and experienced with a variety of search tools and strategies, this maze of options may be easy to navigate. But for the novice user who is less accustomed to these tools and even less attuned to the idiosyncrasies of each one's own unique interface, the sheer amount of choice can be overwhelming. Even if the user manages to find their way to the appropriate resource, figuring out how to use it effectively becomes yet another challenge. This is at least partly due to the fact that the expectations and behaviors of today's library users have been profoundly shaped by their experiences on the web. Popular sites like Google and Amazon offer simple, intuitive interfaces that search across a wide range of content to deliver immediate, relevant, and useful results. In comparison, library search interfaces often appear antiquated, confusing, and cumbersome. As a result, users are increasingly relying on information sources that they know to be of inferior quality, but are simply easier to find. As Luther and Kelly note, the biggest challenge academic libraries face in today's abundant but fragmented information landscape is "to offer an experience that has the simplicity of Google-which users expect-while searching the library's rich digital and print collectionswhich users need." 1 In an effort to better serve the needs of these users and improve access to library content, libraries have begun turning to new technologies capable of providing deep discovery of their vast scholarly collections from a single, easy--to--use interface. These technologies are known as web--scale discovery services.Joseph Deodato (jdeodato@rutgers.edu) is Digital User Services Librarian at Rutgers University, New Brunswick, New Jersey.EVALUATING WEB--SCALE DISCOVERY SERVICES: A STEP--BY--STEP GUIDE | DEODATO doi: 10.6017/ital.v34i2.5745 20To paraphrase Hoeppner, a web--sca...

Acceso a las plataformas de préstamo digital: integración vs. atomización

“…Enumeramos, a continuación, aquellos elementos que consideramos clave para el acceso único y la integración de las plataformas de préstamo digital con el resto de recursos de la biblioteca: -El lector debe poder prestarse un ebook, reservar un documento físico de una biblioteca o leer un artículo de una revista identificándose una única vez mediante un servicio de auntenticación centralizado. -El proveedor del servicio de descubrimiento debe mantener acuerdos con el mayor número de editores y distribuidores de contenidos de la biblioteca e indexar éstos en profundidad proporcionado metadatos, resúmenes, descriptores y, en la medida de lo posible, texto completo (Deodato, 2015). -Con el fin de garantizar una mayor independencia y variedad en la oferta de títulos, es aconsejable que el proveedor del servicio de descubrimiento y el proveedor de los contenidos sean distintos.…”

Improving Primo Usability and Teachability with Help from the Users

“…Joseph Deodato (2015) offers a current and comprehensive blueprint from the Rutgers experience of selecting such a system. The literature on the usability of the Primo Webscale discovery system specifically has grown recently, especially its use at larger institutions.…”

Impact of web-scale discovery on reference inquiry

“…Literature on the impacts of Web-scale discovery at academic libraries is still limited and the majority of Web-scale discovery research focuses on the evaluation, selection and comparison of discovery tools (Hoeppner, 2012; Vaughan, 2012; Asher et al , 2013; Ciccone and Vickery, 2015; Deodato, 2015) or discusses implementation and user experiences of discovery at specific institutions (Gross and Sheridan, 2011; Kornblau et al , 2012; Ellero, 2013). Additional research on Web-scale discovery includes usability studies (Williams and Foster, 2011; Comeaux, 2012; Cassidy et al , 2014) and research on student searching behaviors (Meadow and Meadow, 2012; Niu et al , 2014).…”

“…Web-scale discovery services have become the new standard for a large majority of college and university libraries within the past decade. While commercial discovery products first arrived on the market in 2007 (Deodato, 2015), libraries first began implementing Web-scale discovery products in 2009 (Meredith, 2013). Web-scale discovery services combine a large central index of content with intuitive user interfaces to provide a single point of access to the library’s local, open access and subscription collections (Hoeppner, 2012).…”