NISO Virtual Conference: Web-Scale Discovery Services: Transforming Access to Library Resources

Editor's Notes

• #24: Image: http://www.flickr.com/photos/dubpics/8685963533/LynnVisitors and Residents (V&R) data agree with other research projects that indicate that some individuals are frustrated with libraries and do not physically visit them because of limited hours, long travel distances, and the time needed to do their research in the library (Connaway 2013; Connaway, Lanclos, and Hood 2013a; Connaway, Lanclos, White, Le Cornu, and Hood 2013; Pullinger 1999; White and Connaway 2011-2012 ). Search engines (in particular, Google) are preferred because they are more convenient and faster—they are always available (De Rosa et al. 2005 ), and also because they are perceived to be reliable, as well as fast. (InfoKit, Convenient Doesn’t Always Mean Simple)Speed and efficiency are relatively conventional ways of defining “convenience,” and they are certainly factors in the decisions people make about where to go and what to use, when seeking information. (InfoKit, Convenient Doesn’t Always Mean Simple)Data from the V&R project reveal that individuals in all educational stages cite the relevance of convenience/ease of use to their decision-making, trumping all other reasons for selecting and using a source (White and Connaway 2011-2012 ; Connaway, White, and Lanclos 2011). (InfoKit, Convenient Doesn’t Always Mean Simple)Familiarity appeared to also be a major component of individuals’ perceptions both of authority and convenience. If an individual had done something/used something before, they were more likely to perceive that thing as being “convenient,” even if it objectively took more steps and/or time than other solutions. While the methods some individuals used to seek and assess information were inelegant, they had been developed at an early age, and had become well worn and comfortable, if not terribly efficient or sophisticated. They continued using these methods in part because they tended to yield effective results. (InfoKit, Convenient Doesn’t Always Mean Simple)Connaway, Lynn Silipigni. 2013. Why the internet is more attractive than the library. The Serials Librarian 64, no. 1-4: 41-56.
• #25: “And also the fact that Google doesn’t judge you.” Digital Visitors and Residents (UKF3 0:16:35 Male Age 52)“I don’t know, it’s habit. I know what it looks like and how to use it.” Digital Visitors and Residents (UKU9 0:19:06  Male Age 27) (speaking about Google) “I find Google a lot easier than going to the library website because I don’t know, it’s just like sometimes so many journals come up and when you look at the first ten and they just don’t make any sense I, kind of, give up.” Digital Visitors and Residents (USU7 0:34:11 Female Age 19)
• #26: Image: http://wp.me/pLtlj-fHCovert online study habitsWikipediaDon’t citeWidely usedGuiltStudents & teachers disagreeQuality sourcesThere is a “Learning Black Market”: learners use non-traditional sources but feel they cannot talk about them in an institutional context. Wikipedia usage is an example of this. (White & Connaway, 2011)White, D. S., & Le Cornu, A. (2011). Visitors and Residents: A new typology for online engagement. First Monday,16(9). Retrieved from http://firstmonday.org/htbin/cgiwrap/bin/ojs/index.php/fm/article/viewArticle/3171/3049  “I mean if teachers don’t like using Wikipedia they don’t want you to use Wikipedia. A lot of students will still use Wikipedia and then cite another source. As long as it has the same information and it is not word for word or anything they’ll use Wikipedia because it is the easiest thing to go look up on Wikipedia. It will give you a full in-depth detailed thing about the information. Teachers don’t just like it because it’s not the most reliable source since anyone can post something on there even though the site is monitored, it’s because it’s too easy.” (USU3 0:30:59, Male Age 19)  Students’ Perceptions of Teachers’ opinions of Wikipedia:“Avoid it.” (UKS8 0:28:28.3, Female Age 16)  “They say it’s because anyone can make up – I mean, anyone can add information on there but I mean when I’ve actually looked into information it seemed the same as any information I find anywhere else. I mean, it’s not like if you look up fourth of July, it’s not like it gives you like some weird explanation of aliens or something.” (USU7 0:33:14, Female Age 19) Students’ on Wikipedia:“I use it, kind of like, I won't cite it on my papers but I, kind of, use it as a like, as a start off line. I go there and look up the general information, kind of, read through it so I get a general idea what it is. Then I start going through my research.” (USU7 0:33:49, Female Age 19) “Everyone knows that you try not to use Wikipedia as a source because it is a cardinal sin.” (UKU3 0:31:03, Female Age 19)
• #81: Enhanced discovery sounds almost too good to be true.
• #82: EDS is not a turn key solution.
• #84: Lots of documentation is not necessary. Clear documentation is critical.
• #85: Everyone on the team had real implementation work that required their expertise.
• #86: Our goal was to make the most effective, reliable system we could. We were not tied to any particular vendor only to succeeding in delivering the best possible implementation.
• #87: Results lack a link to full text.
• #88: Clicking on the title link delivers a lot of useful information but it doesn't deliver the content that we believe our patrons want.
• #89: Delivering a result that is NOT available from our library is like bait and switch. This isn't going to satisy our patrons.
• #90: Delivering a result that is NOT available from our library is like bait and switch. This isn't going to satisy our patrons.
• #92: Now links that say “Full Text” take you directly to the full text.
• #93: One click sends me to a prepopulated ILLiad request form. Ideally one click you have delivered the request. We will get there.
• #94: One click sends me to a prepopulated ILLiad request form. Ideally one click you have delivered the request. We will get there.
• #95: One click sends me to a prepopulated ILLiad request form. Ideally one click you have delivered the request. We will get there.
• #96: EDS limits to scholarly journals but our patrons care about scholarly articles.
• #97: EDS limits to scholarly journals but our patrons care about scholarly articles.
• #98: We eliminated MARC data loads because we want to deliver content not links to places to search. We ftp our ebooks directly to EBSCO instead of putting them in the ILS.
• #99: We eliminated MARC data loads because we want to deliver content not links to places to search. We ftp our ebooks directly to EBSCO instead of putting them in the ILS.
• #100: We eliminated MARC data loads because we want to deliver content not links to places to search. We ftp our ebooks directly to EBSCO instead of putting them in the ILS.
• #101: Reference and instruction provided search terms and performed scores of searches stratifying results across topics and content providers.
• #103: Libraries are not inherently good marketers so we asked EBSCO if we could use their marketing department. EBSCO took images, themes and color guidelines from UNF’s site to create a poster and bookmarks.
• #104: EBSCO’s powerful API gives us the ability to put the library where the students are and not force to the students to come to us.
• #105: EBSCO’s powerful API gives us the ability to put the library where the students are and not force to the students to come to us.
• #106: The collection of everything combined with a powerful API opens the door to fun, educational and rewarding projects.
• #107: We committed to EDS as the primary search tool and committed to making it as effective as possible.
• #108: EBSCO’s APIs allow us to be creative in delivering library content.
• #110: When NISO asked if I would speak about Web Scale Discovery maintenance, I hesitated with serious doubts. UCF's WSD has had its share of problems and hiccups. Perhaps those very problems makes me well prepared to tell you about maintenance, both expected and unexpected, that any library with a WSD service may face. I hope I can give you some insight to help avoid some problems we've experienced.I chose the title largely on a whim, but partially to invoke Zen calm and the pursuit of quality.Prisig’s famous novel weaves a philosophical exploration of quality into a narrative about a motorcycle trip with his son and a friend, with occasional illustrative expositions into motorcycle maintenance. My talk will be light on philosophy, and takes a decidedly pragmatic approach to achieving quality WSD services. I’ll recount a few UCF’s experiences in our on-going journey with WSD maintenance, some problems we’ve faced.
• #112: UCF's soft launch was June 2012In the 1.5 years since our launch we’ve experienced laborious climbs, peaks and vistas, smooth rides, and break-downs.The scenery has changed often.Some big changesSome had more impact on our WSD than others.Even if implementation is flawless, it will need maintenance just to keep up with constant changes in your setting.Implemented shared bib Broke the real time holdings call. We were seeing the call number, location, status, and 856 links for USF and other schools.Migrated to a new server for EZproxy Broke links everywhere. Our EBL catalog linksMigrated to the newest version of SFX Nothing broke!! Thank you FLVC! But, the change did mean a new look in the middle of the semester. LinkSource and AtoZBoth are linked to our EBSCOnet subscriptions. Great, because EBSCO handles over 90% of our e-journals. EBSCO automatically activates those subscriptions so users see them in our WSD, OneSerach.Terrible, when package renewals are delayed and thousands journals are set to no access (or greatly restricted holdings).Rolled out new EDS Discovery Layer Nothing broke!! Thank you EBSCOhost!! However, the change did catch the eye of some librarians.New server= new domain name = updating links in the WSD
• #113: UCF’s implementation process revolved around 4 questionnaires:CatalogRepositoriesContentBranding
• #114: At the very start, think of how you will maintain the WSDAny choice you make in implementation you will need revisit and refresh throughout the existence of your WSD
• #115: Discovery LayerLayout, labels and link texts, colors, branding, and widgets may all need to be revisited and updated, especially when new functionality is made available, or when a new version of the WSD is rolled out.Central IndexAs new content providers become available you will need to decide which to add to your implementation. Some may not be a good fit. Align the choices with your user needs and the philosophy/approach you took during implementationMARC loadYou will need to regularly sync your ILS records with your WSD.UCF loads the full catalog weekly, with nightly updates.The weekly full loads make sure that all records deleted from the ILS are removed from the WSD index. OAI harvesting done periodically, as well.Your selections for content providers / data sourcesConnections and linkingEmbedded search formsGuest access controls Links to external sites, i.e. OpenURL, 856, Custom connectionsReal time calls for item status, etc.
• #116: Even if you don’t plan to be hands on, find out what admin options you have Find out what you can change, what your vendor contact can change, and how to ask for those changesEBSCOadmin has do-it-yourself tools for most changeable aspects of the WSD, which I prefer.MARC, OAI, and ILS calls are *not* in the admin for EBSCO
• #117: Vendor: Find out who to contact if you need to make changes to any of the major elements of your WSD implementationLocal: Identify the people who will do regular maintenance – MARC exports, OpenURL exports, OAI, etc.
• #118: I have contacts here in the UCF libraryConsortial contacts, especially for anything to do with MARC extracts, loads, and real time item status calls.Notice the bottom row.
• #119: During implementation we had one contact, but once we were “finished” I just had the general tech support email, which put me in contact with a different person each time. I complained loudly.Not efficientSpent a lot of time establishing my tech credentials, giving out our Proxy details, and getting on the same pageOften explained the same problem to multiple support people
• #120: In addition to staying in contact with your rep, sign up for the discussion list, find any wiki or other pages.Some services may have user group meeting.
• #123: In the year and a half since we soft launched, we’ve faced many many problems and changes.Some problems arise form our local choices and misunderstandings about how EDS will work.Some result from our particularly complex shared ILS and shared bib situation, which has gone through 2 major changes during the year and a half.Some were caused by changes to UCF systems or services that EDS relies on or connects toSome were caused by changes made by EBSCO as new features and versions were rolled outSome were caused by user error and just general need for maintenance of all our access support and enhancement services
• #133: All the WSD release enhancementsNew features can be enabledNew uses for existing features can be exploitedTakes timeIf you build it, you have to maintain it.
• #135: Collections and contentFunctionalityOften front and center on the home page
• #138: Everything is connected, so AP041026015390
• #153: Publishers must decide what content is appropriate and at what level. respect the rights of the publisher and be sensitive to their business needs. Trust by the information provider that the information indexed is correct and updated. Sharing of information on the use of the indexed content. Show users only what they are allowed to see. Authority – indicate the source of the record. 3. Fair linking by discovery providers – typically in the hands of the library via OpenURL link resolvers.4. How can publishers assess use of their content in Discovery ServicesCmplexity and uncertainty pose barriers to participation
• #154: Currently working OK but still governed by private agreements between discovery service provider and content providers and relies on a wide range of formats and data exchange processes; Complexity and uncertainty pose barriers to participation.