Where Google Style SearchingMeets Library Land

WILIUGJune 20, 2008

Heidi Bruss, Metropolitan Library System Peter Zeimet, Innovative Interfaces

Agenda

•What’s the buzz about “discovery platforms”?

•Introduce Encore

•Future plans for Encore

•Questions

What Do Patrons Want?• Something simple to use

• “One stop” searching

• Results

• Control

• Google functionality

Industry Buzz

•Need to redefine library catalogs

•Can’t just interface with holdings/collection

•Digital/electronic resources not a second thought

•Offer more powerful searching

•Don’t force users to look in multiple places

•Don’t demand prior knowledge of search techniques/mechanics

Industry Buzz•Discovery platforms offer:

Single point of entry to all content owned by the library

Most relevant results on top “Did you mean” “More stuff like this”

Marshall Breeding, Director for Innovative Technologies and Research, Vanderbilt University and publisher of Library Technology Guides

Introducing Encore

•Place holder for screen shot

Innovative’s Discovery Platform

Simple Search – Harry Potter

Simple Search – Harry Potterfacets Results from

the catalog

Tag Cloud

Popular Choices & Research Pro Results (off screen)

Images

Simple Search – Harry Potter

Choose a different

tag

Simple Search – Harry Potter

Refinements change the number of records

retrieved and the counts in the facets

Natural Language Redirect

Natural Language Redirect

Refine by format “Book”

Refine by collection(scope)

ProperSubject

Headings

Natural Language RedirectResults change

RefinementsClick on “x” to

remove

Did You Mean?

Did You Mean?

Not a Misspelling But...

Not a Misspelling But...

A Little Bit of Both

A Little Bit of Both

Encore Brings “Stuff” Together WebPAC (including spell check, relevancy

ranking, program registration)Enhanced content (Content Café, Syndetics)Federated searching (Research Pro/Web Bridge)Pathfinder Pro (Meta Find)Internet resourcesDatabases owned by libraryWith:Natural language searching“Did you mean” helps to redirect searches

The Result

•A new way of accessing the library’s resources

•Broad results for users

•Users refine searches “On the fly”

•A way for library “outsiders” to get “inside”

• “Google” style search environment

Shift In Thinking

•Not “dumbing down,” but “opening up”

•Encore isn’t a traditional OPAC

•This is for the patrons who love Google

•WebPAC doesn’t go away – it’s still there

Encore 2.0 ...

• Patron login/logout link

• Suppression of Request link for non- requestable materials

• Research Pro authentication

• Community Tagging (now live)

• Better handling of no images in Suggestions section

• Patron record alerts

Encore 2.0 ...

• Requesting within Encore

• Full ERM details integration, e.g. license format

• Location facet (now live)

• Display table of contents based on MARC data

• Improvements to “Did You Mean” function

• Other improvements in look & feel and usability

Philosophy of Development

• Paradigm shift—allows users to leverage their Web 2.0 skills to find relevant resources

• Encore strives to be a single access point to the catalog and other electronic resources

• Intuitive ways of limiting a search via facets and encountering no dead ends

• Patrons begin with broad searches and limit

• Make every user a super user

What’s Ahead…2.1 and 3.0

• More options to customize the screen, e.g. colors, layout, branding

• Alternate designs

• Consortia-specific enhancements

• Scoping

• Branding for consortia member libraries

• Increased integration with non-Innovative modules

What’s Ahead…2.1 and 3.0

• Research Pro Lite (additional cost product)

• Support for Amazon.com for book jacket art

• Usage Statistics

• New facets

• Community reviews

• Encore for INN-Reach

• Ratings

Development Partners•Why SWAN as a partner?

▫For testing, III needed large, busy site▫And a consortium▫SWAN members saw the “Google” style

environment patrons want•SWAN’s responsibilities

▫Test response time and stability of server▫Test load on software▫Solicit end user comments (survey under

construction)

SWAN’s Rollout•Started on shared server hosted by III•Server installed on site 6/17/08•8 SWAN libraries volunteered to test•Rollout to members:

▫One at a time – testers first▫In library building first▫Then to library web pages▫Depending on results – gradual rollout to

rest of membership▫All along – collect end user comments

Definitions•Discovery platform – search tool that unifies

disparate resources

•Facets – refining tools

•Tagging – subject headings and topic descriptors

•Ajax – Web 2.0 engine – helps retrieve and display data as results are received without redrawing screens

Resources• Library Technology Guides – Marshall Breeding

www.librarytechnology.org• Programs from IUG 16 (2008)

Introducing Encore – posted on CSDirect at: http://csdirect.iii.com/ppt/#iug16

Encore: A University Library Perspective (E7)Encore: The Development Partner Approach (N2)Building Our Catalog With Encore (H3)

http://www.innopacusers.org/iug2008/programmaterials.html

• Web site:http://www.encoreforlibraries.com/main.html

Contact Information

•Heidi BrussSWAN Software & Training ManagerMetropolitan Library Systembrussh@mls.lib.il.us

•Pete ZeimetCustomer Sales ConsultantInnovative Interfaces, Inc.pzeimet@iii.com