selecting a search engine for a library web site

[Ernest Perez]

Elizabeth L. Blakely wrote:
> 
> I am leading efforts to select a new engine for our organizations web
> site.  JEFFLINE [URL:jeffline.tju.edu] currently uses WAIS.  I have
> checked the Web4Lib archives and found little on selecting a search
> engine, most of the materials I found were evaluating search engines such
> as LYCOS, InfoSeek, etc.

Don't know if you mean for a single server or for a group of servers. If
the former, EXCITE is a freebie (in unsupported mode) and decently
serviceable. We use it for state intranet Web server search, and are
satisfied with it.  It is Unix OS.

If the latter (a multi-server search engine), you might try Phantom,
from Maxxum, Inc. It's Mac-based, runs around $500, and is pretty slick
& simple for an effective robot/spider indexer.  More info at
   www.maxxum.com

At Oregon State Library, we've chosen Phantom to be ourglobal indexer
for all state government agency websites (excluding the academic sites).
It's currently indexing over 40 agency Web servers.  Indexes and
performs pretty nicely, at not a bad price. And since it's Mac software,
you don't need to be a rocket scientist, etc., etc.  You can check out
our implementation at http://index.osl.state.or.us:8080/

When we first ran across Phantom, we saw that the province of British
Columbia was using it for their global search engine.

-ernest

Ernest Perez, Ph.D.//Oregon State Library//perez at opac.state.or.us
----------------------------------------------------------------------
It is so difficult to find the beginning.  Or, better, it is difficult
to begin at the beginning.  And not try to go further back.
                      --Ludwig Wittgenstein, On Certainty, Section 471.