[WEB4LIB] RE: Decision tree for Web resources

[Ross Singer]

Jim,
I am currently struggling with this same problem (although from a 
somewhat different perspective--how to show the user other useful local 
resources based on what they're already looking at).  Still, the problem 
is similar, how to cull the vast amount of resources down to relevant 
and useful things.

CDL's Searchlight (formerly Database Advisor):
http://searchlight.cdlib.org/cgi-bin/searchlight
sort of does what you're talking about.  The user enters a query and it 
queries the databases in a given subject area for relevance.

Of course, CDL isn't really pursuing this anymore, but the technology 
still holds some merit (at least in principle).

For the WAG the Dog, I'm trying something similar.  For a given 
citation, take the ISSN (this will be expanded, but... baby steps), find 
the DB this ISSN appears in, query the catalog for the ISSN and bring 
back the subject headings, query the catalog on those subject headings 
and bring back other resources, display databases that include /those/ 
ISSNs and show any of them that are web resources.

Conceivably, if we had a metasearch engine, we could then create a 
custom query against the databases that were identified in the above 
process.

Hopefully in the near future it will also be able to match against our 
subject guides to bring back relevant "non-article" based resources, as 
well.

It's just been "working" since yesterday, so it's /extremely/ crude (and 
slow), but you can get an idea as to what I'm talking about by going to:

http://rsinger.library.gatech.edu/wagger/index.php?waggerURL=aHR0cDovL3NjaG9sYXIuZ29vZ2xlLmNvbS9zY2hvbGFyP2hsPWVuJmxyPSZzYWZlPW9mZiZjMmNvZmY9MSZxPXdpbmcrZHJhZyZidG5HPVNlYXJjaA==

Click on any of the "Explore from here" links (except for the one next 
to the Phil. Trans. R. Soc. Lond. B citation... that one doesn't work 
yet) and wait wait wait.

-Ross.

Jim Campbell wrote:

>I'm looking more for tools than concepts, something to help the user narrow
>down the choices.
>
>- Jim Campbell
>Campbell at Virginia.edu
> 
>
>  
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>>-----Original Message-----
>>From: web4lib at webjunction.org 
>>[mailto:web4lib at webjunction.org] On Behalf Of Pons, 
>>Lisa (ponslm)
>>Sent: Wednesday, March 16, 2005 11:25 AM
>>To: Multiple recipients of list
>>Subject: [WEB4LIB] RE: Decision tree for Web resources
>>
>>Are you asking about information architecture? One of the 
>>best books is "Information Architecture for the World Wide Web".
>>
>>We had six months to re-design our site a few years ago, and 
>>spent 3 of that on the architecture. It was worth it, as we 
>>have added things without major changes.
>>
>>Our architecture was "role" based- though now I think we 
>>could have been a little more "task" oriented. 
>>
>>Lisa Pons-Haitz
>>
>>Webmaster
>>University Libraries
>>University of Cincinnati
>>lisa.pons at uc.edu
>>(513)556-1431
>>
>>    
>>
>>>-----Original Message-----
>>>From: Jim Campbell [mailto:campbell at virginia.edu]
>>>Sent: Wednesday, March 16, 2005 10:45 AM
>>>To: Multiple recipients of list
>>>Subject: [WEB4LIB] Decision tree for Web resources
>>>
>>>
>>>We offer users a lot of information and a lot of paths to that 
>>>information.
>>>Both are a good thing and both can sometimes get in the way of 
>>>actually finding the specific information a user needs. 
>>>      
>>>
>>Adding an Open 
>>    
>>
>>>URL resolver and working on metasearch should have 
>>>      
>>>
>>simplified things a 
>>    
>>
>>>bit, but at least for now more options have just created even more 
>>>confusion for both staff and users.  We need some 
>>>      
>>>
>>hierararchy that can 
>>    
>>
>>>establish what the best approach is for a given need.
>>>
>>>I've seen/heard of various attempts at reader's advisors, asking 
>>>questions to narrow down a user's options, but off hand I can't 
>>>remember where or what they are. Can anyone suggest good 
>>>      
>>>
>>examples of 
>>    
>>
>>>this sort of thing? Perhaps more importantly, if they're 
>>>      
>>>
>>out there do 
>>    
>>
>>>people actually use them?
>>>
>>> 
>>>- Jim Campbell
>>> 
>>>Digital Access Coordinator and
>>>Librarian for German
>>>University of Virginia Library
>>>Voice: 434-924-4985
>>>E-Mail: Campbell at Virginia.Edu
>>> 
>>>"Pessimismo dell'intelligenza, ottimismo della volontà. "
>>>(Pessimism of the intellect, optimism of the will.)
>>>   - Antonio Gramsci.  Quaderni dal carcere. 
>>>
>>>
>>>
>>>      
>>>
>>
>>    
>>
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