[Web4lib] Consultant Needed: Search Engineer / Search Engine Architect

[K.G. Schneider]

Librarians' Internet Index (LII) is looking for a search engineer/search
engine architect to consult in the selection and integration of a search
tool for their web portal.  The search tool will be used for the public LII
portal at http://lii.org. The primary goal of this project is to
significantly improve the public search experience on LII.  
 
LII is a publicly-funded web portal and announcement service featuring over
17,000 high-quality websites that can be searched and browsed through the
LII website.  The content management system for LII is a web-based
application built on the Community Servers platform (
www.communityservers.com ).  
 
Responsibilities:

.	Consultant will utilize his/her strong technical background and
excellent interpersonal skills to work with the LII consultants and
development team to evaluate and select a search tool that meets the current
and future needs of LII. 
.	Consultant will be responsible for analyzing and detailing
functional requirements of the search tool, and identifying recommended
products.
.	Consultant will produce and author an RFI for distribution to
selected vendors and will work with the development team to evaluate each
product.
.	Once a product has been selected, Consultant will work closely with
the development team to implement the search tool, ensuring that all
requirements are met and that LII is well-positioned for future development.

Requirements:

.	Search engine design and implementation experience (3-5 years
experience)
.	Strong knowledge about search engine products, solutions, and
functionalities currently offered by vendors.
.	Strong knowledge of Linux/Unix, relational databases (MySQL), and
Perl
programming.
.	Experience with search functions including wildcards, nesting,
quoted expressions, stemming, relevance ranking, and field ranking.
.	Experience with query building, Boolean operators, spell check, and
indexing.
.	Experience with user-centered web design and accessibility.
.	Experience with information architecture techniques, especially
developing and leveraging taxonomies.
.	Excellent analytical, communication and problem-solving skills, with
a willingness and ability to work with other consultants and developers. 
.	Ability to work in both a team environment and independently.
.	Good understanding of development techniques and overall software
engineering
methodologies.
.	MLS (Masters in Library Science) a plus.

Current technical operating environment for LII

.	Community Servers software
.	Linux, Apache, MySQL, Perl
.	Swish-e 
.	Aspell 

If you are interested:

Contact Karen G. Schneider at kgs at lii.org (skype or AIM: liichief)
First posted: November 15, 2005
Final enquiries no later than: December 15, 2005