[Web4lib] Federated search products

[Dale Askey]

At the risk of airing my dirty laundry in a very public space, I'd offer 
the following answer to Yuliya.

First, a brief preface: I've been involved with two federated search 
product selection processes at two different ARL libraries. I've also 
spent most of the last two years working with either Ex Libris' MetaLib 
or Endeavor's ENCompass, so feel I have more than enough stored 
experience and frustrations with them and with federated searching to 
offer a useful opinion.

Now the opinion: Federated searching is and, for the foreseeable future 
will remain, a deeply flawed enterprise. This is largely due to the 
differences between targets, but also due to the hash that some of the 
softwares out there make of what can/should be a relatively simple 
thing. Despite the flaws, however, it's worth pursuing federated 
searching, if only because a) it's going to get better with time, and b) 
even in its current state, you can do some cool things with it.

If you compare MetaLib and ENCompass, the outcome is laughable. 
MetaLib's central knowledge base makes it the obvious winner, and that's 
just the first reason that this is the case. Unless you're fond of 
writing your own connections for a wide variety of z39.50, XML gateways, 
HTTP screen scrapes, etc., don't pay a lot of money for any federated 
search product unless it sits on top of a large and well-maintained 
knowledge base. I'd declare MetaLib the general winner in that category, 
although I'm sure someone (a vendor, perhaps?) out there is itching to 
take me on for saying that.

Having just praised ML, however, I'll point out that it's interface is a 
royal pain in the keester. Having just returned from Access2005 in 
Edmonton, it's safe to say that x-server from Ex Libris, their attempt 
to offer an interface API to MetaLib, is not there quite yet. Even when 
it does get there, however, who will have the time and skills to build 
an interface essentially from scratch. We don't.

Perhaps a better route, and one that makes sense for institutions that 
aren't dripping cash, is to look around at some of the more interesting 
things happening in the open-source world. Check out DBWiz from Simon 
Fraser University, for example (http://dbwiz.lib.sfu.ca/dbwiz/). It's in 
production at both SFU and at UWinnipeg.

If you've got cash and want the most well-grounded tool, use MetaLib. 
If, however, you've got even a tiny amount of interest in trying to do 
something on your own using open-source software, then I'd suggest DBWiz 
  or other such initiatives.

Dale

Yuliya Lef wrote:
> Dear colleagues, 
> 
> We are considering purchasing a federated search software. As a result, I am
> wondering if someone has done a comparison analysis between various products
> or if there is one available online. If you would be willing to share your
> findings or provide recommendations, I would very much appreciate it. 
> 
> Thank you so much in advance, 
> 
> Yuliya
> 
> -----------------------------
> Yuliya Lef
> Virtual Library Coordinator
> Colorado Mountain College
> 333 Fiedler Ave. 
> P.O. Box 1414
> Dillon, CO 80435
> 970-468-5989 (phone)
> 970-468-5018 (fax)
> ylef at coloradomtn.edu
> http://www.coloradomtn.edu/library/
> 
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> 

-- 
Dale Askey
Web Development Librarian
KSU Libraries
118 Hale Library
Manhattan, KS 66506
(785) 532-7672