[Web4lib] Lack of discussion of Google CSE and Libraries

[Chris Murphy]

Ross Singer wrote:
> ...   What's the point
> of this?  Is it so very much better than doing a regular Google
> search?
> 
> Are your users even going to bother with coming to you since you're
> obviously just giving them Google results?

I can think of several points actually, and yes, and yes. In fact, the 
more I think about it the more I see librarian use of CSEs as a 
win-win-win for users, librarians, and Google.

Librarians are by nature and profession collectors and selectors of 
quality information sources, and what modern librarian doesn't have a 
bookmark file of 1MB or more?

Users and Google both benefit by taking advantage of ranking. Users get 
the benefit of quality site selection and more precisely targeted 
results, and Google benefits by incorporating CSEs in its ranking 
algorithms, i.e., professional librarians "ranking" sites for free for 
Google.

David Roth's excellent health-related CSE is a prime example.

Chris Murphy

-- 
Christopher Murphy
Information Systems Manager
The Community Library, Ketchum, Idaho
chrism at thecommunitylibrary.org
http://www.thecommunitylibrary.org
208.726.3493 x111