[Web4lib] Faceted navigation as metasearch

[Grace J. Agnew]

Serials Solutions' Central Search already provides clustering on the fly.

Grace Agnew

Walker, David wrote:
>>> Anyone know a system that can do this?
>>>       
>  
> Version 4.0 of Metalib [1], due out this spring, will include clustering using the Visimo clustering engine [2], which creates facets on the fly.
>  
>  
>   
>>> I think that pulling in all (or even some) 
>>> of the retrieved records and creating the 
>>> facets on the fly would be prohibitively slow.
>>>       
>  
> I agree that pulling back all of the results would be prohibitive.  
>  
> Metalib pulls back the top 30 results from each database.  I haven't seen the new clustering in action yet, but I don't think constructing the facets would take too much time.  Certainly, the demo on the Vivisimo site is quick.
>  
>  
> [1] http://www.exlibrisgroup.com/metalib.htm
>  
> [2] http://vivisimo.com/
>  
>  
> --Dave
>
> -------------------
>
> David Walker
> Library Web Services Manager
> California State University
> http://xerxes.calstate.edu
>
> ________________________________
>
> From: web4lib-bounces at webjunction.org on behalf of Karen Coyle
> Sent: Sat 12/30/2006 11:03 AM
> To: kgs at bluehighways.com
> Cc: web4lib at webjunction.org
> Subject: Re: [Web4lib] Faceted navigation as metasearch
>
>
>
> Karen, The problem with metasearch is that you're working with retrieved
> sets -- and with the data in different formats. It would be great to
> have some kind of standard set of facets and have those included as part
> of the initial query reply (date, broad subject categories, etc.). I
> know that the UC "Searchlight" metasearch was designed to pull back
> retrieval numbers and display the numbers from each database that
> replied. Think of how much more useful it would be to get more than just
> a number. The records themselves wouldn't be retrieved until the user
> initiates a display.
>
> I think that pulling in all (or even some) of the retrieved records and
> creating the facets on the fly would be prohibitively slow. Anyone know
> a system that can do this?
>
> kc
>
> K.G. Schneider wrote:
>   
>> One idea I heard recently had to do with using faceted navigation search
>> engines for metasearch. I've been mulling this over, particularly after
>> rereading Karen Calhoun's "Changing Nature of the Catalog"
>> (www.loc.gov/catdir/calhoun-report-final.pdf  ) and really, I'm trying to
>> figure out if there's much wrong with this idea.
>>
>> Consider using a tool (Endeca, Siderean, FAST, i411, Dieselpoint-full
>> disclosure: we implemented Siderean at my FPOW) that lies above the catalog
>> and all other discovery services and provides access to ETDs, book data,
>> journal articles, and more, ecumenically searched but parsed out logically
>> in post-coordination. In fact, I'm wondering if NCSU and other libraries now
>> on the faceted-navigation bandwagon are looking at moving in this direction.
>>
>> I do see one biggy. These search engines are themselves pretty
>> lickety-split, but I wonder how slow retrieval would get if they were
>> accessing separate journal and database services (versus what they do now,
>> which is search their own pre-built indexes...). In some cases, it might be
>> easy to create an index (e.g. if we have ETDs, I don't see why they can't be
>> indexed). But journal articles? Pondering again... though if they were
>> accessing resources such as Google Scholar and then tying everything back
>> in...
>>
>> Karen G. Schneider
>> Acting Associate Director of Libraries for Technology & Research
>> Florida State University
>> Email/AIM: kschneider at mailer.fsu.edu
>> Blog: http://quodvide.wordpress.com
>> Phone: 850-644-5214
>> Cell: 850-590-3370
>>
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>>
>>  
>>     
>
> --
> -----------------------------------
> Karen Coyle / Digital Library Consultant
> kcoyle at kcoyle.net http://www.kcoyle.net
> ph.: 510-540-7596
> fx.: 510-848-3913
> mo.: 510-435-8234
> ------------------------------------
>
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