[Web4lib] OJAX federated search service now in Beta

[Judith Wusteman]

Apologies for any cross-posting.

OJAX federated search service software is now in Beta release and 
available for download. Version 0.7 has improved performance, stability 
and user feedback, as well as additional features such as RSS/Atom feed 
support. (Atom feeds of stored searches alert users when new content 
matching their interests is harvested.)

OJAX illustrates how federated search services can respond to new user 
expectations generated by Web 2.0:

• Rich, dynamic user experience. OJAX uses Ajax technology to provide 
immediate dynamic response to user input.
• Intuitive interface. The OJAX interface provides the simplicity and 
familiarity of Google but with the power of advanced search
• Integration, interoperability and reuse. OJAX uses loosely coupled Web 
Services and supports the OpenSearch RSS standard, thus facilitating 
integration with a range of virtual library environments, institutional 
repositories, course management systems and institutional portals.
• Open source standards-compliance. OJAX supports best-practice open 
source standards and software, including OpenSearch, OAI-PMH, StAX and 
Apache Lucene.

Features of OJAX:
* Auto-completion of search terms
* Triggering of auto-searches
* Dynamically scrollable search results - no more navigating between pages
* Auto-expansion of search result details
* Rapid sorting of results
* Integrated with the Firefox 2 / IE 7 search feature
* Supports OpenSearch Discovery
* Stored searches as Atom feeds
* Includes an OAI-PMH harvester
* Easy to install in your own institution

Further information, demo and download: http://ojax.sourceforge.net/

Two alternative packages are available:
1. OJAX GUI, Web Services & Harvester
2. OJAX GUI, Web Services, Harvester & example repository index

-- 
Dr Judith Wusteman
UCD School of Information and Library Studies
University College Dublin
Belfield 
Dublin 4
Ireland
Tel: +353 1 716 7612
Fax: +353 1 716 1161
URL: http://www.ucd.ie/wusteman/