[Web4lib] Federated searching-general question re sub groupings
Peter Noerr
pnoerr at MuseGlobal.com
Mon May 14 13:42:24 EDT 2007
Aren't these all examples of "shouldn't" rather than "can't". Numeric DBs are just as useful as text ones if the data is properly fielded for display ("gold price=$700" vs. "price of gold is rising"). Any examples of pay-per-search? Number of concurrent licenses is a matter of session management, but I agree they should probably not be included, because of the prevalence of "just search everywhere" syndrome, unless the concurrent license issue is sorted out with the provider - which an increasing number are.
Peter
> Well, there could be a number of reasons why certain databases can't be included in a federated search, or probably shouldn't be. Numeric databases, pay-per-search databases, and databases with a small number of concurrent users are examples.
>
> --Steve
> ___________________________________________________
> Steve Cramer
> Librarian for Accounting, Apparel, Business, & Economics
> University of North Carolina at Greensboro
> smcramer at uncg.edu, 336-256-0346, AIM: stevebizlib
>
>
>
> "Peter Noerr" <pnoerr at MuseGlobal.com>
> Sent by: web4lib-bounces at webjunction.org
> 05/10/2007 06:10 PM
>
> To
> <web4lib at webjunction.org>
> cc
>
> Subject
> RE: [Web4lib] Federated searching-general question re sub groupings
>
>
>
>
>
>
> One question and one observation:
>
> Question:
>
> Kathryn (in her ACRL presentation) and one other poster on
> this thread
> have mentioned that certain databases "cannot be searched by
> federated
> search" (or similar, more succinct phrasing). I am intrigued
> to know what
> some examples of the databases are, or what the
> characteristics are which
> make them unsearchable by a federated search engine.
>
> Observation:
> We have noticed a growing trend in both the corporate and
> library use of
> federated search towards the use of "subject verticals". The
> reasons are
> all over the place, but one major theme is that users want less, but
> better 'quality' results. If the user is already in a subject
> specialized
> part of the web site, then the expectation seems to be that
> they will get
> only very relevant material. And the converse; if they are on
> the front
> page, they will get all sorts of stuff.
>
> Also it is easier to consider moving a specialized search box
> out to the
> place where the users are likely to be (a course web site, or project
> collaboration page, for example) thus getting them to use the library
> without having to be there. (This mixes with another thread,
> but it does
> seem to be a trend to move specialist access out to where people are
> working.)
>
>
> Disclaimer:
> In the interests of full disclosure; MuseGlobal is a major commercial
> developer and OEM vendor of search management software, which
> includes
> federated search and results analysis components.
>
> Peter
>
> Dr Peter L Noerr
> CTO, MuseGlobal, Inc.
>
> +1 801 208 1880
> www.museglobal.com
>
>
> > -----Original Message-----
> > From: web4lib-bounces at webjunction.org
> > [mailto:web4lib-bounces at webjunction.org] On Behalf Of Kathryn
> > Silberger
> > Sent: Thursday, May 10, 2007 6:10 AM
> > To: web4lib at webjunction.org
> > Subject: Fw: [Web4lib] Federated searching-general question
> > re sub groupings
> >
> > Lisa:
> >
> > I think you have asked some good questions. I am at
> > Marist College
> > and we have been using federated search since fall of 2005.
> > Our students
> > have been receptive and postive about it. We have it front
> > and center on
> > our home page and we have seen article usage sky rocket.
> > When we set it up
> > we tried to look at searching from the student's perspective,
> > and that led
> > us to use the terminology of the Registrar's office. Each of
> > our federated
> > groupings bear the name of a major awarded by the college.
> > That is the
> > terminology that guides their overall academic experience and
> > we have found
> > that it works well for grouping databases into federated
> > searches. I agree
> > with you that students don't want to have to consider lots
> of choices
> > before searching. They live with a fair number of web
> > destinations for
> > broad life activities i.e. socializing, banking, travel,
> > shopping -- I
> > believe they would like the library to be a single destination.
> >
> > You are quite right about the clustering. Students have been
> > conditioned by other web searching experience to using
> > clusters to filter
> > search results. (They want the movie, not the book at Amazon
> > - they filter
> > via cluster.) About 80% - 90% of the time the clustering
> > will create a
> > very relevant subset. Those proposed sub-grouping would
> > have some general
> > academic databases and they would need to use the clustering
> > regardless. I
> > have found that newspapers can present a problem in certain
> > situations. If
> > a technical topic has been in the news for whatever reason,
> > you can get the
> > first page of results with too many newspaper articles.
> >
> > We gave a paper on federated searching at ACRL
> > this year. We
> > put up our paper, Powerpoint and a couple Flash demos at
> > http://library.marist.edu/ACRL/Foxhunt_demo.html . You can see the
> > clustering in each of the Flashes.
> >
> > Good luck. I think you are on the right track.
> >
> >
> > Katy
> >
> > Kathryn K. Silberger
> > Automation Resources Librarian
> > James A. Cannavino Library
> > Marist College
> > 3399 North Road
> > Poughkeepsie, NY 12601
> > Kathryn.Silberger at marist.edu
> > (845) 575-3000 x.2419
> >
> >
> >
> >
> > "Pons, Lisa
> >
> > (ponslm)"
> >
> > <PONSLM at UCMAIL.UC
> > To
> > .EDU>
> > <web4lib at webjunction.org>
> > Sent by:
> > cc
> > web4lib-bounces at w
> >
> > ebjunction.org
> > Subject
> > [Web4lib] Federated
> >
> > searching-general
> > question re sub
> > 05/09/2007 10:18 groupings
> >
> > AM
> >
> >
> >
> >
> >
> >
> >
> >
> >
> >
> >
> >
> >
> >
> >
> >
> > I have a general question- sorry this is so long!
> >
> > We're a few steps away from implementing our new federated
> > search tool.
> > It has been an interesting experience!
> >
> > I have some questions regarding how this tool is seen across your
> > institutions- that is, what is the vision for it's use?
> >
> > For example, we have created our tool with 21 subject
> categories. Now,
> > some of our subject specialists want to create sub categories, and
> > choose their own databases to be searched , and put a search box on
> > their subject guide pages that will only search within their sub
> > category.
> >
> > For example, on our main federated page, we have Earth and
> > Environmental
> > Sciences which includes 10 databases to be searched. Now,
> the subject
> > specialist wants to create a sub-category for Geography and put the
> > search box on her subject guide page. The category may or
> may not have
> > the same databases as the main earth and environmental sciences main
> > category.
> >
> > My question is, won't this confuse users? Does this
> partially defeat
> > the purpose of a "federated search" by limiting the search to a very
> > slender set of resources? We are using Serials solutions
> > central search,
> > which has Vivisimo to cluser results- shouldn't that be enough.
> >
> > Isn't this kind of library 1.0 thinking- that every tool must be
> > separate, and to find this, you must go there, to find that,
> > you must go
> > somewhere else.
> >
> > I need help here- if I am wrong I need to shut up about it with my
> > colleagues, if I am write, I need help from all the experts
> out there
> > explaining why it is wrong.
> >
> > Thanks!
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