Bridging the gap from Wikipedia to
scholarly resources:
a simple JavaScript search tool
BARBARA ARNETT
WEB SERVICES LIBRARIAN
VALERIE FORRESTAL
COMMUNICATIONS & NEW MEDIA STRATEGIES
LIBRARIAN
STEVENS INSTITUTE OF TECHNOLOGY
Project History:
 Elsevier 2010 API app challenge (for creative use of the
ScienceDirect open content API)
 Firefox add-on so researchers can search ScienceDirect from
anywhere on the web, without going through the library’s
website/ScienceDirect interface
 Added functionality: auto-populate search box to encourage
Wikipedia/Google users to expand their research to library
resources
 Issues:




compatibility with other browsers
search limited to ScienceDirect content
aversion to add-ons due to Firefox memory-hogging
managing code updates
 Solution: Cross-browser compatible JS bookmarklet
(inspired by bit.ly, etc) + Ebsco Discovery Service
Inspiration: Bit.ly bookmarklet
Install page
Bookmarklet in browser
Search prompt
Search results
Bookmarklet
 Bookmarklet = Bookmark + Applet
 In this case, JavaScript executed instead of a URL
 Works on Firefox, Internet Explorer, Safari, Chrome
JavaScript code in bookmarklet
this executes
JavaScript in a file
that resides on our
web server
javascript:(function(){document.body.appendChild(document.createElement
('script')).src='http://www.stevens.edu/library/js/search.js';})();
Parts of the Bookmarklet
 1 – Google Analytics tracking
 2 – Prompt box for user to edit search terms

– uses the Page Title for initial search terms
 3 – Execute search in federated search
javascript that is executed in http://www.stevens.edu/library/js/search.js-{
// *****************
Google analytics code BEGIN *******************//
var _gaq = _gaq || [];
_gaq.push(['_setAccount', 'UA-18930XXX-1']);
_gaq.push(['_trackPageview']);
(function() {
var ga = document.createElement('script'); ga.type = 'text/javascript'; ga.async = true;
ga.src = ('https:' == document.location.protocol ? 'https://ssl' : 'http://www') + '.googleanalytics.com/ga.js';
var s = document.getElementsByTagName('script')[0]; s.parentNode.insertBefore(ga, s);
})();
// *****************
Google analytics code END *******************//
var Ti=document.title.replace('- Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia','');
void(Ti=prompt('Edit search terms:',Ti));
if(Ti)
{
var
searchString='http://ezproxy.stevens.edu/login?url=http://search.ebscohost.com/login.aspx?direct=
true&site=eds-live&scope=site&type=0&cli0=FT1&clv0=Y&bquery='+(Ti);
window.location.href=searchString;
}
}
More info:
Contact:
 Barbara Arnett: barnett@stevens.edu
 Valerie Forrestal: valerie.forrestal@stevens.edu
Details:
 Presentation available at: http://slidesha.re/valebookmarklet
 Server-side code available at:
http://www.stevens.edu/library/js/search.js