DISCOVERY INTERFACES
If all the big kids are doing it, why can’t I?
Jonathan Jacobsen
Andornot Consulting
Presentation Outline
• Why Learn About Discovery Interfaces?
• What is a Discovery Interface?
• Live Demonstrations
• Selecting a Discovery Interface
• Implementing a Discovery Interface
About Andornot Consulting
• 6 librarians / web
developers /
technology experts /
software developers
• www.andornot.com/blog
• twitter.com/andornot
Why are we giving this presentation?
• “If all the big kids are doing it,
why can’t I?”
• Discovery interfaces are
widespread on the web
• Increasingly popular in academic
and public libraries
• Slow to spread to special libraries (and archives,
museums and other cultural institutions)
• All organizations must keep up with changing
technologies to remain relevant and usable
• Discovery interfaces are one approach
What is a Discovery Interface?
• A web 2.0, next-generation interface to any data: library
catalogue, archival collection, museum collection,
ecommerce store
• Encourages serendipitous discovery, rather than
pre-determined search
• Can bring multiple resources together into a single,
unified index and search interface
• Let’s look at some examples
What is a Discovery Interface?
What is a Discovery Interface?
What is a Discovery Interface?
What is a Discovery Interface?
What is a Discovery Interface?
What is a Discovery Interface?
What is a Discovery Interface?
What is a Discovery Interface?
What is a Discovery Interface?
Facets
What is a Discovery Interface?
Facets
What is a Discovery Interface?
Social Media Sharing
What is a Discovery Interface?
Facets
What is a Discovery Interface?
Typos corrected
Facets
What is a Discovery Interface?
Related Items
Reviews
Facets
What is a Discovery Interface?
Related Items
What is a Discovery Interface?
Additional Content
Ratings and Reviews
What is a Discovery Interface?
Typos corrected
What is a Discovery Interface?
Facets
Relevant Results
Ratings and Reviews
What is a Discovery Interface?
Related Items
Reviews
What is a Discovery Interface?
• Common Features
• Typos and mis-spellings corrected
• Relevancy-ranked search results
• Facets for easy browsing and narrowing of results
• Related items
• Ratings, reviews and other user-contributed or third-party content
• Social media sharing (Facebook, Twitter, etc.)
What is a Discovery Interface?
• Other Common Features
• Save searches and records
• Export to RefWorks, XML, text, MARC (!)
• Subscribe to RSS feeds
• Book covers
• Links to Google Books, Hathi Trust, and other additional content
providers
• Mobile-friendly interface
• Connection to ILS for real-time info (e.g. loan status, placing holds,
etc.)
• Crawl URLs and index PDFs and other linked content
What is a Discovery Interface?
• Why so many commercial
websites?
• Pioneers in web
application usability
• Libraries can take
advantage of this R&D
Library Discovery Interfaces
Search
Discover
Library Discovery Interfaces
Library Discovery Interfaces
What goes in a Discovery Interface?
• Your local catalogue
• Specialized, locally
managed data
• Metadata AND full-text
• Journal articles and
other scholarly
resources
• All data accessible
through a single index
and search interface
What are some available systems?
What are some available systems?
What are some available systems?
• Andornot Discovery Interface (AnDI)
• Uses Apache Solr search engine and Dublin Core
metadata
What are some available systems?
Discovery System
Reported Installations
Primo
914
AquaBrowser
250
Encore
326
LS2 PAC
236
Summon
407
WorldCat Local
1,578
SirsiDynix Enterprise
251
Civica Sorcer
39
Axiell Arena
76
Chamo
51
VuFind
90+
Sources:
•
•
Automation Marketplace 2012: The Complete Survey Data. March 29, 2012 By The Digital Shift
http://www.thedigitalshift.com/2012/03/ils/automation-marketplace-2012-the-complete-survey-data/#discovery
http://vufind.org/wiki/installation_status
Demonstrations
• AquaBrowser
• BiblioCommons
• Summon
• VuFind
What about Federated Search?
Discovery Interface
Federated Search
Your Website
Your Website
Local Search
Index
Data
Source
Data
Source
Web
Service
Data
Source
Web
Service
Web
Service
What about Federated Search?
• Hybrid
Your Website
Web
Service
Local Search
Index
Data
Source
Data
Source
Data
Source
Implementation
• So you think you want a discovery interface?
• Choosing a system
• Implementing a system
System Evaluation Checklist
System Evaluation Checklist
• Does it have core features?
• Facets
• Spelling corrections
• Relevancy-ranking
System Evaluation Checklist
• Does it have additional features?
• Save searches and records
• Export to RefWorks, XML, text, MARC (!)
• Subscribe to RSS feeds
• Book covers
• Links to Google Books, Hathi Trust, and other additional content
providers
• Mobile-friendly interface
• Connection to ILS for real-time info (e.g. loan status, placing holds,
etc.)
System Evaluation Checklist
• How does it handle
data import and realtime data retrieval?
• Does it include data
from other sources
(e.g. journal articles)?
Which ones?
System Evaluation Checklist
• Configurability and
customization options
• Tools and skills
required
System Evaluation Checklist
• How do you incorporate it into your existing website?
XIn a frame?
XAs a new web application, but with only your logo?
As a new web application, but with the same branding?
Replacing your existing website altogether?
System Evaluation Checklist
• Do your users like the
interface?
• Is staff or user training
needed?
System Evaluation Checklist
• Effort to implement
• Total staff time (hours /
days)
• Spread out over how
many days / weeks /
months?
System Evaluation Checklist
• Costs:
• Software purchase or license
• Configuration and customization
• Maintenance and support
• Additional features
• Future upgrades
• Hardware and other infrastructure
costs
System Evaluation Checklist
• Hosted (SaaS) vs local installation
• Hosted in Canada?
System Evaluation Checklist
• System requirements (for non-hosted)
• Windows Server or Linux
• Often based on anticipated data storage requirements and
simultaneous users
System Evaluation Checklist
https://sites.google.com/site/urd2comparison/home/comparison
Implementation Plan
• You’ve chosen a
system! Now what?
Implementation Plan
• Local installation or hosted?
• Local IT support available?
Implementation Plan
• Determine appropriate content to index
• What system is content in?
• Can it be exported? Can the discovery interface import it or fetch it?
• Can data movement be automated and hands-off?
• How often will you update the Discovery Interface?
Source
Export Format
Frequency and Method
ILS
MARC
Automated Nightly Export
In-house Publications
Database
XML
Manual Monthly Export
Externally Hosted Article
Database
OAI
Automated Weekly Fetch
Implementation Plan
• Create a “metadata crosswalk”
MARC
Dublin Core
245a
title
100a, 700a
creator
655 Genre – Form
type
XML Output
Dublin Core
Combine <title> and <subtitle>
title
Take 4 digit year only from
<publication_date>
date
Implementation Plan
• What condition is the data in?
• e.g.
• Does it have suitable facets?
• Have authority files been used?
Implementation Plan
Common bibliographic facets:
• Author
• Subject
• Series
• Genre
• Geographic region
• Time period
• Publication date
• Audience
• Material type
Implementation Plan
• Material Types:
• Serial
• Journal
• Periodical
• Magazine
Implementation Plan
• Interface configuration or customization
Implementation Plan
• Embed search in existing library website / home page
• or replace altogether with new system
• e.g.
• https://ercb.andornot.com/ vs
• http://www.library.yorku.ca/
Implementation Plan
Implementation Plan
Implementation Plan
• Final activities:
• Trial import
• Usability testing with select users
• Training
• Launch !
In Conclusion
• Why Learn About Discovery Interfaces?
• What is a Discovery Interface?
• Live Demonstrations
• Selecting a Discovery Interface
• Implementing a Discovery Interface
• Andornot can help!
Further Reading
• “The Ins and Outs of Evaluating Web-Scale Discovery Services” by Athena Hoeppner.
Computers In Libraries. April 2012. http://www.infotoday.com/cilmag/apr12/Hoeppner-WebScale-Discovery-Services.shtml
• “Automation Marketplace 2012: The Complete Survey Data” The Digital Shift. March 29,
2012. http://www.thedigitalshift.com/2012/03/ils/automation-marketplace-2012-the-completesurvey-data/
• “Discovery Layers in Law Libraries” by Valeri Craigle. AALL Spectrum. December 2011.
http://www.aallnet.org/main-menu/Publications/spectrum/Vol-16/No-3/discovery-layers.pdf
• “Discovering What Works: Librarians Compare Discovery Interface Experiences” Library
Journal. December 7, 2011. http://reviews.libraryjournal.com/2011/12/reference/discoveringwhat-works-librarians-compare-discovery-interface-experiences/
• “The Next Generation of Discovery” By Judy Luther & Maureen C. Kelly. Mar 15, 2011.
Library Journal. http://www.libraryjournal.com/lj/ljinprintcurrentissue/889250403/the_next_generation_of_discovery.html.csp
• “Designing the Samurai sword: using facets to support agile, highly-effective information
management” by Jennifer Smith. 1st June 2011.
http://web.fumsi.com/go/article/manage/64295
• VuFind usage five times that of "classic catalogue"
http://www.miskatonic.org/2010/12/17/vufind-usage-fives-times-classic-catalogue
• “Designing for Faceted Search” By Stephanie Lemieux, Earley and Associates (originally
published in KM World, March 2009.) http://www.uie.com/articles/faceted_search/