Agenda Terminology and infrastructure: metasearching,

federated searching Federated searching: examples, advantages,

disadvantages OpenURL linking Metasearching: examples, advantages, disadvantages Different types of searches, different types of users Is Google Scholar here to stay? Making Google Scholar better Educating our users Conclusions

Metasearching

Diverse information resources

Query form

?

MetasearchingQuery form

?

Diverse information resources

Just-in-time

Federated Searching

Diverse information resources

Query form

?

R e p o s i t o r y

Just-in-case

Federated SearchingExamples: Systems developed at institutions

(e.g., Los Alamos National Laboratories; DTV, Denmark; Max Planck)

Scirus CrossRef Search Google Scholar

Google ScholarGoogle Scholar is different It’s Google; people love it. Has unparalleled software and

hardware resources Uses sophisticated crawling techniques Relies on well-established

collaboration with publishers Huge!

Google ScholarAdvantages: Quick Familiar Available System has full control over the data

Sophisticated searching Relevance ranking Matching …

Google ScholarDisadvantages: Secretive and vague about

Definition of scholarly information Scope, coverage, and accuracy of the content Relevance ranking algorithm Business model

Not trustworthy?Note: Still in beta-test

Google ScholarDisadvantages: Data is not complete Data is not up-to-date Citation information not reliable No way to scope searching No institutional branding No output tools No personalized services* No library control!

Google ScholarOpenURL linking Available since May 10, 2005 Enable library-defined services via a

link resolver However: require the upload of

holdings into Google Scholar

Metasearching

Metasearching

Metasearch SystemsAdvantages: Fully controlled by the library Provide access to known, reliable resources Up-to-date* Enable focusing on specific scope Can be tailored to specific users Customizable; enable local branding Integration with local system

Metasearch SystemsDisadvantages: Performance Configuration of resources* Processing of results applies to

retrieved records Require maintenance

Different types of users, different types of searches

Research needs differ from one user to another

Search versus locate Searching can be disconnected Four levels of research:

Google Google Scholar Metasearch systems Native interfaces

Is Google Scholar Here to Stay? Probably so, depending on Google’s

plans And it will certainly be used by end

users

If you cannot beat them, join them* Depends on the business model OpenURL linking was a good sign Encourage Google Scholar to make it

a better resource

Making Google Scholar Better

Meanwhile, educate! Include Google Scholar as well as

metasearch systems in introductory courses

Encourage instructors to refer to the resources for research

Use the library tools to provide a better research environment

Educate Our Users

Conclusions

Metasearch systems are much more “librarian-approved” than Google Scholar*

However, users will use Google Scholar no matter what

For the research environment, Google Scholar is better than Google

Good research experience and education are required

Thank you!