Delivering the Goods: Implementing Web Scale

Web scale discovery offer libraries the ability to deliver complete and direct access to their content in one easy to use search. Deploying an effective tool, however, is not always simple or intuitive. Implementing a system that integrates nearly all library content into a useable, patron friendly environment requires coordination, diligence and vision. Delivering the Goods discusses the University of North Florida Library’s award winning collaboration with EBSCO as they transformed the catalog into a modern discovery service

Analyzing Data Future Direction

The implementation of the Ebsco EDS Web Scale system at the University of North Florida has dramatically increased use of online resources. As a result, the way in which the library views eResources, contracts and acquisitions as a whole is changing to a more data driven model

Discovery Systems: The Promise and the Reality

A new era of discovery systems commenced in 2008 with the release of services that aim to index and provide access to an increasingly comprehensive body of library resources. This new genre of products, including Summon from Serials Solutions, EBSCO Discovery Service, Primo Central from Ex Libris, and OCLC’s WorldCat Local, promised to revolutionize how students and researchers discover, access, and use library resources of all types. These products aim to provide a Google-like search experience for library collections without the pitfalls of federated searching and to allow librarians to focus on promoting information literacy rather than on helping users navigate confusing information silos. This program will examine how well discovery systems deliver on their promises four years into their development. Our panelists will take a close look at the promise of discovery systems and discuss their practical applications and limitations

e-Books and the Impact on Library Processes

Have you ever wondered what would happen if your physical collection were reduced or even eliminated? Ebooks have become a mainstream media format. What impacts might this have on internal processes and workflows? In this workshop, you will have an opportunity to experience a process improvement project using the Six Sigma methodology, role play the project team and take an in depth look at ebooks, ebook readers, and services designed to support the next evolutionary step in library collection development

Building the Next Successful Library Discovery Tool

The implementation of web scale discovery has yielded remarkable results at the University of North Florida. Full-text downloads more than doubled in the first year, and ILL dropped, but has the system realized its potential? As today’s library patron grows more sophisticated and more demanding, what more can we ask of today’s modern library search tool? Join Michael Kucsak and Jeremy Hall as they share a brief history of their library\u27s success from assessment to implementation. Then they will discuss the future of the modern discovery tool and the changes vendors must make in order to survive the world of digital content delivery

Don’t Touch that String! There Went the Databases

Web discovery tools can change not only the way users search and retrieve information, but also, how libraries and librarians work with information. When the University of North Florida implemented web scale discovery tools, we discovered that the technical implementation was challenging, but the most difficult changes were related to the library culture. Our students were “early adopters” moving from over 26 different entry points to finding most library materials in one search. But our staff and faculty were more resistant to the change. Technical challenges related to implementation included coordinating the various technology pieces to customize the search interface, convert link resolvers, and to maintain interaction with the proxy server. Because of the complicated nature of web-scale discovery, we learned that no matter how much you prepare for implementation, there will be new and unexpected issues to resolve. Solutions for these problems require input from external entities and not just the library. Cultural challenges involved library faculty and staff that had the perception that the discovery tool did not produce comparable results to a search done directly in a specific database. When we analyzed this issue, we found that not only did the discovery tool return more accurate results, but also more relevant results. In addition, the results were from databases faculty and staff would not have normally thought to use. The issue then demonstrated the need for more training for library faculty and staff to learn how to refine searches in the discovery tool to achieve maximum results. By implementing web scale, we essentially untied the string that contained our expectations and experience regarding how search engines work and how users interact with them--and this unraveled all our previously held assumptions about how the library provides research service. The University of North Florida Library’s internet presence consisted of access points to over 300 databases which were available to users only by subject grouping and alphabetized lists. The Library realized that we were limiting access to content by forcing users to choose a database before starting a search. Therefore, relevant content in databases that the user might not think to search was excluded. Additionally, it was difficult to becomingly increasingly difficult to maintain the subject access approach using a list. In the past, UNF Library had dabbled unsuccessfully with federated search services. We chose to look for a technical solution that could unite our databases, make access to content easy, and make searching less cumbersome for our users. So we chose to look at new web scale discovery tools to answer our needs. We looked at emerging library discovery tools such as EDS by EBSCO, Summon by Serials Solutions, and Primo Central by Ex Libris

What\u27s in Your Tool Belt? How Six Sigma Fits with Libraries

Join Michael Kucsak, Six Sigma blackbelt, for a visual tour of how Six Sigma can help librarians no matter where they work or the size of their library. He will show some basic tools with which libraries can streamline their processes and generate lasting improvements