Web-Scale Discovery Tools and

Library Instruction

Sammy Chapman Purdue University CalumetILF Region 1 May 12, 2015

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Discovery systems offer several potential advantages such as ease of use, speed, and marketing potential. However, in their present state of development discovery tools also have limitations such as being opaque, exhibiting incomplete coverage, and confusing interface. Instruction can be tailored to help overcome some of these limitations and also move the instruction away from a focus on just one tool to a higher rung of information literacy and critical thinking

Summary

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The ideal Web discovery tool

● A single library index to all library

content

● One point of entry to all library

collections

● Simple, fast search

● With relevance ranked results3

Simple model of a discovery tool

Understanding some of the major

components of a discovery system and

how they work together can help us see

some of a Web-scale discovery tool’s

strengths as well as limitations 4

Components of a discovery tool

This is my very simplified model of a discovery system ● Library Resources ● Central Index ● Relevance ranking algorithm ● Interface● The searcher

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The library resources Library purchased resources such as databases, books, journals, articles, etcLocally loaded items such as digital repository items and archivesThese resources come from many different vendorsSome of these vendors view their products as proprietaryThis can create issues with sharing metadata between vendors

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What is metadataMetadata was traditionally in the card catalogs of libraries. The Dewey Decimal System employed by libraries for the classification of library materials by subject is an early example of metadata usageFor example a book's title, author, subject matter, and a brief plot synopsis

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Central index

Vendor created index of metadata describing your library resourcesThis pre-harvested central index makes the search process fast overcoming some of the problems of federated search since there is only one index to search This index is constructed from a list of resources provided by your discovery tool vendor which you activate based on your library collection

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Relevance ranking of results

Discovery tools should rank search

results that are fully objective based on

relevance without bias toward any

content provider including the vendor of

the discovery tool9

Discovery Interface

A simple search box to promote the ease of searching and meet the student’s expectations of one search for everything

All results lumped together in one list along with limiters to refine results

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The searcher

Has developed expectations about search interface based on Web experience.

Tends to have a high confidence level in their ability to search

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Some strengths of discovery tools

● Very good at known item searches ● Very good at searching interdisciplinary

topics● Very good at casting a wide net ● Undergraduates love discovery tools● Discovery systems do seem to increase

usage of library resources per FTE versus institutions that do not have discovery tools

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Web-scale discovery tool limitationsWe will look at two areas of the discovery tool and discuss some limitations● Limitations of the central index due to

competing vendors● Limitations of interface and limitations

due to poor integration with other library resources

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Limitations of the central index due to competing vendorsVendors not sharing metadata could lead to some library resources not being included in the discovery tool's central indexBecause not all vendors publicize the content indexed by their central indexes it is impossible to compare coverage of content between discovery toolsAggregated central indexes are not easy to build and are opaque in natureIt is not completely clear what is being indexed and searched

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Limitations of the central index due to competing vendorsSome library resources not included in my library’s discovery results ● Company/Industry reports● Financial/Statistical Data● Joanna Briggs Institute Systematic

Reviews These are three example that I am familiar with and I am sure that there are others based on your individual libraries 15

Limitations due to interface

A simplified interface does not always improve the quality of search queries.

Users may have difficulty distinguishing between different versions of the same item

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Limitations due to limited integration with other resourcesThe integration of discovery tools with other library systems through a link resolver still is problematic with errors linking to other resources and sometimes leading to dead ends.The level of linking is inconsistent with some links going to the article and others to the journal 17

Caveats to these limitations It is not just vendors that should be held responsible

The local library’s implementation of the discovery tool impacts performance as well

These systems will probably improve 18

What do these limitations mean for the user Not all library resources are being searched

Searchers have difficulty in distinguishing between the different types of sources in the results list in both content and format

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What do these limitations mean for the user Users have difficulty accessing the full-text article on publisher’s or aggregator’s website from discovery tool’s interfaceThe link resolver can perplex usersThe language and categories of limiters and tabs can be unclear and confusing to users 20

Instruction to improve use of Web-scale discovery tools

Overcoming these limitations calls for a scaffolding approachLower rung instruction which is a tool specific approach that explains and navigates the interface (e.g., links to peer reviewed, limiters, available in library, tabs, link resolver and integration to other library resources)

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Instruction to improve use of Web-scale discovery toolsOn the higher rung information literacy is taught (e.g. explaining different source types, evaluation of results, development of search strategy, “format as process”)This distinction between lower and higher rung is not always clear because many of tasks with a discovery tool will require both types of knowledge simultaneously

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Instruction to improve use of Web-scale discovery toolsI ask you to consider such distinctions because many published articles suggest that the higher rung of information literacy is an important step forward for library instruction and it is on this higher rung where librarians need to focus their instruction

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Specific instructional goals to overcome incomplete coverageExplain what is being searched by the discovery tool and why it may still be important to search subject specific databases and where Web-scale discovery fits in with other library tools What are the strengths and weaknesses of the discovery tool compared to the subject database

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Specific instructional goals to overcome interface & integration limitations

How to identify different source types such as: book, article, editorial, journal, or book chapter in the results listWhat are strengths and purpose of each source type.How to use facets and limiters to refine results.How to find full text 25

How discovery tools could aid information literacy instructionWeb scale discovery tools may help because we can spend less time on the mechanics of individual databases and more time on developing an “information seeking strategy” including developing a topic, choosing good search terms, and evaluating results (Rose-Wiles 2013 p. 157) 26

Specific instructional goals for information literacy skillsWould focus on:Development and revision of keywords Evaluation of results The iterative nature of the research process and how the research process is revised

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What if?

What if we taught library instruction

with just Google. Here is what google

might teach?

Informacy & Meta-literacy

Daniel Russell's Home Pagehttps://sites.google.com/site/dmrussell/ 28

Concluding thoughts The genie is out of the bottle Web-scale discovery tools are here so we should adapt

Instruction can allow us to overcome some of their limitations

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Concluding thoughtsBoth higher rung and lower rung instruction is critical and both should be taught together Knowing how read the user interface along with knowing what’s possible to ask /searchGoals are nice but implementation of information literacy is the real task at hand

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Bibliography Azadbakht, E. S., & Polacek, K. M. (2015). Information Literacy Instruction with Primo. Reference & User Services Quarterly 54 (3):23-26.Breeding, M. 2014. Web-Scale Discovery Services. American Libraries 45 (1/2):25-25.Brians, C. L., & Pencek, B. (2011). Discovery Systems are No Different: We Must Still Teach Searchers How to Become Researchers. Proceedings of Charleston Library Conference. http://dx.doi.org/10.5703/1288284314958Chickering, F. W., & Yang, S. Q. (2014). Evaluation and Comparison of Discovery Tools: An Update. Information Technology & Libraries 33 (2):5-30.Fagan, J. C., Mandernach, M., Nelson, C. S., Paulo, J. R. & Saunders, G. (2012). Usability Test Results for a Discovery Tool in an Academic Library. Information Technology & Libraries 31 (1):83-112.Georgas, H. (2014). Google vs. the Library (Part II): Student Search Patterns and Behaviors when Using Google and a Federated Search Tool. Portal-Libraries and the Academy 14 (4):503-532.Lundrigan, C., Manuel, K., & Yan, M. (2015). "Pretty Rad": Explorations in User Satisfaction with a Discovery Layer at Ryerson University. College & Research Libraries 76 (1):43-62.Neuwirth, E., & Cain, G. H. (2013). Beyond the Single-Search Box: A New Opportunity to Scale Library Services (and promote the value of the library through discovery). Against the Grain 25 (4):20-26.

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BibliographyNiu, X., Zhang, T., & Chen, H. L. (2014). Study of User Search Activities With Two Discovery Tools at an Academic Library. International Journal of Human-Computer Interaction 30 (5):422-433.Perrin, J. M., Clark, M., De-Leon, E., & Edgar. L. (2014). Usability Testing for Greater Impact: A Primo Case Study. Information Technology & Libraries 33 (4):57-66.Rose-Wiles, L. M., & Hofmann, M. A. (2013). Still Desperately Seeking Citations: Undergraduate Research in the Age of Web-Scale Discovery. Journal of Library Administration 53 (2/3):147-166.Seeber, K. P. (2015). Teaching "format as a process" in an era of Web-scale discovery. Reference Services Review 43 (1):19-30.Tewell, E. C. (2013). Full-Time Faculty View Information Literacy as Important but Are Unlikely to Incorporate it Into Their Teaching. Evidence Based Library & Information Practice 8 (1):84-86.Yang, S. Q. (2014). Charting Discovery System Improvements (2010-2013). Computers in Libraries 34 (8):10-14.

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