Overview of UAlbany's implementation of Ebsco Discovery Service

1. SMART Flash Session:
Implementing
Ebsco Discovery Service
at the University at Albany Libraries
Elaine Lasda Bergman
Dewey Graduate Library
University at Albany
ebergman@uamail.albany.edu

2. Invited by Ebsco to be a Beta Test Site
• 1st ALEPH Library
• 1st SUNY Library
1st meeting of UAlbany
EDS Workgroup:
October 20, 2009
http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_qCkdRMbp0TE/SpV9ZRuWvdI/AAAAAAAAApU/yYFZxvhMM
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3. Weekly Webinars/Biweekly Webinars
• Preview options for new
features, look and feel of
site, etc.
• Demonstrate features of
user and administrative
interfacces
• Update the schedule for
enhancements to the
product

4. Live Catalog Testing
• Library’s catalog data kept
separate at first from the
EDS database data
• Opportunity to
troubleshoot quirks with
the catalog display

5. Integration
Ebsco Database
contents, partner
content, etc.
(Provided by Ebsco)
Custom Catalog
Database (provided by
UAlbany Libraries)
EDS provides customized content from
our subscribed databases (mostly
EBSCO) and the library’s own catalog.

6. Features: Customizability
Branding: color
scheme, logos,
service name
The only place the
EBSCO logo appears

7. Features: Simple Search interface
Widgets can be
inserted
on any web page
“Google-like”
Search Box

8. Features: Facets
Concept: input a broad
search term then limit
results by facets/clusters in
the left hand navigation to
obtain more focused and
relevant results.
Facet/Cluster display
changes based on what
metadata occurs in the
results retrieved.

9. Features: Limiters

10. Features: EHIS
Ebsco Host Integrated Search
(EHIS) is Ebsco’s Federated
searching tool.
Non-Ebsco/partner databases
can be made available through
EHIS connectors to provide a
more robust search
experience.
Functions as a separate search.
You can
name it
whatever
you want!

11. Fall 2010: Soft Rollout

12. Issues: What to Name?

13. Issues: Real Time Availability?

14. Issues: Catalog Updating
Catalog extraction:
• Desired format wasn’t clear
•Our own inexperience with
catalog data extraction
•Time consuming
•Slows down the system
considerably
Accuracy of information:
•Full catalog reload annually?
•Interim updates: additions
only, not deletions or changes
in status

15. Issues: Academic/Scholarly
Articles submitted to peer
review process
Articles geared towards
an academic audience
but not peer reviewed
Not all databases included in EDS
use these terms in the same way;
EBSCO working to normalize the
metadata on these limiters

16. Issues: Content Provider Facet
•Supposed to be
dynamically
generated based on
results
•Does not work for
the majority of
partners
•Ebsco changed this
facet to be a static list
of resources and
information.
•Expected to be fixed
in 4 to 6 months.

17. Issues: EHIS Connectors
What they Added as Examples:
Criminal Justice Periodicals Index Remove
Criminal Justice Abstracts Keep
Gale Virtual Reference Library Remove
HarpWeek Remove
LexisNexis Academic Remove
Library Catalog (ALEPH) Remove
Literature Resource Center Remove
New England Journal of Medicine Remove
Opposing Viewpoints Resource Center Remove
PAIS International Keep
PsycINFO Keep
Sociological Abstracts Remove
Social Services Abstracts Remove
WorldCat Remove
What We Wanted
(took over 2 months to connect):
American National Biography Online
BioOne
Columbia International Affairs Online
Contemporary Women's Issues
Education Full Text
Encyclopaedia Britannica
JSTOR
New Grove Dictionary of Music & Musicians
Oxford English Dictionary
Oxford Reference Online – Premium
ProQuest Historical Newspapers: New York Times,
1851-2004
Scopus
Social Work Abstracts
Standard and Poor's NetAdvantage

18. More Changes Afoot
http://hullhouse.files.wordpress.com/2010/06/a
rb_work_in_progress.jpg
DECEMBER Release enhancements:
•Features for consortial catalogs
•Custom Links (trigger ILL when item is not in home library
•Composite “super records” for books
•Widgets: Google books, LibraryThing, etc. on detailed records
•Additional catalog values for real time availability (YAY!)
•Web of Science will be added for subscribers
•Optional radio buttons (TI,AU,KW) for basic search page
•Language/alternative alphabet enhancements (Chinese,
Japanese, Russian, etc.
•Multi language search/language limiter
•Database Advisor: suggests specific dbs for in-depth searching
•Integrate netLibrary
•More customization
•Enhance metadata re: peer reviewed status

19. Assessment in Progress
• User survey
• Feedback from
librarians
• Information
Literacy Instruction
http://www.conduit.com/getattachment/0b06e3b0-d790-40c6-8bc9-
91422019a93f/Gathering-Feedback-from-Your-Users-Directly-From-t.aspx

20. Conclusion: Still in Flux
UAlbany Libraries:
• Results of assessment
• Customization not finalized
• Establishment of
administrative policies
(changes to customization, catalog
uploads, etc.)
Ebsco:
• Still tinkering, adding features
• Indefinite biweekly webinars
•“Enhancement requests” to
assist with Real time Availability,
other features