Web Scale Discovery Service - Library Systems Report 2014

[Nikesh Narayanan]

Dear Colleagues,

This report appeared in Library Journal ,authored  Marshall Breeding, gives an overview of the status of Discovery Services and other Library systems in the market .

Reports on Discovery Services

Please read full report : http://www.americanlibrariesmagazine.org/article/library-systems-re... 

The genre of web-scale discovery services has seen vigorous development and competition since about 2009. These products rely on a massive centralized index populated by the universe of content products to which libraries subscribe, open access materials, and local resources such as those managed through its ILS. Major products include ProQuest Summon, Primo and Primo Central from Ex Libris, EBSCO Discovery Service, and OCLC’s WorldCat Local.

EBSCO currently stands as the front-runner, with a long lead of 5,612 library subscribers to EDS. OCLC reports 1,717 libraries with access to WorldCat Local, though a smaller number use it as their primary discovery interface. Ex Libris has licensed Primo to 1,407 libraries, and ProQuest reports 673 libraries using Summon.

Improvements to EDS implemented in 2013 include a major initiative to incorporate subject indexing of more than 10,000 open access journals. EBSCO provides EDS subscribers with details of its algorithms for determining relevancy of search results and gives libraries control over the priority of links presented to users. The company devotes substantial resources to EDS, reporting that more than 330 of the company’s 420 developers are involved with the product’s ongoing development. This figure greatly exceeds the development capacity of any other company covered in this report.

ProQuest announced version 2.0 of Summon midyear 2013, offering a variety of enhancements to the user interface deployed on a new technology platform. The new interface adds a third column dedicated to additional tools and resources relevant to the search query, such as scholar profiles, topic explorer, best bets, and database recommendations.

Ex Libris released Primo version 4.5 with new features such as virtual browsing by call number, improvements in date searching, and faster search performance. Additional capabilities in the OPAC via Primo address issues that arise as libraries retire their legacy online catalogs, such as when they implement products like Alma that depend entirely on a discovery interface.

OCLC announced a new product, WorldCat Discovery Services, as the successor to both WorldCat Local and its FirstSearch service. Based on a new technology platform and new interface design, WorldCat Discovery Services will be phased in for both current WorldCat Local sites and FirstSearch subscribers, with final switchover toward the end of 2015.

Nikesh Narayanan I Discovery Service Engineer (India) 
EBSCO Information Services India Pvt. Ltd.,

301-303 Ansal Chamber – II

6, Bhikaji Cama place
New Delhi – 110 066
Mobile:  [phone]