Abstracts
Federated Searching: Views, Expectations and Use in an Academic Library
Tuesday 5 May 2009, 1130 – 1200
Presenters: Rashmi Madan and Matt Stephenson
The University of Western Australia, WA
Presenter Biography
Not available at time of printing
Abstract
There has been considerable debate around whether academic libraries should attempt to replicate “Google-like” single search interfaces with federated searching tools that allow users to simultaneously search across and retrieve results from a range of resources using a single search interface.
In 2005 The University of Western Australia Library implemented a federated search engine and in 2008, an in-house review of these tools was undertaken. A user survey and a survey of library staff both gathered a significant response. An in-depth analysis of usage statistics for the federated searching products was also undertaken, as well as an environmental scan.
The review gauged the usefulness of federated searching tools in comparison with other resources, and revealed a high level of use by library users, who ranked it equally with Google as a source of information for their studies. Approximately 50% of respondents said they use it weekly and only 7% said they never used it or didn’t know what it was. The vast majority of respondents also claimed that it was useful in their subject area, which contrasted greatly with library staff perceptions of the service.
This analysis may prove valuable to libraries in the evaluation of federated searching options to support the information needs of clients.
