Federated search at University of Wyoming

In the fall of 2006, the University of Wyoming Libraries began implementing Serials Solutions’ Central Search (now 360 Search.) Reference librarians Michael Nelson, Mary Ann Harlow, and Cassandra Kvenild chronicle their experience (through completion in January 2007) at AllBusiness.com.

The 17 page article is broken down into 11 sections:

1. Selecting Databases to Federate. Deciding which sources to federate.

2. Starting With General Databases. More on source selection.

3. Into the WYLD. The hurdle of integrating access to the statewide WYLD consortium.

4. Customizing the User Interface. Twenty pages of application settings to customize every detail of the user experience.

5. Finditfast. Branding the tool.

6. Customizing Search Interfaces and Functions. On basic and advanced search pages.

7. User-Friendly Entry Point. Creating the basic search page. How much (or how little) to put in it.

8. Customizing Results Display. Sorting and organizing of results.

9. Postimplementation Experience: Technical Issues. Small issues found and fixed.

10. Postimplementation Experience: Public Service Issues. Anecdotal impressions of user experiences.

11. Recommendations and Conclusions. The value good relationship with vendors, being familiar with sources, knowing your target audience, and other lessons learned.

There’s a good amount of implementation detail in this article, more than in many articles I’ve read so I recommend this one.

You might enjoy some of my other articles on experiences implementing federated search:

• Review: One Box to Search Them All (part I)
• Two weeks to a new federated search tool? and Jacquleyn’s answers to my questions
• Do-it-yourself federated search in 2-3 weeks?
• Carmichael’s federated search journey

Tags: federated search