Portal, Federated Search and OpenURL: Making Sense of the Technology

Portal Definitions Gateway to resources on the Internet or Intranet Common entry point for accessing contents A customized web environment designed so individual user can personalize the content and customize the look and feel

Public service -FirstGov.gov

Community - WebJunction

Personal - MyYahoo

Why Portal Content management Knowledge management Publishing/sharing documents and information Announcements Communications Platform for integration, aggregation, and delivery

Institutional - MSU Extension

Institutional - MyUB

Institutional - Cornell University

Why not Portal If you only want to show a single content If you have static contents If you or your users don’t need to customize or personalize the contents

Portal Framework Resources Portal Local DBSubscribed DB Web ResourcesCatalogs Interface

Issues in building a portal Content Design/interface Administration: users management Project management … (next)

Issues in building a portal Technical implementation Open source, proprietary, metasearch services Authentication and authorization Applications for services Integration with other services (ILL, course management system, RSS)

MyLibrary Portal to library resources Developed to help users access library resources related to their field or research interest managing their chosen resources create personal interest resources It’s there, but not quite there yet

MyLibrary - Lehigh University

MyLibrary sandbox

How libraries can utilize portals To help fulfill user information needs To provide library-related content Use of service components Use of library resources locator opac search Federated/meta search

What is Federated Search?  Broadcast searching  Parallel searching  Metasearching  Cross database searching  “Google” for the library Federated searching is a single search across multiple resources. This can include the library catalog, multiple databases or the web.

How does it work?  Federated search uses Z39.50, HTTP searching, XML and other technologies to search across multiple databases search engine?  Each federated search program will work a little differently

Federated Search Search Federated Search tool End Results Translator Result processed Database A Database B User

What programs are available?  The Library of Congress has a list of federated search applications at:  Some of the federated search providers are: Metalib – ExLibris EnCompass Solutions – Endeavor MetaFind – Innovative Interfaces Webfeat Prism – Webfeat, Inc. Horizon Information Portal – Dynix  WebFeat, MuseSearch…

Pros of Federated Searching  One user interface for a search across multiple databases,  Powerful for searching very specific terms  Easier interface to use than some of the databases  Can craft a targeted database list  Ability to search multi-disciplines  Allows beginning users a broad search to start

Cons of Federated Searching  Could confuse users with the groupings of the result list  Less sophisticated searches return whatever returns first chronologically  Poor response compared with other internet search  De-duplicating software is immature  No controlled vocabulary search  Possible license issue as it hits each resource

Finding a balance  Federated search not all things to all people  Does not take the place of individual databases  Part of a package of services offered to users  Setting users’ expectations important

Why OpenURL? Non-OpenURL:  Static URL  Interactive URL question=federated+search (Name-value pair: user=guest or question=federated+search etc.)

Why OpenURL? Problem with non-OpenURL  Source page has no real control to the link  The link is more or less static  The link can only have one destination  Source page knows nothing about what are particularly available to user who clicked on it.

Why OpenURL? In the library world:  How to find the full text given a citation?  What if user found a citation he/she is not entitled to view?  Which source is available to the user if multiple sources are found? What Libraries need is a smarter URL, that “understands” the context of a search (Context Sensitive URL):

Why OpenURL? OpenURL technology tries to address the following issues:  Needs a mechanism to keep track of all the sources AVAILABLE, and  Supplies the BEST link to users who have access rights.

What is OpenURL? Source Link URL Target

What is OpenURL? Source Link Link Resolver URL Target

What is OpenURL? Source Link Link Resolver OpenURL URL Target Dynamic linking

What is OpenURL? Source Link Link Resolver OpenURL URL Target Target 2Target 1Target 3 Context sensitive linking

What is OpenURL?  OpenURL is a metadata standard  It makes this linking standardized and therefore open  It is transported via the web through HTTP protocol, so it’s a URL Link Resolver Source Target 2Target 1Target 3

What is OpenURL?  Link Resolver is the application that supports OpenURL standard  It accepts the metadata from source, generates context-sensitive link based on a set of rules set up locally, and  Passes the link to the target (or targets) Link Resolver Source Target 2Target 1Target 3

What is OpenURL?  What OpenURL looks like: cle&issn= &title=MIS%20Quarterly &volume=19&issue=3&date= &atitle =Using%20IT%20to%20reengineer%20busines s%20education  BASE URL and the Reference  OpenURL is “recyclable” (transferable)  Some vendors provide OpenURL generator

What are needed to get OpenURL  OpenURL aware services (resources that support OpenURL)  Library’s catalog  The Gale Group  JSTOR  PubMed  OCLC  Ovid  ProQuest  EBSCO  Etc.

What are needed to get OpenURL  Link Resolvers  Article Linker/Journal Linker (Serials Solutions)  Link Finder Plus (Edeavor)  SFX (Ex Libris)  EBSCO SmartLink (EBSCO)  OpenResolver (UKOLN)  TOUR, TDNet OpenURL Resolver (TDNet)  WebBridge (Innovative Interfaces)

Federated Search vs OpenURL Search  OpenURL search: Using a set of metadata to generate links to appropriate copies or other value added services.  Federated search: Single “google”-like box or user- selected lists of databases that searches multiple databases, OPAC and the web and returns results back to the user.

Federated Search vs OpenURL Search Federated Search tool Results Translator Result processed Link resolved OpenURL linker Database A Database B Fed. Search Database C OpenURL Search

Portal products that support OpenURL Meta searching packages  Rooms (SIRSI)  ENCompass (Endeavor)  MetaLib (ExLibris)  Millennium Access Plus (Innovative Interfaces)  ZPORTAL (Fretwell-Downing)

Portal products that support OpenURL Example 1:

Portal products that support OpenURL Example 2:

Issues to Consider  Good in citation searches -- how does it apply to other areas of information resources?  Information organization -- how to avoid overwhelming your users by the links, what to include and what not to?  Where to provide the OpenURL linking? In catalog, in e-resource database or as a search?  OpenURL is context sensitive linking but can all databases be searched in an integrated way?

Issues to Consider (con’t)  Good linking depends on how the linker is setup. Details of all holding information will help to achieve better performance  Overcome the differences in linking acceptance between information providers (extended services), no standard way  Local administration, on going support will be resource intensive, but could benefit users

Conclusion Interface Context Services Resources Portal HelpMeta SearchingInfo managementpresentation User accessOpenURLOther standards (z39.50) Resource managementContent management Local DBSubscribed DB Web ResourcesCatalogs

OpenURL/Federated Searching vs. portal? OpenURL and federated searching: two important components of portal User access  User authentication: user access profile can be built into URL, stored in cookie or on the server.  Each user doing search can have different set of resolver service that are tailored to personal/institutional needs and access rights.  Single-sign-on, ideal for most of the meta searching

Resources sharing  Portal itself can be OpenURL aware  OpenURL refines the result of meta searching  Delivery of specific and extended services  Course reserves  Full text  ILL  Catalog  Reference database  Subject based web OpenURL/Federated Searching vs. portal?

Our thanks to Lehigh Tim McGraw Lehigh University MSU Extention Cindy Straub Michigan State University

Thank you! Elizabeth Bollinger Ranti Junus Dao Rong Gong