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The Metasearch Infrastructure Project
is creating an infrastructure that campus libraries and
CDL can use to tailor search portals for particular audiences and needs.
 Metasearching has
also been called "cross-database searching" and
"federated searching". This infrastructure would replace the existing SearchLight service with a set of diverse and highly focused portals. Based on a thorough review of the
marketplace, we selected the MetaLib application from ExLibris as a key component of our infrastructure.
Our vision of how this tool could be deployed within the university
information environment is depicted in the diagram to the right
(click on it for a larger version).
Our user needs assessment activities put us in touch with
the potential users of these tools at both an early stage of development
and as we begin to deploy prototypes for testing and feedback. Campus library staff have so far been involved with reviewing software
tools and developing portal specifications. We will soon be working with a
campus team to help us test out our infrastructure as well as to help us
determin what it means for both campuses and the CDL to deploy and support
this service. You can contact Steve Toub for more information.
- Project Update, February 2007
[PDF]
- Project Update, March 1, 2006
[PDF]
- Project Update, August 11, 2005 [PDF]
- Project Update, May 5, 2005 [PDF]
- Project Update for SOPAG, November 16, 2004
- One-Page Flyer on the Project: [PDF]
- Metasearch Talking Points: [PDF] - a document to help explain, justify, and support metasearching as a useful service.
Goal and Deliverables
- Goal: To better enable campus libraries to serve the information needs
of their clientele by providing infrastructure (e.g., software,
templates, procedures, etc.) from which they can build localized
metasearch services.
- Deliverables:
- Develop a metasearch infrastructure for campus libraries including documentation, training and support;
- Develop search target creation services, such as crawling web sites and harvesting metadata;
- Fulfillment of grant obligations;
- Integration with end-user tools (e.g., personal bibliographic databases); and,
- Integration with related services; i.e., OpenURL (SFX) linking services.
Project Teams
- Metasearch Infrastructure Project Team — Steve Toub, Chair. This team has oversight
responsibility for the development of the metasearch infrastructure, and a
coordination role for the metasearch aspects of related teams.
- Portal-Specific Teams
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