Mary Pagliero Popp and Diane Dallis, Hershey, PA, IGI Global/Information Science Reference, 2012, , 732 pp, US$175.00 (hard cover), ISBN 978-1-46661-821-3
The term ‘resource discovery’ is evolving to mean a descriptor for library research software that allows a library user to search multiple web-based resources simultaneously and bring back relevant and usable results. As librarians seek to find, purchase and install products such as EBSCO Discovery Service, Encore, Primo, WorldCat Local or Summon, they need to develop agreed structural procedures to ensure they are receiving value for their considerable expenditure. But there is currently little in print on the techniques of evaluating and implementing such systems – in determining how well each product can meet the needs of the library's users, in developing ways to integrate the software into the research lives of these users, and in evaluating the effectiveness of the software in the environment of an academic library.
Planning and implementing resource discovery tools in academic libraries comprehensively addresses these requirements. Within its 700-plus pages is assembled the expertise of 92 acknowledged masters of academic-library administration. Each paper is introduced by an abstract and concludes with lists of references, additional reading and key terms and definitions. The papers are presented in seven sections that include ‘Selecting a Discovery Tool’, ‘User Behaviour and Expectations’, ‘Discovery in the Wild’ (case studies) and ‘Critique of Discovery’.
A 32-page compilation of references, both print and electronic, includes a wide range of resources from fields related to resource discovery, from information management and web design to the effects of web interfaces on the mental health of the user.
Interaction with mass-market search engines (such as Google) and the consumer web (for example Amazon or iTunes) has conditioned users to expect a faster, more comprehensive research experience in the academic library. Research has shown that most information-seekers are willing to sacrifice content for convenience, and when confronted with the selection of catalogues, databases and interfaces on the usual academic library's home page, they will choose the option that appears easiest. It is the resource-recovery tools which offer academic librarians solutions that will enable them to add even more to resource discovery in their libraries. This book includes a critical analysis of why discovery tools are gaining such wide acceptance in the marketplace despite their cost and their limitations. It also addresses the problems which will face the next generation of search tools and the associated metadata. Most intriguing is the promise offered by the option of adding a collection-browsing tool and promoting the value of serendipity in research.
This book is a must have for every academic library intending to continue operating into the future.
© 2013, Helen Dunford