This document discusses web scale discovery services and information literacy. It begins by providing context about the social, economic, technological, and political factors driving changes in libraries. It then describes perceptions of libraries and information literacy skills students need. Next, it outlines features of next generation discovery services and their potential pros and cons. Specifically, it notes discovery services make access easier but may diminish search skills. The document concludes by questioning if discovery services compete with or support information literacy goals of teaching students to find, evaluate, and use information effectively.

1. Web Scale Discovery and
Information Literacy –
Competing Visions or
Mutual Support?
Sheila
Corrall,
University
of
Sheffield
iSchool
John
Dove,
Credo
Reference
LILAC
2012,
Glasgow

2. Presentation outline
• SeCng
the
scene
− context,
products
and
features
of
web
scale
discovery
• SoluHon
or
problem
− impact
on
resource
use,
implicaHons
for
user
educaHon
• Known
item
and
exploratory
searching
− on
the
open
web
and
via
the
library
• Reference
services
supporHng
discovery
• Four
quesHons
for
reflecHon
and
debate

3. The context for web scale discovery
Social
Economic
• 24/7
online
networked
society
• world
financial
crisis
• self-­‐service
and
mutual
support
• exchange-­‐rate
volaHlity
• Google
generaHon
• service
closures
and
job
losses
Technological
PoliHcal
• digital
asset
management
• public
expenditure
cuts
• cloud
compuHng
• doing
more
with
less
• mobile
connecHvity
and
apps
• demonstraHng
value
and
impact

4. Perceptions of libraries, 2010
“When
comparing
libraries
to
search
engines,
overwhelmingly,
Americans
consider
search
engines
to
be
more
convenient,
faster,
more
reliable
and
easier-­‐to-­‐use.
Americans
consider
libraries
to
be
more
trustworthy
and
more
accurate.
While
Americans
ranked
libraries
ahead
of
search
engines
in
trustworthiness
and
accuracy,
this
disHncHon
evaporates
when
asked
about
the
informa(on
that
is
provided
by
search
engines
and
libraries.
Most
Americans
(69%)
believe
the
informaHon
they
find
using
search
engines
is
just
as
trustworthy
as
they
would
find
from
their
library.”
(OCLC,
2010,
p.
40)

5. Information Literacy
What
students
need
to
learn
• Finding
research
tools
beyond
Google
and
Wikipedia
• Understanding
the
purpose
of
the
library
• NavigaHng
the
library
• Assessing
quality
and
reliability
of
informaHon
• Discerning
between
different
types
of
materials
• ConducHng
effecHve
searches
• Narrowing
topics
• CiHng
sources
and
avoiding
plagiarism
Ethnographic
Research
in
Illinois
Academic
Libraries
(ERIAL)
project

6. Next generation discovery services
Commercial
Open
source
• AquaBrowser
Library
• Blacklight
• BiblioCommons
• Fac-­‐Back-­‐OPAC
(Kochief)
• Ebsco
Discovery
Services
• LibraryFind
• Encore
(InnovaHve
Interfaces)
• Rapi
• Primo
Central
(Ex
Libris)
• Scriblio
(WPopac)
• SirsiDynix
Enterprise
• SOPAC
(Social
Opac)
• Summon
(Serials
SoluHons)
• VuFind
• Visualizer
(VTLS)
(Breeding,
2010;
• WorldCat
Local
(OCLC)
Yang
&
Wagner,
2010)

7. Desired features of discovery services
• Single
search/point
of
entry
• Did
you
mean
.
.
.?
− for
all
library
materials
− spell-­‐checking
mechanism
• State-­‐of-­‐the-­‐art
web
interface
• RecommendaHons
• Enriched
content
• User
contribuHons
e.g.
book
cover
images,
user
input
e.g.
summaries,
reviews,
• Faceted
navigaHon
of
results
raHng,
tagging,
folksonomies
e.g.
dates,
formats,
locaHon
• RSS
feeds
• Simple
keyword
search
box
• IntegraHon
with
social
− on
every
page
networking
sites
• Relevancy
ranking
• Persistent
links
e.g.
influenced
by
circulaHon
data
(Yang
&
Wagner,
2010)

8. Web scale discovery – the story so far
• Combining
next-­‐generaHon
catalogues
with
federated
search
− integraHng
print
and
digital,
local
and
remote,
records
and
content
• Providing
access
to
library
resources
within
user
workflows
− search
from
library
homepage,
LibGuide,
uni
portal,
Blackboard,
etc
• Allowing
libraries
to
create
mulHple
profiles
for
communiHes
− subject
subsets
of
discovery
resources
to
avoid
overwhelming
users
• Early
reports
of
dramaHc
impact
on
use
of
licensed
resources
− students
able
to
find
things
easily,
but
not
able
to
interpret
results
• ImplicaHons
for
informaHon
literacy
and
reference
support
− from
database
searching
to
understanding
and
evaluaHng
informaHon
(Gross
&
Sheridan,
2011;
Howard
&
Wiebrands,
2011;
Luther
&
Kelly,
2011;
Kenney,
2011;
Way,
2010;
Wisniewski,
2010)

9. One-stop info-shopping: pros and cons
✔ Convenient,
easier
and
faster
✘ Dumbing
down
the
access
to
informaHon
informaHon
search
process
✔ Integrated
into
user
workflow
✘ Problems
with
material
✔ Student
exposure
to
a
wider
from
news
databases
range
of
sources
and
material
✘ Students
need
more
help
to
✔ More
visibility
and
use
of
make
sense
of
search
results
library
scholarly
resources
✘ Less
funcHonality
than
✔ Beker
value
for
money
from
naHve
database
interfaces
investment
in
content
✘ NeglecHng
development
of
✔ Shils
focus
to
higher-­‐order
basic
informaHon
skills
informaHon
literacy
abiliHes
✘ Poor
foundaHon
for
higher
degrees
and
future
careers

10. “InformaHon
literacy
is
knowing
when
and
why
you
need
informaHon,
where
to
find
it,
and
how
to
evaluate,
use
and
communicate
it
in
an
ethical
manner.”
(CILIP,
2004)
Seven Pillars of Information Literacy (SCONUL, 2011)

11. Competing visions of the library?
The
resource-­‐based
view
The
informa:on
literacy
of
the
library
view
of
the
library
• The
library
is
essenHally
a
• The
library
is
essenHally
a
bundle
of
informaHon
and
place
of
learning
other
resources
• The
library
creates
value
by
• The
library
creates
value
developing
the
ability
to
through
the
use
of
its
understand
and
use
disHncHve
resources
informaHon
in
context
• Resource
uHlisaHon
is
the
• InformaHon
competence
is
key
performance
measure
the
key
measure
of
success
(Barney,
1991;
Wernerfelt,
1984)

12. How?
Dimensions of
Advanced
search
opHons
21C search
Librarians,
faculty
and
grad
students
want
more
func:onality
Students
need
help
What?
Open
in
understanding
Approved
web
search
results
scholarly
content
Some
use
content
Most
people
Google
Scholar
Web
scale
discovery
start
a
search
(with
library
links)
steers
users
back
with
Google
to
the
library
Single
search
box

13. Scenarios for the webscale discovery world
• Library
promotes
discovery
• Library
uses
teaching
sessions,
tool
as
starHng
point
for
teachable
moments
or
student
research
learning
resources
to
explain
• Students
move
away
from
how
to
use
discovery
tools
Google
to
discovery
tool
− make
sense
of
results
− get
easier
faster
access
− manage
searches
beker
to
reading
list
items
• Library
provides
customised
− find
more
appropriate
versions
of
discovery
tool
for
resources
for
papers
parHcular
user
groups
BUT
unable
to
select
− exposing
them
to
subject-­‐
effecHvely
from
results
based
subsets
of
resources

14. Web-­‐scale
Discovery
–
What’s
Missing
from
this
Library
Answer
to
Google?
Session
Htle
here

15. Information
need
• Familiar with keywords or • Lack of subject orientation and
relevant search terms familiarity with keywords
• Have specific information in mind • Need guidance to start searching
(article, book, journal, etc.)
• Know where to start (website, • Need general information
database, stacks)

16. “For over three-fourths (84%) of the students
surveyed, the most difficult step of the course-
related research process was getting started.”
OTHER
16%
GETTING
STARTED
84%
Truth Be Told: How College Students Evaluate and Use Information in the Digital Age, Alison J. Head and Michael B. Eisenberg, Project
Information Literacy Progress Report, University of Washington's Information School, November 1, 2010 (72 pages, PDF, 602 KB).

19. • Provides background
and vocabulary
• Starting point for most people • Comprehensive and consistent
• OK for known item searches • Easy to access and use
• Links to Wikipedia articles • Provides potentially useful links
• Millions of results
“Getting information off the
Internet is like taking a drink
• Not always trustworthy
from a fire hydrant.”
• Not customized for audience
Mitchell Kapor
• Does not actively promote IL skills

29. • Summary, overview and background
information
• Vocabulary building
• Easily digestible
• Links to relevant library resources

30. Four questions for reflection and debate
1. Are
web
scale
discovery
tools
a
good
starHng
point
for
subject
searches
or
for
exploring
new
topics?
2. Will
such
tools
help
students
become
competent
informaHon
users
in
the
work
place
and
later
life?
3. Do
we
need
to
change
our
informaHon
literacy
educaHon
to
fit
the
new
discovery
environment?
4. Can
we
augment
our
discovery
services
to
support
and
deliver
our
informaHon
literacy
mission?
LILAC
2012,
Glasgow