This document summarizes a presentation about discovery tools and services. It defines discovery tools as library user interfaces that allow searching across library resources independently of any individual system. Fifteen different discovery services are listed, along with evaluation criteria like one-stop searching, faceted navigation, and mobile interfaces. The document evaluates the top five discovery services as Primo, WorldCat Local, Encore, EBSCO Discovery Service, and Summon based on features like unified indexing and relevancy. It notes the most improved tools since 2010 have been AquaBrowser, Primo, and WorldCat Local. Limitations discussed are the presentation only covering the user interface and not content coverage or searching capabilities.

1. Introduction to Discovery
Services/Tools
Princeton-Trenton Chapter, Special Library Association
Mercer Room
Sharon Q. Yang
Rider University
5/15/2013

2. What is a discovery tool?
• Discovery layer, discovery layer user interface,
standalone OPAC, discovery system, discovery
service
• Library user interface independent of any library
systems
• It can replace an OPAC or live side by side along
an OPAC
• Software as a service (SaaS)
• Subscription-based

3. Discovery Services
1. AquaBrowser
2. Axiell Arena
3. Bibliocommons
4. Blacklight
5. EBSCO Discovery
Service
6. eXtensible Catalog
7. Encore
8. Endeca
9. Enterprice
10. Primo
11. VuFind
12. Visualizer
13.WorldCat Local
14. SOPAC
15. Scriblio

4. Evaluation Criteria
1. One stop search
2. State of the art interface
3. Enriched content
4. Faceted navigation
5. Simple keyword search
box with a link to advanced
search
6. Simple keyword search
box on every page
7. Relevancy based on circ
statistics
8. Did you mean…?
9. Recommendation
10. User contribution
11. RSS
12. Integration with social
networks
13. Perm links
14. Stemming/auto completion
15. Mobile interface
16. FRBR relationships

5. One Stop Searching, the Biggest Challenge?
• EDS, Primo, Summon, WorldCat Local – unified index
• Encore - connectors for real-time searching
• Limited in content coverage
• No discovery tool can claim 100% content coverage
• Gray area (Primo and Encore do not publish their content
coverage)
• VuFind-Summon & WorldCat Local
• Encore-EDS
• AquaBrowser-360 Federated Search
• Application Programming Interface (API)

6. Evaluation

7. Top Five Discovery Layers
1. Primo (Unified Index, relevancy & FRBR)
2. WorldCat Local (Unified Index & FRBR)
3. Encore (Live search through connectors/EDS or
Summon Unified Index)
4. EBSCO Discovery Service (Unified index)
5. Summon (Unified Index)

8. Improvement of Discovery tools since 2010
0
2
4
6
8
10
12
2010
2013

9. The Most Improved Discovery Tools
AquaBrowser, Primo, and WorldCat
Local have shown the most
improvement, each adding three
features in a three year period.

10. Limitations?
• Only user interface
• Content coverage is not evaluated
• Searching is not evaluated

11. Sharon Yang
Associate Professor/Librarian
Rider University