The University of Illinois uses a locally developed metasearch service, "Easy Search". We have recently added the ability to query the metasearch program as RESTful web service, allowing library content to be promoted to external web pages such as departmental web presences or courseware.

1. Exposing Library Content with the NISO
Metasearch XML Gateway Protocol
Elizabeth German, Josh Bishoff, William Mischo
Grainger Engineering Library
University of Illinois
Electronic Resources & Libraries
February 2, 2010
Austin, Texas

2. Introduction
• Beth, egerman@illinois.edu , @eligerman
• Josh, bishoff2@illinois.edu, @josh4lib
• #nisomxg
• Project is funded by:
– Institute for Museum and Library Services;
– National Science Foundation National Science
Digital Library (NSDL)

3. Summary
• Problems and solutions
• Easy Search
• NISO MXG Overview
• Examples of our implementation
• The future and beyond

5. Metasearch
• As a solution
• Problems still
• Easy Search at Illinois

6. DLF 2008 Fall Forum

7. Need for malleability
• Libraries need to be able integrate their content
into the workflow of their users.
• Must promote content to a diverse set of
environments/platforms.
– Incorporation into…
• Digital collections
• Courseware
• OPAC
• Class/Research websites
• Subject guides
• Personal portals

8. NISO Metasearch XML Gateway
• “low-barrier-to-entry method to expose
content to metasearch services and more
effectively interoperate with metasearching
applications.”
• Based on well-understood and widely adopted
information standards: XML, SRU

9. From NISO Metasearch Initiative, Metasearch XML Gateway Implementers
Guide, Version 1.0

10. The Importance of Middleware
• The Easy Search Web Service:
– Parses queries to optimize for each resource
– Serves as a knowledge base of disparate vendor IR
functionality
– Represents disparate responses coherently
– Offers links to the user to the resource at the
point of completed search

11. Easy Search XML Gateway
• http://search.grainger.uiuc.edu/searchaid3/sa
resultsug.asp?version=1.1&db=scopus&query
=gaas
• Parameter “version” denotes the SRU version
• “db” is our in-house database codes
• “query” is the string to be searched

12. XML Response

13. What you can do with this
• Embed custom search interfaces into
– Departmental Web Pages
– Courseware
– “widget” providers
• iGoogle, Windows web Gadgets
• Google & Windows Sidebar
• Meet library users where they work
• Provide real functionality, not just links

14. Examples
• American History Online (DLF Aquifer)
• IMLS Digital Content Creation project
– Connecting secondary resources with primary
• NSDL
• The Widget Package
– Embedding Library resources with courseware,
Google gadgets, university portals, etc.

15. Website Integration
NSDL
http://search.grainger.illinois.edu/searchaid3/pr
oxythruJB.asp?url=http://nsdl.org/search/?q=
clock&verb=Search&s=0&n=10&audience=3
American History Online
http://www.dlfaquifer.org/
IMLS DCC
http://imlsdcc.grainger.uiuc.edu/history/

16. From http://www.dlfaquifer.org

18. iGoogle, CMS examples
iGoogle
http://www.google.com/ig/directory?url=had
es.grainger.uiuc.edu%2Fjosh%2F2010projects
%2Fgadgets%2Fhealthsci.x
openCMS
http://cms.library.illinois.edu/cms/liblabs/easy
.html

19. Problems and the Future
• NISO MXG
– Some vendors releasing APIs
– Little standard adoption among vendors
• Easy Search XML
– Further integration in services
– Promoting to other libraries, departments

20. Selected source code,
Implementation Documents,
Contact Information
• …Forthcoming at presentation.
• Josh Bishoff
– bishoff2@illinois.edu
• Beth German
– egerman@illinois.edu

21. Additional Reading
• NISO Metasearch Initiative Metasearch XML
Gateway Implementers Guide, Version 1.0,
http://www.niso.org/publications/rp/RP-
2006-02.pdf
• SRU: Search/Retrieval via URL:
http://www.loc.gov/standards/sru/
11/18/2009 NSDL Annual Meeting