(Test Load) WorldCat Scope

Legend: NOT STARTED IN PROGRESS STALLED DECIDED

Recommendations

Reasoning

In progress.

Environmental Scan

In progress.

Example libraries:

• Blended records: U Buffalo SUNY: https://search.lib.buffalo.edu/discovery/search?vid=01SUNY_BUF:everything&lang=en

• Separate search profile: Berkeley https://berkeley.primo.exlibrisgroup.com/discovery/search?vid=01UCS_BER:UCB&lang=en

• Link outside to re-run search: Northwestern. Opens WorldCat with the last search terms, including field syntax. Sample search using [au:Chemerinsky] as the search provides a link on Primo results page that re-runs search in WorldCat. (Thru proxy, but eventually the search is executed in WorldCat.) https://search.library.northwestern.edu/discovery/search?query=any,contains,au:chemerinsky,AND&tab=Everything&search_scope=MyInst_and_CI&sortby=rank&vid=01NWU_INST:NULVNEW&mode=advanced&offset=0

Background

• Melvyl-like functionality for ILL is a desired feature - especially for books not held in the UC system.

• WorldCat results can be “blended” with other results; however, it doesn’t work as smoothly as we’d like.

Dependencies

Work with Resource Management FG

Questions to consider

• User needs. How much will our researchers appreciate the ability to start an ILL directly from the Primo interface?

• Common use scenarios. How do our researchers use WorldCat searching, and how well are they supported by including a separate WorldCat scope or including WorldCat records in a blended search?

  • Example scenario: WorldCat (on campuses that do not use WC Discovery) is used frequently by more advanced researchers looking for a known item that’s not available on their campus. So, for example, a search for older, more unique monographs.

• Quality of WorldCat-only search . Primo’s search functions for WorldCat data are significantly worse than WorldCat for precision searches. (Other libraries, e.g. Northwestern, have handled this by providing a link to WorldCat instead of using Primo.)

  • No facets display in Primo.

  • No fielded searches in Primo, e.g. in WorldCat you can search ti:[title term] au:[author name] (but Advanced Search does work with the WC search profile)

• Quality of blended search. How well does it work?

  • Results are worse with WorldCat. ExLibris strongly discourages using WorldCat records in default search. Default search ends up the most-used search, and including WorldCat records sort of breaks the facet display because it hides number of results in the facets.
    (From experience, the format of a highlighted “Note” field in Ex Libris documentation is deceptive. It looks mild, with subtle yellow highlighting, but in reality it means ALARM.)

    • “It is not recommended to blend third-party indexes with local and Primo Central searches in the library's default scope since this may impact the end users experience in the areas of facets and relevancy between the different indexes.“ https://knowledge.exlibrisgroup.com/Primo/Product_Documentation/020Primo_VE/Primo_VE_(English)/040Search_Configurations/010Configuring_Search_Profiles_for_Primo_VE

  • Examples of high-quality results are pending. Example: search for known title 1951 book “Argyll in the Forty-Five” in the U. Buffalo Primo scope should pull up a WorldCat record. But it doesn’t seem to. (WorldCat record docIDs start with “WorldCat.”) https://search.lib.buffalo.edu/discovery/search?query=any,contains,argyll in the forty-five&tab=UBSUNYPLUS&search_scope=UBSUNYPLUS&vid=01SUNY_BUF:everything&offset=0

Action Log