dbWiz

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dbWiz

• Cross Database Search Tool

Calvin Mah Simon Fraser University Library BCLA
Conference, May 31, 2003
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What is Cross Searching?

• cross searching is
• meta searching
• federated searching
• multi searching
• searching many things with one search
• cross searching as it is today

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Why Cross Search?

• quick
• dont always know what resource to use
• immediate results
• one stop shopping
• provides additional access to resources
• because we can

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Cross Searching Solutions

• Survey of some existing solutions
• Two main flavours
• Commercial shrink wrap products
• Institution created home brew products

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Shrink wrap solutions

• AG Agent
• OCLC SiteSearch
• Endeavor EnCompass
• ISI WebFeat

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(1/4) AG Agent

• AG Agent
• http//agaviion.auto-graphics.com/ls_agent.html
• Toronto Public Library
• (will soon be available)

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(2/4) OCLC SiteSearch

• OCLC SiteSearch
• http//www.sitesearch.oclc.org/
• TAL The Alberta Libraries

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(3/4) Endeavor EnCompass

• Endeavor EnCompass
• http//encompass.endinfosys.com/
• Cornell University Library

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(4/4) ISI WebFeat

• ISI WebFeat
• http//www.isiwebofknowledge.com/webfeat/
• King County Library System

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Shrink wrap solutions

• buy from vendor, then customize
• advantages
• vendor support
• can have someone else set up
• disadvantages
• vendor support
• price

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Home brew solutions

• Made to tailor
• Developed due to need
• Completely customized to institutions needs

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Home brew solutions

• Database Advisor
• SUMSearch

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(1/2) Database Advisor

• Database Advisor
• California Digital Libraries
• http//www.cdlib.org/hlp/searchlight/credits.html

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(2/2) SUMSearch

• SUMSearch
• University of Texas Health Science Center
• http//sumsearch.uthscsa.edu/

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Home brew solutions

• Advantages
• have exactly what you want
• support within own institution
• Disadvantages
• difficult to remove customization
• development can be time consuming

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Cross Searching Solutions

• One more flavour
• U Brew
• open source
• dbWiz

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dbWiz

• Can search
• Z39.50 databases
• library catalogues
• citation/fulltext/article databases
• Web sources
• google
• internet movie database (www.imdb.com)
• eBay

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dbWiz

• Can also search
• Soap sources
• amazon.com
• Anything
• provided a search driver is written
• SQL sources
• dictionaries (OED)

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dbWiz

• Can organize databases into categories
• each category searches a different subset of the
  databases
• (e.g. Economics as a category)
• can rank importance of databases in a search
  category
• weighting
• ranking

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dbWiz

• screen shots (public view)
• custom view for SFU users

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dbWiz

• screen shots (admin view)

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dbWiz

• live demo
• public view
• http//dbwiz.lib.sfu.ca/cgi-bin/dbwiz/dbwiz.pl
• admin view
• http//dbwiz.lib.sfu.ca/cgi-bin/dbwiz/site_configu
  ration.pl

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dbWiz

• Advantages
• cool exciting
• a triumph!
• easy to customize
• open source

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dbWiz

• Disadvantages
• doesnt search everything
• not all databases support Z39.50
• need to write drivers for non Z39.50 databases
• doesnt show records
• possibly in the future
• sometimes, the number of hits differ in native
  interface than in dbWiz

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dbWiz

• developed on behalf of COPPUL
• as part of Virtual Western Canadian University
  Library
• needed a tool that will allow users to select an
  appropriate starting point for research

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dbWiz

• one dbWiz installation can support multiple
  institutions
• currently in testing phase at SFU Library

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Cross Searching

• cross searching is possible
• many major vendors (macro-brews) have a product
• Muse Museglobal
• ISI Webfeat
• Endeavor ENCompass
• OCLC SiteSearch
• ExLibris MetaLib
• Blueangel MetaStar

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Cross Searching

• Some home brew
• CDL Database Advisor
• University of Texas Health Science Center
  SUMSearch

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Cross Searching

• All face similar challenges
• varying search targets
• how to present results?
• how far do we take user?
• does not have the same search functionality as
  native interface

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Questions?
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Cross Searching

• Links
• dbWiz dbwiz.lib.sfu.ca
• Look under Presentations BCLA 2003 for links to
  products discussed