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Google ScholarGoogle Scholar……and the rise of and the rise of findabilityfindability in ( in (re)searchre)search

Dean Dean GiustiniGiustiniUniversity of British ColumbiaUniversity of British ColumbiaUBC Biomedical Branch LibraryUBC Biomedical Branch LibraryLife Sciences LibrariesLife Sciences LibrariesSLAIS SLAIS SessionalSessional Faculty Faculty

CACUL Teleconference – Wednesday March 8th 2006

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AGENDAAGENDA

•• ContextContext

Pros & cons of Google ScholarPros & cons of Google Scholar

What Google Scholar means to the future of searching,What Google Scholar means to the future of searching,bibliographic control and bibliographic control and findabilityfindability

How are libraries dealing with Google Scholar?How are libraries dealing with Google Scholar?

•• DiscussionDiscussion

…the rise of findability & Google scholar

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Google Scholar Google Scholar –– what what’’s theres there

GS Principal Engineer, GS Principal Engineer, AnuragAnurag AcharyaAcharya, has said:, has said:

ScholarScholar’’s index has grown significantly since November 2004s index has grown significantly since November 2004

Actual index size Actual index size cannot cannot be disclosedbe disclosed

Subject coverageSubject coverage::

Medicine 22%; engineering 14%; biology 13%;Medicine 22%; engineering 14%; biology 13%;

Sociology & psychology 13%; chemistry-physics 12%Sociology & psychology 13%; chemistry-physics 12%

Humanities, business, lawHumanities, business, law

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More of whatMore of what’’s in Scholars in Scholar

GS indexes full-text of publishers GS indexes full-text of publishers exceptexcept ElsevierElsevier and and ACSACS

More than More than 30 publishers30 publishers participate, and now participate, and now JSTORJSTOR

Index derived from Index derived from open-accessopen-access & wide variety of academic & wide variety of academic& & commercial publisherscommercial publishers

HighwireHighwire, , IngentaIngenta, repositories; third party providers, repositories; third party providers

Search for scholarly literature, peer-reviewed papers, theses,Search for scholarly literature, peer-reviewed papers, theses,books, preprints, reports from all areas & disciplines.books, preprints, reports from all areas & disciplines.

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Recent improvements to ScholarRecent improvements to Scholar

Library Links programLibrary Links program in in Google ScholarGoogle Scholar now includes libraries in now includes libraries inHungaryHungary, , IcelandIceland, , IsraelIsrael, , PortugalPortugal, , SwedenSweden and and SwitzerlandSwitzerland..

GS is working with other countries so that national union catalogsGS is working with other countries so that national union catalogsappear for users from these regions. Links can be via preferences (appear for users from these regions. Links can be via preferences (ieie..search for LIBRIS in the search for LIBRIS in the Library Links Library Links search box).search box).

The British Library announced March 2The British Library announced March 2ndnd that it was joining forces with that it was joining forces withGoogle Scholar so users would see links to Google Scholar so users would see links to BL document serviceBL document service

Also under preferences: Search for Chinese, Portuguese or English onlyAlso under preferences: Search for Chinese, Portuguese or English only

In mid-2005, advanced search features were introducedIn mid-2005, advanced search features were introduced

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Google Scholar - prosGoogle Scholar - pros

FederatedFederated searching searching PLUSPLUS citation tracking toolcitation tracking tool

Single interface to access library catalogues, indexes, websites

Interdisciplinary, disparate, lots of fulltext content

Fast, easy to use, easy to navigate

Easy authentication and access for entitled users 24/7

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Collaborative spiritCollaborative spirit

GS works with researchers, publishers, students and librariansGS works with researchers, publishers, students and librarians

Other search engines hiring librarians (Other search engines hiring librarians (Gary Price, Ask Gary Price, Ask JeevesJeeves))

Plan is to be able to access Plan is to be able to access ““the entire corpusthe entire corpus”” across all time across all time

……And to reach beyond online world to books in librariesAnd to reach beyond online world to books in libraries

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NegativesNegatives

Coverage unclear, not always scholarly; Coverage unclear, not always scholarly; incompleteincomplete

Reticent about what sources are indexedReticent about what sources are indexed

Older articles presented first (due to ScholarOlder articles presented first (due to Scholar’’s algorithm)s algorithm)

AnuragAnurag: : “…“…we are working on we are working on better rankingbetter ranking for recent articles for recent articles””

Canadian content is weakCanadian content is weak (cont(cont’’d)d)

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More negativesMore negatives

DelaysDelays in updating; no prescribed updates in updating; no prescribed updates

LacksLacks advanced search features common in academic indexes advanced search features common in academic indexes

No easy way to No easy way to sort, organize, import, e-mailsort, organize, import, e-mail results results

Google scholar cannot be recommended for lit reviewsGoogle scholar cannot be recommended for lit reviews

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Larger contextLarger context

•• ScholarScholar occupies a mere occupies a mere sliver of timesliver of time

•• In ten years, search engines have changed the wayIn ten years, search engines have changed the waylibrarians librarians collect, organize, archivecollect, organize, archive

•• Scholar is a Scholar is a symptom symptom of changes in open access, Web 2.0of changes in open access, Web 2.0and scholarly publishingand scholarly publishing

•• BlogsBlogs, , wikiswikis, repositories, digitization, repositories, digitization

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Rise of Rise of findabilityfindability

find·a·bil·i·ty n

a. The quality of being locatable or navigable

b. The degree to which a specific object is easy to discover or locate

c. The degree to which a system or environmentsupports navigation and retrieval

Peter Morville. Ambient findability. O’Reilly, 2005

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Ambient Ambient findabilityfindability

•• Search plays a Search plays a central rolecentral role in our daily lives in our daily lives

•• Libraries are Libraries are notnot delivering easy delivering easy findabilityfindability

• We ask users to select, access, learn interface & then teach them how to search each…

• How should libraries organize resources to make searching as easy as possible?

•• Libraries should develop better strategiesLibraries should develop better strategies

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What can academic libraries do?What can academic libraries do?

•• Work with Google; Work with Google; inviteinvite them to conferences them to conferences

•• Implement Implement linkresolverslinkresolvers SFX, Ex SFX, Ex LibrisLibris; metadata; metadata

•• Design Design Google-likeGoogle-like search services search services

•• Offer classes comparing Google Scholar with other databasesOffer classes comparing Google Scholar with other databases

•• Give Google Scholar some Give Google Scholar some prominenceprominence on library pages on library pages

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Harvard College LibraryHarvard College Library

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University of Toronto LibrariesUniversity of Toronto Libraries

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Information should be freeInformation should be free

Open access is not possible without open search

Users want interfaces to be robust, but easy to use

Librarians and search companies should work together to deliver optimum performance for users

Print & digital materials need bibliographic controls

Librarians must teach end-users how to search intelligently

Ranganathan’s Five Laws of Library Science

2020

Influence of search enginesInfluence of search engines

John John RegazziRegazzi, Elsevier Publishing 2005, Elsevier Publishing 2005

““There is no guarantee that the There is no guarantee that the ‘‘freefree’’ search engines of today will search engines of today willbe free in the future, but this shift [to free] is significant .. as isbe free in the future, but this shift [to free] is significant .. as isillustrated by the illustrated by the mindshare gainsmindshare gains made by search engines. made by search engines.””

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Dean Dean GiustiniGiustiniUBC LibraryUBC LibraryUBC Biomedical Branch LibraryUBC Biomedical Branch Library604.875.4505 | 604.875.4505 | dean.giustini@ubc.cadean.giustini@ubc.caUBC Google Scholar UBC Google Scholar bloggerblogger

Google Scholar, and the rise of findability in research

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