Whether you want a quick and simple search, or something more complex and specific, the newly launched Discover pilot service, part of the new Library Hub service, will meet your needs. The Discover pilot allows you to easily and quickly cross-search the catalogues of (currently) 49 UK HE, specialist, and national libraries, with another 62 waiting to load, and many more on the way to contributing.
If you take a look at the new Library Hub Discover pilot interface, the first thing you’ll see is the large single search box:
Although the search box looks simple, it’s hiding some useful advanced functionality which is built-in to the database and can be accessed by using specific commands in the search box.
These include the ability to search within specific fields:
- title:
- author:
- publisher:
- subject:
- keyword:
- held-by:
This last allows you to limit your search by library, and requires use of our library codes.
You can also use Boolean operators & | and – (AND, OR, and NOT). The NOT search is something that users have mentioned as desirable in Copac feedback, and we’re pleased to be able to include it in Library Hub Discover.
You can also use wildcards, fuzzy searching, and phrase searching. For more information on how to use all of these options, see https://libraryhub.jisc.ac.uk/discover/help
We will also be building these detailed search options into the interface as an advanced search form, along with facets for result refinement. Interface development is ongoing and we would appreciate comments as the work continues, using the Feedback option on each screen.
Compare
These search options will also be available in the Library Hub Compare interface, which will allow libraries to undertake collection analysis and benchmarking through searching or batch upload of standard or local numbers.
Visualisations of search results will be available to enable easy interpretation of collection comparisons, plus export facilities to support further analysis.
This Compare functionality will be useful to libraries wishing to manage their acquisitions, deaccessioning, and physical space, individually, regionally, consortially, and nationally.
During the pilot stage Compare will be evolving to replicate the functionality of the existing CCM Tools service. The full Compare service will be launching at the end of July and additional functionality will be developed based on feedback from users. Join us at UKSG where we will demo the new Discover and Compare interfaces at the Jisc stand (nos. 52/ 53) on Monday 8th and Tuesday 9th April at 5pm. More details are available on our Events page.
