Old Brookville, NY, September 5 , 2006 — The Cornell University Library has upgraded its previous federated search solution with a custom configured WebFeat Search Prism. With WebFeat, Library patrons can now simultaneously search any or all of over 100 electronic resources—including the Cornell University Library catalog, foreign language resources and specialized databases unique to Cornell. WebFeat also provides improved options for displaying, sorting and saving results. In the coming months, WebFeat will be further integrated within the University Library Gateway (http://www.library.cornell.edu/) expanding the number of simultaneously searchable electronic resources to nearly 400 resources.
"Implementing WebFeat for Cornell's federated search service has made it possible for us to expand dramatically the databases our users can search, particularly into subject areas that had previously been underserved," said Martin Kurth, Head Metadata Services, Cornell University Library (and Co-chair of Cornell's federated search implementation team). "We're also pleased that our response time is faster and that users have more control over their search results."
Cornell's WebFeat interface allows students, faculty and staff to individually group databases for simultaneous searching, or they may select whole subject categories to search. The Library's six subject categories—General; Agriculture, Life Sciences and Medicine; Arts & Humanities; Business, Labor, Law, and Management; Engineering, Mathematics, and Physical Sciences; and Social Sciences and Area Studies—are pre-populated by library staff to include only relevant sources for the subject selected. This is especially useful for focusing undergraduate research toward relevant resources.
Added Kurth, "We're looking forward to working with WebFeat in the coming year to expand our database coverage even further and to seamlessly integrate federated searching more fully into the CUL Gateway and into other information services used at Cornell."
"Cornell University Library has established itself as a leader in library search technology," commented Todd Miller, President of WebFeat, "WebFeat is privileged to have the opportunity to work with Cornell to provide the technology powering its next generation of federated search services."
About the Cornell University Library
One of the largest academic research libraries in the United States, the Cornell University Library is a highly valued partner in teaching, research, and learning at the university, offering cutting edge services and a full spectrum of library resources, from rare books and manuscripts to a rapidly expanding network of digital resources. Through such initiatives as the life sciences portal, the nation's first high end collaborative computing lab, and innovative scholarly publishing support, the Library is an integral component of the many educational programs and research projects underway at Cornell.
About WebFeat
WebFeat (U.S. patent #6,807,539) is the developer of the WEBFEAT and WebFeat Express Search Prisms, used by over 5,000 leading public, academic, government and Global 1000 libraries and information centers—including over half of the 20 largest U.S. public libraries, 9 statewide library systems, and one out of every 10 Association of Research Libraries (ARL) institutions.
WebFeat's latest release, WebFeat 3, offers a suite of next-generation federated search tools, PRISM, the SMART COUNTER-compliant usage tracker, and MyWebFeat personalized federated search system. Originally founded in 1992 as an information technology consultancy, WebFeat has earned industry recognition from leading organizations such as Library Journal and the Gartner Group. Learn more about WebFeat at http://www.webfeat.org.