In Search of More Meaningful Search

The amount of online scholarly information is rapidly expanding and residing in increasingly disparate sources, while user behavior is evolving to demand single search interfaces like Google. Federated search enables librarians to meet these challenges by supplying efficient, effective access and delivery of the most relevant content from diverse sources to their patrons. Introducing the ability to simultaneously search multiple databases, however, can quickly lead to information overload. Dynamic categorization of search results is one way to manage and organize the large volume of content returned. This article will examine various federated search technologies and important considerations that librarians should undertake when evaluating federated search applications, as well as address how SwetsWise Searcher supports the fundamental aspects of federated searching within that context.