I Can’t Get No Satis-Searching: Reassessing Discovery Layers in Academic Libraries Journal of Web Librarianship

Abstract

Much has been written about discovery layer strengths and weaknesses in academic libraries. Many academic libraries have a discovery layer, using products, such as those from OCLC, EBSCO, ExLibris, Summon, or open-source products, such as VuFind. But after over 10 years of academic libraries adopting discovery layers as part of their discovery ecosystem, it may be time to take a step back and revisit the question posed by the speakers at the American Libraries Live “Making the Discovery Decision” January 2014 online discussion, namely: What is a discovery layer and its purpose? Are discovery layers accomplishing what they purport to accomplish for the end user? Through examining three particular discovery layers—OCLC WorldCat Discovery, ExLibris Primo VE, and EBSCO EDS—in regards to their conformance to the National Information Standards Organization (NISO)'s Open Discovery Initiative (ODI) “Checklist for Discovery Service Providers,” relevancy ranking algorithms, and mapping tables with facets, this article argues that the goals of discovery layers need to be reconsidered. Specifically, rather than the discovery layers’ goal to be Google-like and provide a self-sufficient user experience, discovery layers might be better promoted by libraries as a tool to be used most effectively with assistance from librarians. Discovery Layer vendors could focus their design efforts more on accurate faceted searching, citation tools, and saved search features, and less on esthetics and patron self-sufficiency.