Ranking library materials

Abstract

PurposeThe purpose of this paper is to discuss ranking factors suitable for library materials and to show that ranking in general is a complex process and that ranking for library materials requires a variety of techniques.Design/methodology/approachThe relevant literature is reviewed to provide a systematic overview of suitable ranking factors. The discussion is based on an overview of ranking factors used in web search engines.FindingsWhile there are a wide variety of ranking factors applicable to library materials, today's library systems use only some of them. When designing a ranking component for the library catalogue, an individual weighting of applicable factors is necessary.Research limitations/implicationsWhile the paper discusses different factors, no particular ranking formula is given. However, the paper presents the argument that such a formula must always be individual to a certain use case.Practical implicationsThe factors presented can be considered when designing a ranking component for a library's search system or when discussing such a project with an ILS vendor.Originality/valueThe paper is original in that it is the first to systematically discuss ranking of library materials based on the main factors used by web search engines.