Federated Searching

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Lesson 4
The Debate Pros and Cons of Federated Searching
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Whats not to love?

• One-stop searching
• No danger of missing a possible source of
  information
• Users do not have to figure out where to
  startjust search them all
• Those expensive databases wont be missed by
  searchers who could use them

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Whats not to love?

• The whole process of researcheven for
  scholarly, technical, and professional
  informationhas been Googlized!

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Theres a catch, right?

• While the search may be quick and broad, it is
  neither precise nor deep

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Not for Power Searching

• The searching syntax among databases vary
• Truncation, Boolean searching, phrase searching,
  proximity searching, and limiting may be
• Use of limits is limited
• Searchable fields may be eliminatedcontrolled
  vocabularies lose their punch
• Even keyword searching tough. MS Microsoft or
  multiple sclerosis
• All other special features in the different
  databases are unusable

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Federated Searching Software Still Has Much to
Improve

• Access and verificationespecially off-site
  users, can be tricky or impossible

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Federated Searching Software Still Has Much to
Improve

• Not all federated search engines can search all
  sources
• Not everyone is using the Z39.50 or XML protocol
  

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Even included features may not be all they claim

• True de-duping is virtually impossible

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Even included features may not be all they claim

• Too many variables for reliable relevancy ranking

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Even included features may not be all they claim

• Sortinga single basket for apples and oranges?

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Help is on the way?

• NISO has gathered vendors, content providers,
  and library systems to set standards for
  federated search engines

• Metasearch Initiative

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Metasearch Initiative Goals

• Vendors to offer better service
• Content providers to deliver more and better
  contentand to protect their content
• Libraries to deliver quality services that
  distinguish them from Google and other free web
  services.