Discovery Tools Now and in the Future

Session Time: 11:00 - 11:45 a.m. CDT

Session Title: How Discovery Services Tie into University Missions

Intended Audience: Academic Libraries

Session Description: In the summer of 2013, East Central University's Linscheid Library in Ada, OK, purchased EBSCO's Discovery Service (EDS). The library's goal was to provide a better qualified search experience for its users that removed the need to search individual databases, which often overwhelmed users. However, the initial testing of ECU's EDS catalog was very overwhelming. The librarians worked collaboratively over the course of the fall semester to create multiple profiles based on university majors, medium formats, and EDS partners and connectors. Other factors that had to be revamped to work alongside EDS were EBSCO's A to Z and LinkSource. Testing was conducted with library student assistants; tweaks were made; and EDS was rolled out for public use at the end of the fall semester. The result - EDS ties into ECU's mission to "foster independent learning" because it allows students to find the information they need much more easily.

Dana will discuss the behind-the-scenes process, how EDS has affected the classic catalog, and the library's marketing efforts via LibGuides.

Speaker Bio: Dana Belcher is the Assistant Library Director at East Central University's Linscheid Library. She has been with the library since 1985 as a student assistant, full-time staff, and now as a librarian. Dana oversees the student budgets, acquisitions, and serials. She is temporarily overseeing technical services. Dana was one of two librarians involved in the EBSCO discovery service migration, and she is currently the library's EBSCO administrator.

Session Time: 2:00 - 2:45 p.m. CDT

Session Title: The Advancement of Discovery through Openness and Interoperability

Intended Audience: Academic and Public Libraries

Session Description: Libraries increasingly rely on discovery services as one of the major channels for providing access to their print and electronic collections. They expect these services to function objectively relative to content sources and to interoperate easily with other components of their technical infrastructure, such as their automation systems or campus learning management systems. This session will include a brief update on the state of the discovery services arena, reflecting some of the data gathered through the Library Systems Report 2014 and other sources. Marshall will then discuss some of the issues and initiatives related to the openness and interoperability of discovery services and interfaces. He will briefly discuss the Open Discovery Initiative, which he co-chaired, and its ongoing activities. As discovery services evolve, they increasingly offer APIs and other mechanisms that enable libraries to create customized environments, both within their own environment and to reach out into other platforms of interest to their patrons.

Speaker Bio: Marshall Breeding is an independent consultant, speaker, and author. He is the creator and editor of Library Technology Guides and the libraries.org online directory of libraries on the web. His monthly column, "Systems Librarian," appears in Computers in Libraries. He is the editor for the Smart Libraries Newsletter, published by the American Library Association, and has authored the annual Library Systems Report published by Library Journal from 2002-2013 and by American Libraries since 2014. He has authored nine issues of ALA’s Library Technology Reports, and has written many other articles and book chapters. Marshall has edited or authored seven books, including Cloud Computing for Libraries published by in 2012 by Neal-Schuman, now part of ALA TechSource. He regularly teaches workshops and gives presentations at library conferences on a wide range of topics. (See: http://librarytechnology.org/marshallbreeding/)

Session Time: 1:00 - 1:45 p.m. CDT

Session Title: NISO's Open Discovery Initiative: Improving Transparency Surrounding Indexed Discovery Services

Intended Audience: Academic and Public Libraries

Session Description: Discovery systems have gone through several shifts in how they function, how they generate results, and how effectively they serve user needs over the past two decades. The latest generation of indexed discovery systems appear to be providing a high level of service and a return on the investment for installing these systems. However, despite their benefits, these systems are something akin to "black boxes". There isn't a good understanding of what content is ingested in these systems, how results are ranked, or what information is reported to content providers or libraries. The NISO Open Discovery Initiative was launched to address some of these questions. This presentation will cover some of the themes and recommendations covered in the recommended practices that NISO published in June.

Speaker Bio: Todd Carpenter is currently Executive Director of NISO, the National Information Standards Organization. In this role, Todd brings together the publishing, library and systems vendor communities to improve the efficiency of content creation, discovery, distribution, management and preservation. Prior to joining NISO, Todd held management positions at BioOne, the Johns Hopkins University Press, the Energy Intelligence Group and the Haworth Press.

Session Time: 9:00 - 9:45 a.m. CDT

Session Title: Discover 10 Innovative Resources That Will Revolutionize Research, Teaching, and Learning

Intended Audience: Academic and Public Libraries

Session Description: Attendees will be taken on a virtual tour of 10 of the most innovative and revolutionary resources available within ABC-CLIO Solutions. From video learning modules to extensive collections of primary sources complete with text-to-speech, this session is sure to provide an immediately implementable "take away" for all.

Speaker Bio: Stephanie Dixon is a former middle school teacher and adjunct professor with a passion for helping teacher-librarians successfully integrate educational technologies into their library collections. She has an extensive background in delivering professional development, and has partnered with countless libraries across the country to seamlessly integrate ABC-CLIO Solutions into daily research, teaching, and learning. She currently serves as ABC-CLIO's Manager of Professional Services and works from her home office in San Clemente, CA.

Session Time: 1:00 - 1:45 p.m. CDT

Session Title: Exploring Library Discovery Positions: Preparing for the Future

Intended Audience: Academic and Public Libraries

Session Description: This presentation will describe results of an exploration of emerging academic library discovery positions. Discovery position requirements (duties, attributes, skills, and experience) were gleaned from actual job postings gathered from Autocat, Code4Lib, ERIL-L and NGC4Lib listservs from 2012-2014 and supplemented by a scan of Association of Research Library (ARL) staff directories’ Web sites. Based on a paper recently published in the Journal of Web Librarianship, this speaker will highlight the types of emerging discovery positions in addition to common position requirements and needs as libraries plan for or anticipate adopting a Web-scale discovery service or platform.

Speaker Bio: Nadine P. Ellero is Head of Technical Services at Auburn University Libraries, in Auburn, Alabama. Before Auburn, she was the Intellectual Access/Metadata Services Librarian at the Claude Moore Health Sciences Library at the University of Virginia (1990-2011). Nadine presently serves on the Editorial Board of Library Resources & Technical Services. Her professional interests include resource acquisition, metadata, standards, and all avenues of information resource discovery.

Session Time: 4:00 - 4:45 p.m. CDT

Session Title: Implementing a Library Reading List Tool in a Learning Management System

Intended Audience: Academic Libraries

Session Description: Digital textbooks, social media, video content. It seems as if instructors are moving everything into online and hybrid classrooms except for the resources of the library! How can librarians bring the world of quality databases, ebooks, and other digital resources from the library's discovery system easily and directly into the online learning environment?

This presentation will showcase how a plug-in for learning management systems (e.g., Moodle, Blackboard, Desire2Learn, Sakai, Canvas) adds unprecedented functionality for online course instructors: the ability to create reading lists of library materials without ever having to leave the course site. The plug-in allows instructors to create library reading lists without grappling with permalinks, proxy prefixes, or PDFs, leveraging the value of the library discovery system in a frictionless environment.

The reading list points to the library’s discovery system, EBSCO Discovery Service (EDS), allowing one-click full-text access for students. The tool also enables instructors to annotate reading list items and copy other reading lists.

This presentation will discuss the reading list tool, including:

• How educators can create and manage course reading lists right from the libraries' Learning Management System (LMS).
• How the tool engages entities outside the library for development and promotion, while embedding the library in the university's virtual community.
• How staff can view statistics, including which institutions' courses and educators are using the tool and how many readings are included.

The Reading List plugin is an LTI Tool Provider 1.0, and is compatible with any learning management system that is LTI-compliant. The list of compliant LMS's includes Moodle, Blackboard, Canvas, and Desire2Learn. The tool was built using the discovery system's API and the LTI protocol. Attend this presentation to see how the library is directly embedded in the online learning management system!

Speaker Bio: Eric Frierson is a Senior Discovery Services Engineer with EBSCO. Prior to joining EBSCO, he was Head of Library Systems at St. Edward's University, Austin, TX, Reference and Instruction Librarian at the University of Texas at Arlington, and Instructional Technology Librarian at the University of Michigan. He is co-editor of "Planning Our Future Libraries: Blueprints for 2025", has interests in library leadership and information literacy, and is constantly on the lookout for ways to use technology to add value to the library world.

Session Time: 4:00 - 4:45 p.m. CDT

Session Title: The Search and Discovery Journey

Intended Audience: Academic Libraries

Session Description: The successful implementation of a discovery solution is just the beginning of your library's "search and discovery" journey. You need to apply a constant mix of people, resources, investment, maintenance, and organization to continue and assure the relevancy of your library interface to your patrons' expectations. In many cases, patrons, staff and others will advise in multiple forms on a better user experience as they chart your journey. As a member of the University of Oklahoma library discovery team, Carl will share their recent experiences with their discovery solution and discuss the strategies, relationships, and technologies they've found helpful to their work. The conversation will focus on the functional waypoints their work revolves around including the user interface, maintenance, data sources, and search functionality.

Speaker Bio: Carl Grant is the Chief Technology Officer and Associate University Librarian for Knowledge Services at the University of Oklahoma in Norman, OK. Previously he served at Virginia Tech Libraries and prior to that was the Chief Librarian and President of Ex Libris North America. Mr. Grant has held senior executive positions in a number of library automation companies. He has been responsible for the installation of dozens of institutional repositories in higher education institutions across North America and Australia. His commitment to libraries, librarianship, and industry standards is well known via his participation in the American Library Association (ALA) and ACRL, LITA; and on the board of the National Information Standards Organization (NISO), where he held offices as board member, treasurer, and chair. Mr. Grant holds a master's degree in library science from the University of Missouri at Columbia.

Session Time: 3:00 - 3:45 p.m. CDT

Session Title: Analyzing and Selecting the Best Discovery Solution for Your Users and Organization(s)

Intended Audience: Academic and Public Libraries

Session Description: How can tools, features, and services be scored in an apple versus orange comparative situation? We will explore various methods, attempts, and considerations of selecting a tool or tools. Possible competing viewpoints of library users and library staff will be contrasted. Lessons learned from several explorations and decisions made in an academic and consortia environment will be shared.

Speaker Bio: Brian C. Gray is the Team Leader for Research Services and Engineering Librarian for the Kelvin Smith Library at Case Western Reserve University in Cleveland. He has been involved in several explorations, purchases, and partnerships in development of discovery tools for his library and larger state academic consortia. He is an adjunct faculty member of the Kent State University School of Library & Information Science in Ohio with focuses on web 2.0 and technologies in libraries. He has served in various leadership and webmaster roles for for the Academic Library Association of Ohio and the Library Leadership & Management Association of the American Library Association. He has degrees in chemical engineering, library & information science, and working on a MBA.

Session Time: 2:00 - 2:45 p.m. CDT

Session Title: Developing Best Practices for Implementing a Web-Scale Discovery System

Intended Audience: Academic Libraries

Session Description: The University of Houston recently implemented the Ex Libris Discovery System, Primo, and learned many lessons throughout the process. The presenters will share what worked well for their implementation and what they would recommend changing in any future system implementations. They will also discuss their plans for the future development and assessment of the Primo Discovery System.

Speaker Bio: Richard Guajardo – Head of Resource Discovery Systems, University of Houston Libraries
Richard Guajardo is Head of Resource Discovery Systems at the University of Houston Libraries. At the UH Libraries he has held the positions of Head of Integrated Library Systems, and Head of Cataloging & Electronic Access. He previously served as chair of ALA's GODORT Cataloging Committee, and the ALCTS Cataloging Form and Function Interest Group. Richard has presented on topics such as systems migration, RDA, vendor sourced cataloging, and web-scale discovery systems. He is currently serving as GODORT's Liaison to the Committee on Cataloging: Description & Access (CC:DA), and is chair of ALCTS's Collection Management & Electronic Resources Interest Group.

Speaker Bio: Kelsey Brett – Discovery Systems Librarian, University of Houston Libraries
As the Discovery Systems Librarian, Kelsey is responsible for tracking emerging trends in discovery systems, conducting usability testing to improve user experience, and promoting discovery system integration with other library systems and the library web site. Kelsey also assists with the licensing and management of electronic resources, including troubleshooting access problems for staff and patrons. Kelsey is an active member of the Texas Library Association, and has presented on various topics including copyright policy and user search behavior.

Speaker Bio: Frederick Young – Systems Analyst, University of Houston
Frederick is responsible for the monitoring and maintenance of the Sierra library services platform which is shared by four university campuses. He also provides support for the Primo discovery system, the SFX openURL resolver, and EZProxy (a proxy for off campus access). Additionally, Frederick assists with the coordination and implementation of system migrations, upgrades, and enhancements and assists support staff to efficiently and effectively use the library services platform.

Session Time: 12:00 - 12:45 p.m. CDT

Session Title: Behind the Point-and-Click Discovery Tool: Integrating Critical Thinking in Finding Resources

Intended Audience: Academic Libraries

Session Description: Discovery tools facilitate locating and retrieving material far better than ever before. However, the ease of searching these tools provide often belies the challenges of investigating the topic. Students need to use critical thinking skills to effectively bridge their rudimentary understanding of a discipline with increasingly sophisticated treatment in the scholarly literature. In addition, they need to be able to move beyond the ready-made links such systems offer when evaluating their informational needs and the information that is available to address those needs. This session provides examples of emphasizing critical thinking skills into several library assignments as a way to bridge students' familiarity with an issue with an academic discussion of that issue.

Speaker Bio: Rob Hallis, Ph.D. is an instructional librarian at the University of Central Missouri. Most recently, he presented at state and regional conferences on flipping library instruction, integrating library instruction in Blackboard, and immersing students in hands-on activities during library instruction. He has been actively involved in incorporating technology to enhance the educational environment for 25 years, introducing a multimedia authoring station in 1996 at the University of Nebraska in Omaha, administering the Harmon Computer Commons at the University of Central Missouri, and most recently preparing information management skills for two integrated learning communities.

Session Time: 10:00 - 10:45 a.m. CDT

Session Title: Unexpected Discoveries: How Discovery Systems Impact Patrons, Staff, and Services

Intended Audience: Academic and Public Libraries

Session Description: We've all heard the claims by vendors about how discovery systems transform the information landscape and make your library as easy to use as Google. And these systems seem to be popular with patrons. But what unforeseen consequences do they have on information retrieval? How do they impact public and technical services? Discovery systems have implications for patrons and staff alike. Chris will discuss some of the lessons learned after implementing EBSCO's Discovery System at two colleges. From the complexities of content availability to the effects on existing library functions, this session will cover what you won’t hear in the sales pitch.

Speaker Bio: Chris Hartman is Systems Librarian at Westminster College in Salt Lake City. She implemented discovery systems there and at Central New Mexico Community College in Albuquerque. Previously she worked at Fort Lewis College in Durango, CO.

Speakers: Sarah Hartman-Caverly, Michael LaMagna, and Rachel Perzchowski

Session Time: 10:00 - 10:45 a.m. CDT

Session Title: Strategies for Inclusive Library Discovery Service Evaluation

Intended Audience: Academic and Public Libraries

Session Description: This presentation will describe the qualitative assessment process undertaken to evaluate a new library discovery system during implementation. Four testing protocols (Basic Search, Advanced Search, Catalog Search Comparison, and Database Search Comparison) were utilized. They provided standardized, step-by-step instructions for librarians and Learning Commons staff in executing searches in the discovery system, applying limits and filters, and evaluating the relevance and appropriateness of the results. The Catalog Search Comparison and Database Search Comparison protocols provided a basis for comparison between the results from the discovery service and the results from the native catalog or database search interface. The presenters will also discuss the results of the tests and their role in identifying problems with the discovery system that were reported to the vendor for resolution or enhancement. Attendees will be able to apply the protocols and techniques they used to evaluate any library discovery system.

Speaker Bios: Sarah Hartman-Caverly, MS(LIS), MSIS, is an assistant professor/reference librarian and liaison to health sciences programs at Delaware County Community College in Pennsylvania, and served as the electronic resources manager during the deployment of DCCC Library Services' EBSCO Discovery Service.

Michael LaMagna, MA, MLS, is an assistant professor /reference librarian and liaison for information literacy and distance learning at Delaware County Community College.

Rachel Perzchowski is the information specialist/circulation coordinator in the Learning Commons at Delaware County Community College.

Session Time: 3:00 - 3:45 p.m. CDT

Session Title: From OPAC to Search Engine: Making the Case for Discovery

Intended Audience: Academic and Public Libraries

Session Description: "I can’t believe you're getting rid of the card catalog!" is a sentiment being echoed in the current debates over the future of library search and the position of resource discovery tools in particular. Many librarians and researchers alike want nothing to do with these services, which are viewed as dumbed-down interfaces that can never compete with the features of individual databases and traditional catalogs. Any library implementing a new discovery layer will face challenges from various constituencies that may overshadow any technical obstacles to a successful product launch. This session will focus on a discussion of successful tactics for displacing preconceptions, fostering internal and external buy-in and acceptance, and winning over the hearts and minds of critics.

Speaker Bio: John Hubbard is a Senior Academic Librarian at the University of Wisconsin–Milwaukee Libraries. He has participated in a successful implementation of a new resource discovery layer (Primo).

Session Time: 8:00 - 8:45 a.m. CDT

Session Title: How Much is That Reference In the Index? Assessing the Outcomes of An Online, Fee-based, Known-item Copy Service In a Historical Anticipated Audience

Intended Audience: Academic and Public Libraries

Session Description: The Genealogy Index, a stand-alone interface, has become a centerpiece of public service at the Library and Research Center of the Missouri History Museum (MHM). It indexes personal names, business names and street addresses in scarce, name-rich items in MHM’s collections.
Influenced by his work with genealogists, archivist Dennis Northcott developed an in-house Microsoft Access index to local names in MHM sources. Soon the database exceeded 200,000 entries. Northcott then worked with MHM’s web developer to put the index online. The originals were not digitized. On-site copies remain .25 per page; remote orders are $4-$7 per citation depending on the user’s location and membership status. This triggered a large number of in-person visits by new researchers.

Emily Jaycox, MHM’s head librarian, oversees a department that maintains some of the collections indexed and provides some of the staffing for order fulfillment. She will describe the administrative process involved in launching this service and describe its impact on staffing, public service, budget etc. She will also discuss the collateral impact of the Genealogy Index on library online catalog use, collection management, and MHM’s digitization and preservation programs.

Speaker Bio: Emily Jaycox joined the Missouri History Museum library staff in 1989 after working at the Newberry Library, Chicago, and Lake Forest College Library in Illinois. Her library degree is from the now-shuttered program at the University of Chicago. She oversees public service, collection development, and automation at the Missouri History Museum’s library.

With the head librarians of the Saint Louis Art Museum and the Missouri Botanical Garden, Emily co-founded the St. Louis Research Libraries Consortium, which purchased a shared integrated online library system as its first project. They are about to join MOBIUS as its 11th cluster. She has served as her institution’s lead contact for several collaborative digitization projects involving city directories, newspapers, and nineteenth century fire insurance maps.

Session Time: 12:00 - 12:45 p.m. CDT

Session Title: Building the Next Successful Library Discovery Tool

Intended Audience: Academic Libraries

Session Description: The implementation of web scale discovery has yielded remarkable results at the University of North Florida. Full-text downloads more than doubled in the first year, and ILL dropped, but has the system realized its potential? As today’s library patron grows more sophisticated and more demanding, what more can we ask of today’s modern library search tool?

Join Michael Kucsak and Jeremy Hall as they share a brief history of their library’s success from assessment to implementation. Then they will discuss the future of the modern discovery tool and the changes vendors must make in order to survive the world of digital content delivery.

Speaker Bio: Michael is a graduate of Florida State University's School of Library and Information Studies. As a professional librarian, Michael has worked for non-profit library consortia, public, private, k-12 and University libraries. He has been a library technology consultant for several different libraries including the State Library of Florida. While in the private sector, Michael became a Six Sigma Black Belt. Today he combines his skills in process improvement with his experience in library technology as the Director of Library Systems and Technology for the University of North Florida. He continues to give workshops and presentations around the country on topics that include process improvement in the library, eBooks, and enhanced discovery services.

Session Time: 3:00 - 3:45 p.m. CDT

Session Title: Usability Testing Primo - After the Release Party, There's the After Party.

Intended Audience: Academic and Public Libraries

Session Description: In May 2014, the University of Minnesota Libraries, with the assistance of the campus’ Usability Services Department, spent two and a half days testing their new Primo-based resource discovery tool in a formal usability lab. Participants were asked to perform a variety of scenarios designed to assess the effectiveness of the new catalog and scholarly mega-aggregate index. The end results were highly informative, eye-opening and somewhat disconcerting. This presentation will detail the findings and outcomes of their time in the lab, while discussing the challenges and opportunities libraries and vendors face in implementing the one big resource discovery tool.

Speaker Bio: Eric is the Web Architect and UX Analyst for the University of Minnesota-Twin Cities Libraries. He has worked as a highly-opinionated, performance-minded web developer in academia for over a decade.

Session Time: 11:00 - 11:45 a.m. CDT

Session Title: Moving Next Door

Intended Audience: Academic Libraries

Session Description: The decision to move to a new discovery tool vendor is not an easy one. The presenter will discuss the steps involved in making the switch from Serials Solutions Summon to EBSCO EDS.

Speaker Bio: Anne Liebst is the Director of Technical Services and Technology at Ottenheimer Library at the University of Arkansas at Little Rock.

Session Time: 8:00 - 8:45 a.m. CDT

Session Title: Two Birds, One Stone: Using the Implementation of EBSCO Discovery as an Opportunity to Improve Library Website Usability

Intended Audience: Academic Libraries

Session Description: The staff at the Kohn Vision Science Library (at the SUNY College of Optometry) had been planning to improve their website. The implementation of the EBSCO Discovery Service (EDS) in the spring of 2014 provided an opportunity to do so.

Based on our data gathered from usability tests, the library reorganized the website while implementing EBSCO discovery to address the prior concerns such as siloed content and difficulty finding full-text, and improve both discovery (e.g. customizing EDS to show full-text as default) and usability (e.g. redesigning the front page of the website to include a single, custom, tabbed search box which clearly lays out options for searching the collection). Certain challenges remain, such as integrating specialized databases as well as clinical resources that are not a part of EDS – which they will continue to address – but the overall results have been positive.

Speaker Bio: Jill Locascio is the Electronic Resources/Discovery Librarian at the State University of New York College of Optometry. She has worked in libraries, both public and academic, for the past 16 years, having graduated from Rutgers University in New Jersey with her MLIS in 2007. She is currently pursuing a second Master's degree in Information Design and Technology from SUNY Institute of Technology. Her research interests include usability, discovery, and the intersection of the two.

Session Time: 8:00 - 8:45 a.m. CDT

Session Title: Linked Data, Library Users, and the Discovery Tools of the Future

Intended Audience: Academic Libraries

Session Description: Discovery tools are becoming an increasingly popular way for libraries to bring their diverse materials together in one place, as far as the user’s search experience is concerned. The Linked Data method of publishing data is also concerned with bringing varied resources together. Attend this session to hear about the ways in which Linked Data could change how librarians think about discovery tools, and how the users of library resources could benefit.

Speaker Bio: Emily Dust Nimsakont is the Cataloging Librarian at the Nebraska Library Commission. She is also an adjunct instructor of cataloging classes for the University of Missouri-Columbia and the University of Nebraska-Omaha.

Session Time: 10:00 - 10:45 a.m. CDT

Session Title: Discovering Discovery: The End-User Experience

Intended Audience: Academic Libraries

Session Description: As many concentrate on the decision of whether to implement a discovery system, a consideration that must be addressed is which method to use in disseminating the interface and operability to the user. At Southeastern Oklahoma State University's Henry G. Bennett Memorial library, the recent implementation of the Ebsco Discovery System (EDS) presented a challenge of how to approach instruction for all users, not only those who come to campus. The library did not wish simply to create a tool to disseminate that knowledge, but one that would be engaging, interactive, and accessible 24 hours a day. In order to address these issues, the library developed a set of online tutorials to be utilized as teaching tools in familiarizing users with the EDS interface and its functionality.

As we all know, interaction and engagement is essential for any learner and especially the distance learner. These self-paced tutorials implement assessment strategies in the form of games and are interspersed throughout the lessons. Additionally, the tutorials feature a wide range of interactivity in requiring the user to click to proceed or in some cases in order to divulge information.

Adobe Captivate was the primary software used in creating these tutorials alongside Adobe Flash and templates purchased through E-learning Brothers. The use of the templates allowed for a greater amount of activities to be developed in a shortened amount of time, as well as the ability to implement these into a learning management system for SCORM grading compliance.

This is the first semester these tutorials have been implemented, and assessment is currently being conducted. By the time of this conference, approximately 12 classes will have been taught and assessed.

Speaker Bio: Krista Ramírez is the Distance Education Librarian at Southeastern Oklahoma State University in Durant. She earned her MLS at the University of North Texas, Denton, and began working at Southeastern Oklahoma State University shortly before completion of her degree.

Session Time: 4:00 - 4:45 p.m. CDT

Session Title: Delivering Relevant Results for Every Search in Every Context

Intended Audience: Academic and Public Libraries

Session Description: Web-scale discovery services are transforming how users search the library. By combining print and electronic collections with full-text indexing and relevance ranking, discovery services hold enormous promise in connecting library users to high quality information resources, quickly and easily. The challenge typically isn’t the availability of quality information resources for the user’s search, but locating the most relevant information resources for the user’s search. To complicate matters, the search needs of discovery service users are highly diverse. This is not surprising when one considers the variety of organizational contexts where discovery services are used. In the case of EBSCO Discovery Service (EDS) this includes large universities, small colleges, public libraries, school libraries, and many other organizations. User research indicates that EDS users employ a highly diverse set of search strategies to locate the information they need. In this session, Tito will present findings from a recent deep analysis of EDS search logs, and describe how EDS is evolving to support a wide variety of search needs.

Speaker Bio: Tito Sierra serves as a Director of Product Management for EBSCO Information Services, and is responsible for leading search-related product development for EBSCO Information Services. Prior to joining EBSCO, Tito held technology leadership positions at the North Carolina State University Libraries in Raleigh and the MIT Libraries, Boston, where he recently served as the Associate Director for Technology. Tito earned a Masters of Science in Information Management from Syracuse University in New York.

Session Time: 9:00 - 9:45 a.m. CDT

Session Title: Clearly Communicating with Users about Discovery Platforms from a Public Services Standpoint

Intended Audience: Academic Libraries

Session Description: Having a clear understanding about the role technology and library terminology play in how users approach, retrieve, and perceive our resources makes us much better instructors and researchers. Understanding resources management, especially discovery tools, and how to communicate with public services librarians, staff, and users about what they can and cannot do is increasingly important in academic libraries, especially with the proliferation of so many different options. This session will cover how the University of Houston Libraries chose its first discovery platform, why it decided to go with another one a few years later, and how the new one was chosen. It will also cover user experience and assessment.

Speaker Bio: Alexandra (Alex) Simons is an Associate Librarian at the University of Houston's M.D. Anderson Library, and serves as the subject librarian for history, political science, and government documents. She has served as chair and member of several library committees devoted to evaluating and implementing discovery platforms, and works with technology and public services staff to continually assess these systems.

Session Time: 12:00 - 12:45 p.m. CDT

Session Title: Implementing Discovery in a Consortium

Intended Audience: Library Consortiums

Session Description: This session will highlight the experiences of the Abilene (TX) Library Consortium in implementing a discovery service in a multi-type library collaborative, from product review, through the decision-making process, implementation, to integrating local content such as library catalogs and digital archives.

Speaker Bio: Eddy Smith, M.A., M.S., ALC Executive Director – With over 20 years experience in libraries and information management roles, Eddy Smith has served as Executive Director of the Abilene Library Consortium (ALC) since 2009 where he made possible the implementation of discovery services for consortium member libraries. Previously, he spent 10 years in software development companies (proving that you can return from the corporate dark side without losing your soul). He is passionate about libraries and their mission of preserving our past while igniting our imaginations for the future.

Session Time: 2:00 - 2:45 p.m. CDT

Session Title: Experiences in the Implementation of a Discovery Tool

Intended Audience: Academic and Public Libraries

Session Description: On August 4, 2014, the Michigan State University Libraries launched their discovery tool, SearchPlus. SearchPlus uses the Summon 2.0 discovery service from ProQuest. This is the first discovery tool implemented at the MSU Libraries. This presentation starts with a brief summary of the evaluation process of discovery tools and the desired outcomes of implementing SearchPlus at the MSU Libraries. Lee will then discuss the implementation process from the development of the implementation teams to a successful launch in a project timeframe of 13 weeks. Implementation teams were assigned based on the work involved in assessment, the link resolver, metadata transfer, administration setup and website design, public relations and promotion, and training. Team responsibilities, coordination, decision-making and issue-solving, and initial feedback will be presented with practical examples. Implementation is now moving into the assessment phase, and the presentation will conclude with the library's assessment plan.

Speaker Bio: Lee Sochay is the Head of Acquisitions for the Michigan State University Libraries in East Lansing. In 2013, Lee joined the MSU Libraries to work on the procurement and implementation of a discovery tool. The implementation process was completed on August 4, 2014, with the launch of SearchPlus, the MSU Libraries version of Summon 2.0.

Lee's path to a career in librarianship took an indirect route. In 1990, he received a BSEE from Michigan Tech University, Houghton, and worked for 19 years in the engineering sales field. He sold instrumentation and process controls primarily in the water and wastewater treatment industry. From an examination of his interests and his personality, it became evident that a career change was the best thing for Lee, and he pursued a career as a librarian. His Masters of Library and Information Science degree was earned from Wayne State University in Nebraska in 2012, where he also received a graduate certificate in information management with an emphasis on web design and development.

Session Time: 9:00 - 9:45 a.m. CDT

Session Title: Beyond Searches: How Discovery Data Can Enhance Library Services

Intended Audience: Academic Libraries

Session Description: In 2011, the Indiana University Bloomington and Indiana University Kokomo Libraries launched EBSCO Discovery Service (EDS), with Indiana University South Bend following soon after in 2013. EDS allows users to search large portions of their library collections, including the library catalog and both EBSCO and non-EBSCO databases, from a single search box. But what does actual user behavior look like? In this session, librarians from three separate IU campuses will present usage and analytics data that reveal how far both the libraries and their users have come since implementing EDS. Speakers will share user behavior data that reveals the reception of EDS at each campus, then offer suggestions for data-informed ways in which librarians can enhance library services so that users are able to find and access the content that best meets their needs.

Speaker Bio: Angie Thorpe, Rachael Cohen, and Feng Shan all currently serve as librarians at different Indiana University campuses. They are each primarily responsible for the ongoing management of the library discovery services at their campuses.

Session Time: 1:00 - 1:45 p.m. CDT

Session Title: Library Discovery: From Ponds to Oceans to Streams

Intended Audience: Academic Libraries

Session Description: Resource discovery in libraries has undergone a remarkable evolution over the past five years. Libraries, and libraries’ perceptions of the patrons’ needs, have led to the creation and acquisition of “web-scale” discovery services. These new services seek to amalgamate all the online content a library might provide into one bucket. Rather than exploring focused ponds of specialized databases, researchers now swim in oceans of information. What is needed is neither ponds (too small in our interdisciplinary world) or oceans (too broad and deep for most needs), but streams -- dynamic, context-aware subsets of the whole, tailored to the researcher’s short- or long-term interests. Ken's website is at www.varnum.org and he can be found on Twitter at @varnum.

Speaker Bio: Ken Varnum is the Web Systems Manager at the University of Michigan Library, Ann Arbor, where he manages the library website and development of new features and functionality. A frequent conference speaker and author, Ken's research and professional interests range from Drupal and site redesign to user-generated content. He wrote "Drupal in Libraries" and edited "The Top Technologies Every Librarian Needs to Know" and "The Network Reshapes the Library: Lorcan Dempsey on Libraries, Services and Networks." See his website at www.varnum.org.

Session Time: 11:00 - 11:45 a.m. CDT

Session Title: If We Only Knew Then... Implementing WorldCat Local

Intended Audience: Academic Libraries

Session Description: This presentation will discuss lessons learned from an academic library's implementation of WorldCat Local as a discovery service. It will cover pros and cons of WorldCat Local, issues to consider when planning an implementation, and recommendations for enhancing your users' experience with WorldCat Local.

Speaker Bio: Laura Wiegand is the Coordinator of Discovery Services at the University of North Carolina Wilmington where she works with web services, discovery tools, user interfaces and systems maintenance.