Resource Discovery for the Twenty-First Century Library

Discovery is central to academic activities at all levels and is a major focus for libraries and museums. Of all the parts of modern library provision, discovery services are the most clearly affected by developments in IT, from databases to search engines to linked data to machine learning. It is crucial to the relationship between libraries and their communities. This book will help its readers learn how to adapt in a fast changing area to continue to provide a high level of service.

Resource Discovery for the Twenty-First Century Library contains a range of contributions analysing the ways in which libraries are tackling the challenges facing them in discovery in the (post)-Google era. Chapters are written by experts, both global and local – describing specific areas of discovery and local implementations and ideas. The book will help with enhancing discovery both inbound – making locally held resources globally discoverable, and outbound – making global resources locally discoverable, in ways which are relevant to your user community.

Content covered includes:

· a survey of what resource discovery is today

· case studies from around the world of interesting approaches to discovery

· analysis of how users approach discovery

· how to understand and make the best use of Internet search engines

· using limited resources to help users find collections

· linked open data and discovery

· the future of discovery.

This book will be useful for subject librarians and others who give direct support to library users, digital library technicians, managers, staff with responsibility for managing electronic resources, metadata and discovery specialists, trainers and user education specialists. It will also be of use to curators and others who give direct support to researchers, managers of digitisation and cataloguing products, IT staff, trainers and user education specialists.

Simon McLeish worked in conference organisation before the planning of an Internet conference led to work as a web designer during the dot com era. This developed into a career in digital libraries, including the development of online academic journals, research environments and authentication. Work on Shibboleth and Identity Management culminated in the production of the JISC Identity Management Toolkit and the book Access and Identity Management for Libraries (Facet, 2013). In 2013, Simon took up the post of Resource Discovery Architect for the Bodleian Libraries of the University of Oxford, and now divides his time between managing existing discovery and authentication services for the libraries and research and development.