Web discovery services

Web scale discovery services for libraries provide deep discovery to a library’s local and licensed content, and


represent an evolution, perhaps a revolution, for end user information discovery as pertains to library collections. This

article frames the topic of Web scale discovery, and begins by illuminating Web scale discovery from an academic

library’s perspective – that is, the internal perspective seeking widespread staff participation in the discovery

conversation. This included the creation of a Discovery Task Force, a group which educated library staff, conducted

internal staff surveys, and gathered observations from early adopters. The article next addresses the substantial

research conducted with library vendors which have developed these services. Such work included drafting of multiple

comprehensive question lists distributed to the vendors, onsite vendor visits, and continual tracking of service

enhancements. Together, feedback gained from library staff, insights arrived at by the Discovery Task Force, and

information gathered from vendors collectively informed the recommendation of a service for the UNLV Libraries.  source-

http://www.lita.org/ala/mgrps/divs/lita/ital/italinformation.cfm

LIBRARY ADVOCACY

To advocate is to plead in favor of or to support,






promote, and defend publicly, and advocacy is a system or





discipline of organized support, promotion, and defence of a





cause, an association, or an institution in the public arena.





In the world of libraries, advocacy has come to mean two





things—the public, organized support and promotion