Search without Boundaries Using Simple APIs
Computers in Libraries
By: Qi Tong
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Abstract
The U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) Library, where the author serves as the digital services librarian, is increasingly challenged to make it easier for users to find information from many heterogeneous information sources. Information is scattered throughout different software applications (i.e., library catalog, federated search engine, link resolver, and vendor websites), and each specializes in one thing. How could the library integrate the functionalities of one application with another and provide a single point of entry for users to search across? To improve the user experience, the library launched an effort to integrate the federated search engine into the library's intranet website. The result is a simple search box that leverages the federated search engine's built-in application programming interfaces (APIs). In this article, the author describes how this project demonstrated the power of APIs and their potential to be used by other enterprise search portals inside or outside of the library.
| Publication type | Article |
|---|---|
| Publication Subtype | Journal Article |
| Title | Search without Boundaries Using Simple APIs |
| Series title | Computers in Libraries |
| Volume | 29 |
| Issue | 6 |
| Year Published | 2009 |
| Publisher | Information Today, Inc. |
| Description | 5 p. |
| Larger Work Type | Article |
| Larger Work Subtype | Journal Article |
| Larger Work Title | Computers in Libraries |
| First page | 26 |
| Last page | 30 |
| Google Analytic Metrics | Metrics page |