NCSU Endeca 2 1/2 Years On

1
NCSU Endeca 2 1/2 Years On

• From NextGen to Normalcy

Charley Pennell Principal Cataloger for
Metadata NCSU Libraries North Carolina State
University
2
What were we hoping to accomplish?

• Simplicity a simple, hopefully uncluttered
  interface
• Interactivity enable interaction with results to
  get better results
• Forgiveness just fix my typos and case errors,
  dont make me feel stupid!
• Response time well duh!
• Real-time sorting the limit is how many?!!
• Relevance ranking is LIFO the best we can do
  here?
• Web services use the Web to repurpose data,
  enable mash-ups, add-ons improvements

3
Tools we started with

• Faceted browse
• Overnight availability (checked out?) info
• Fuzzy link to live Web2 data
• Breadcrumbs
• Spell check / Did you mean?
• Hierarchical subject browse based on LCC
• New book browse for titles added in last week
  only
• Simplified display of continuing online
  resources (redirect to Journal Finder/Web2)

4
Repercussions for Catalogers

• Data cleansing
• Subfields for subject facets (v, x, y, z)
• Material (item) types for format facets
• MARC holdings simplification for current serials
• Classification of e-resources for LCC search
• Timeliness of keyword interface
• E-resource catalogers could not test URLs in the
  public interface until the next day
• Requested fixes and changes not reflected
  immediately
• Add unique numeric key (CKEY) to bib

5
How successful were we?

• Went public in January 2006
• Converted daily snapshot of Libraries MARC
  other metadata to text for overnight load to
  Endeca
• Improves the discovery portion of the library
  catalog first faceted catalog browse
• Interoperates with Unicorn ILS for holdings,
  current availability status
• Web2 interface still present for known item
  authority searching

6
User reactions

• The new Endeca system is incredible. It would be
  difficult to exaggerate how much better it is
  than our old online card catalog (and therefore
  that of most other universities). I've found
  myself searching the catalog just for fun,
  whereas before it was a chore to find what I
  needed.
• NCSU undergrad, Statistics
• The new library catalog search features are a
  big improvement over the old system. Not only is
  the search extremely fast, but seemingly it's
  much more intelligent as well.
• NCSU faculty, Psychology

7
Catalog cooperation in the Triangle

• TRLN libraries (Duke, NCCU, NCSU, UNC-CH) jointly
  develop and maintain BIS, 1985-1992
• DRA implemented for catalog (UNC Duke continue
  Acq/Serials modules), 1991-1993
• Poor keyword search capabilities No integrated
  keyword/browse capability, 1993-1999
• Web2 catalog implemented, 1999-
• Sirsi DRA merge in 2002 Taos DOA

8
Triangle cooperation (2)

• NCSU NCCU to Unicorn Duke to Aleph UNC-CH to
  Millenium, 2003-2004
• Sirsi/Dynix merger, 2004 vendor focus shifts
  (even more) toward school/public market
• Sirsi/Dynix increasingly looking to merge all
  product catalogs into single interface
• NCSU licenses Endeca Summer 2005
• 2007 TRLN Directors approve common catalog
  interface using Endeca
• 25 March 2008 TRLN Endeca goes public

9
TRLN Endeca Project
10
TRLN changes to Endeca interface

• Hourly updates to circ (not bib) status
• Full display internal to Endeca (not link back
  to ILSs OPAC)
• Closed facets to save space
• LC classification moved to left facet column
• Improved relevancy ranking
• Graphics! Material type icons book jackets
• Syndetics Solution content enhancement
• Tabbed display for Location, Subjects,
  Description, TOC, Summary
• Unicode turned on for detailed display
• Permalinks

11
Data implications

• Record roll-up
• OCLC Reclamation projects
• OCLC number standardization (9 digits)
• Records w/o OCLC (esp. e-resources)
• Whose record to display?
• Holdings standards
• Simplification of summary statement Gaps
• Sirsi/Dynix MFHD for serials only
• ExLibris/III MFHD for all formats
• Tables of contents purchased jointly loaded in
  Endeca not in separate ILSs
• Mulverized records present facet issues

12
More data implications

• ISBN problems
• Wrong book jacket/TOC
• No book jackets for separated e-book records
• Item/Material types form subdivisions
• Format identifiers not applied uniformly
• How much granularity (Music recordings vs. Spoken
  word)
• Subject thesauri (LCSH, MeSH, NASA, local)
• Classification facet
• NLM joins LC
• What about SuDocs?
• What to do with unclassified materials?

13
TRLN partner skins Duke
14
TRLN partner skins UNC-CH
15
Facet columns
16
NCSU Endeca 1.2

• Released 7 March 2008
• New softer look feel (the graying of Endeca!)
• Lesser-used facets closed to simplify display
• Currently available and Online resources
  prominent
• New book browse based on relative date (last
  week, last month, last three months)
• Search within results
• LC classification browse moved to left column
• Send search to TRLN partners
• Icons for material type
• Book jackets
• Static unique link to live Web2 data
• Fed by TRLN servers 23 June 2008

17
NCSU skin
18
Single dimension search, Feb-May 2008
19
(No Transcript)
20
Top search keys Feb-May 2008
21
NCSU Endeca 2.0

• Full display from within Endeca
• Services
• Shopping cart
• Citation formatting for RefWorks, etc.
• MARC display
• Improved subject linking
• Browse
• Incorporation of aggregator titles
• Pending
• Roll-up of editions/formats for FRBR display
• FAST?

22
Next step inspirations

• Phoenix PL (Endeca)
• Look feel
• Integration w/library Web
• WorldCat.org
• Look feel (tabs, icons)
• Services
• Plymouth State (Scriblio)
• Services
• Related items
• VUFind
• Services (comments, citations)
• Staff view (MARC record)
• Amazon.com
• More titles like this
• Services

23

• F I N
• View this presentation online at
  http//www.lib.ncsu.edu/endeca/presentations.html