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New Resource Discovery Tool

For patrons overwhelmed by the volume of online information available, the Library’s new resource discovery tool, eResources, provides some welcome relief. As a replacement for the existing Indexes and Databases service, eResources provides a simple access point to the Library’s online reference resouces, including websites, e-journals, e-books, newspapers, indexes and full-text databases.

The project to develop eResources had the broad aims of promoting access to our licensed and free reference resources; providing access to licensed resources from any location where licence conditions allow; and integrating high quality reference services, including subject guides and the AskNow! chat service, with electronic information sources.

The decision to redevelop Indexes and Databases in this way was taken in response to user feedback about the usability of Indexes and Databases, and other help pages. It fulfils the Library’s strategic commitment to providing simple, user-friendly access to its resources.

The resulting product, eResources, delivers a new interface which facilitates searching and browsing through easier navigation and clearer design.

The new eResources interface
eResources screencapture

Search functionality

Behind the new facade, search functionality has been improved using the APAIS thesaurus. The structured list of Australian subject terms provided by the thesaurus is used to enhance searching by employing related, narrower and broader terms from the thesaurus to broaden a search and include all relevant results in a search set. For example, a search for ‘music’ will also find resources which contain related terms such as ‘performing arts’ or ‘musicians’ in their title or description. This enhanced searching ensures users have access to the full range of librarian selected resources which are available in their subject area.

Searching in eResources is enhanced using the APAIS Thesaurus to locate resources on related topics
eResources screencapture

Thesaurus enhanced searching is complemented by a search algorithm that ranks search results by relevance, ensuring the most useful resources are always listed first. Site administrators also have the ability to single out highly recommended resources, by adding a ‘heat’ ranking which will push them to the top of search result sets where they are relevant.

Offsite access

Another exciting development enabled by the new eResources discovery tool is offsite access to some of the Library’s subscribed resources. For eligible readers, resources such as Academic Search Premier, Factiva, Early English Books Online, Times Digital Archive and the Gale Virtual Reference Library will now be accessible from any location, and not just in the reading rooms of the National Library of Australia. This is a trial service that is available only to our existing Petherick Readers and staff, however, we plan to extend access to other users who request access to the service in the near future. It is also limited to those resources for which the Library’s licence agreement permits remote access. To access these resources from outside the National Library of Australia, Petherick Readers and other registered users, will need to navigate to the eResources homepage and login using their Library User ID and surname.

Other users will still have access to our complete range of licensed and free resources from inside the Library building, and will be able to browse and search our selected list of freely available high quality internet resources from other locations. While searching outside the Library users will be alerted to the existence of relevant subscription resources in search results, but they will not be able to access them.

Subject guides

eResources goes beyond providing convenient access to online resources; it integrates librarian-assisted help into the service. An important feature of this is the inclusion of guides to subject areas of the collection. These guides have been compiled by librarians and they provide lists of selected print material, catalogue search tips, and pointers to other sources of information. Guides cover areas as diverse as Australian literature, company information and law. Previously these guides were available through the Library’s homepage under the Guides tab (http://www.nla.gov.au/guides/), but were not integrated with other finding aids. The content of the guides has been extensively reviewed by staff of the National Library of Australia to ensure they point to the most current and authoritative information. Including the guides in eResources means it will be easier for users to find all the information they need on a subject. To find a guide simply conduct a keyword search—all relevant guides will be displayed at the top of the search results page.

Relevant guides to librarian selected print resources and search tips display at the top of the search results page
E-Resources screencapture

The help provided by our guides is complemented by links to our Ask a Librarian page (http://www.nla.gov.au/infoserv/askus.html) at appropriate points, for example if a search returns no results. The Ask a Librarian page provides various avenues for patrons to contact a librarian, including the chat reference service AskNow!, meaning clients can have immediate access to assistance from an expert librarian while utilising the Library’s range of online resources.

The new eResources service has been implemented after an intensive period of testing with staff and our users, including usability testing conducted by an external consultant. The service will continue to be improved. There are plans to add online tutorials and to use the interface to communicate upcoming training opportunities, new resources and products on trial.

For more information about eResources visit the website at http://www.nla.gov.au/app/eresources/

Belinda Tiffen

Information Services
National Library of Australia