Drake University’s Cowles Library recently selected EBSCO Discovery Service to streamline the library’s scholarly information search service. The new tool, Cowles SuperSearch, will search across multiple databases, the library’s catalog and Drake’s institutional repository.
“Faculty — both inside and outside the library — will be able to spend less time teaching disparate databases because students will be able to use the same interface for most searching needs. This will quickly move students beyond how to search to the content itself and what the library collection has to offer,” said Cowles Library Dean Rod Henshaw.
“Advanced students will have access to custom informational units that combine resources, not just from a variety of providers, but from a variety of formats not regularly searchable in one place.”
Drake chose the customizable system based on three goals:
- To increase the use of scholarly resources overall
- To increase the interdisciplinary use of scholarly resources
- To enhance the technical and financial management of digital content resources
“¨This initiative is a key component of the library’s strategic knowledge base program. A key benefit to the new system is its end-user interface. The interface provides a single search box with multiple search function options and an advanced support platform designed to manage multiple digital content elements.
In addition, Drake has added D-Space, which will serve as the university’s institutional repository. The space will house several specialized search options, including:
- SuperSearch for Education
- SuperSearch for Pharmacy
- SuperSearch for Humanities
Cowles Library has acquired an extensive collection of eJournals, databases and eBooks, along with its collection of digital content. A 2009 Affinity Group Study of 30 peer institutions ranked Drake third in the quality and scope of this aggregate knowledge resource with close to 30,000 scholarly journals.
“Adding the powerful base index in EBSCO Discovery Service to the Drake collection allows Drake to provide students and faculty with an impressive custom collection of scholarly resources,” Henshaw added.