Metasearch

To successfully complete Metasearch (also known as Federated Search)

READ this blog post.
DO and THINK about the information in the "Learn More About" activities.
LEARN by completing the Hands-On Activities.

Your total time commitment is about 50 minutes.

Introduction to Meta Search

How you ever made travel arrangements online through a third party website like Expedia? Then you're a pro at metasearch. One-stop shop!

Metasearch engines / tools are built with this concept in mind. They do not crawl the web. They enable users to enter search criteria once and access multiple search engines (and / or databases) at the same time. Then, they combine the results into a single display or list them separately according to their sources.

For web-based searches, a metasearch has a broader scope but the results are not always better. A metasearch engine uses its own algorithm to choose what it thinks are the best results from multiple search engines and / or databases. The results returned by a metasearch may not be as relevant as those returned by a standard search engine.

There are tons of custom metasearch engines on the web. Find one easily with a quick Google search. Type the following limiter commands into the Google search box: inurl:cse inurl:cx site:google.com sports (or any topic of your choice).

Instead of searching with giant metasearch engines on the Internet, you can make your own metasearch engine with Google custom search. Your search will focus on selected websites within the Google database. It's easy but you will need a Google account to get started.

The Joint-Use Library catalog is a metasearch engine or tool. It sends your search requests to both VBPL's and TCC's Library Information Systems then displays the combined results according to the owning library. The search provides a single easy-to-use interface that saves the end user both time and effort by providing combined library content.

Learning More about Metasearch

1. Read Metasearch at Wikipedia (5 minutes)
2. Optional: Visit NISO Metasearch Initiative (20 minutes)

Hands-on Activities (15 minutes)

Part 1, Dogpile (Internet Metasearch)

1. Visit Dogpile
2. Using the web tab, search for wildlife sanctuaries.
3. Answer these questions and discuss with a co-worker: How were your results listed? Does it make sense? Do you see patterns? Are ads clearly labeled? Is there any knowledge graph influence apparent (fact and social context)? Did you find what you expected?

Part 2, JUL Catalog (Specialized Metasearch)

1. Visit the JUL Catalog
2. Using the keyword query, search for wildlife sanctuaries.
3. Answer these questions and discuss with a co-worker: How were your results listed? Does it make sense? Were you surprised by the results? Why?

Get credit!

After you have completed the activities in this post, please fill out this form.