SUL Text Search Study Report
We are happy to report on a study conducted during the past academic year on stakeholder expectations and needs for text search capabilities in SUL’s digital library ecosystem, to inform future software development priorities and possible service expansion.
The study was conducted through interviews with six SUL bibliographers, one Hoover curator, one academic technology specialist, and two representatives from Special Collections.
The SUL Text Search Study Report (Stanford login required) reveals major opportunities for expanding research support for both existing and incoming/prospective collections across a broad range of subject areas. Improving the accessibility of our collections was an overarching goal surfaced via interviews, and remains a unifying theme.
The report will be used by DLSS to help guide future development priorities. This work also provides a basis for the expansion of continued SUL-wide collaborative efforts to strengthen digital library services. Opportunities to share additional feedback will be provided at an upcoming Trending at SUL session.
We would especially like to thank those who agreed to be interviewed: Quinn Dombrowski, Glynn Edwards, Daniel Hartwig, James Jacobs, Regan Murphy Kao, Kris Kasianovitz, Henry Lowood, Lisa Nguyen, Amanda Whitmire, and Rebecca Wingfield.
We would also like to thank the other members of the Text Search Planning Team: Ben Albritton, Tony Calavano, Hannah Frost, Dinah Handel, and M.A. Matienzo.
Finally, we would like to thank the following individuals who were consulted in the writing of the report: Nicole Coleman, Peter Mangiafico, Sarah Sussman, and Zhaohui Xue.
Happy reading!
Josh Schneider and Cathy Aster
