JISC

JISC wishes to commission a project to explore and evaluate the value of cross search based on metadata and the combination of metadata and full text. The project should also explore what types of resources are best suited to cross-searching/meta-searching.

The aims and objectives of the study are to:

• conduct an evaluative study to explore what value end users gain from the different implementations of metadata and full text combinations in information retrieval/resource discovery.  For example searching metadata on it’s own or metadata and full text together across resources
• explore the different types of resources/material that are best suited to cross searching/meta-searching e.g. searching across library catalogues, bibliographic databases and repositories. What is valuable for the user in terms of making sense of the results set. This work should build on the findings of the Contextual Resource Evaluation Environment (CREE) project
• build a demonstrator to identify and exemplify the issues, challenges and benefits for end-users of search services implementing full text/metadata and cross-searching/meta-searching
• make recommendations for potential work within the JISC Information Environment in order to help address the associated issues including the enhancement of JISC services
• in particular, work with the Intute Repository Search project in order to inform developments of the repository search project
• report so that findings are not only relevant to JISC services and development programmes but also so universities and colleges can use the findings to help inform their resource discovery services

Funding of up to £50,000 (Inclusive of VAT and related travel and subsistence) is available for the study.

A full version of the ITT can be found below.