Introducing 1Search

Have you searched the library (online) lately?  If so, you probably noticed something different. That something is the library’s new “discovery tool,” 1Search, which is now prominently featured front and center on the library homepage.  With 1Search, you can start exploring the library’s diverse collections and online holdings from a single search box.  Books and ebooks, full-text journals, newspapers, magazines, videos, and even Hope’s institutional repository and digital archives ― all “discoverable” via 1Search.  Now, before you get too excited, I should clarify a few things, namely, the question that is likely brewing in your mind at this point: “Is 1Search a one-stop shop for all your library research needs?”  No, most definitely not (read more about what it is, and isn’t, here). But, is it a great way for students to quickly plunge into a large pool of library content? Yes, most definitely.

This fall, Hope’s Research and Instruction Librarians plan to showcase 1Search, predominantly in FYS library sessions, as a way of transitioning ― broadening, really ― students’ understanding of the information environment to include the rich resources of an academic library. Because there is so much to be found in 1Search, however, getting students “in it” is really just the first step.  In order to thrive in this new, unfamiliar expanse of information, they will need to learn advanced search techniques, strategic navigation, and source content evaluation–just some of the critical information literacy skills we will be able to teach using 1Search as a launching point.  After the initial 1Search immersion in FYS, English 113 will provide the perfect venue for these and other skills to be developed in greater depth.  Of course, HopeCAT (the library catalog) and all of our discipline-specific databases are still available to search, too.  In fact, knowing when and why you would want to search these tools individually is an information literacy concept in and of itself that
we’ll continue to teach students as their research needs expand.

So, there you have it. 1Search has arrived, and we encourage you to give it try.  While you do, here are some tips to consider.  Happy 1Searching!

— Todd Wiebe, Head of Research and Instruction

If you are interested in reading more about the “discovery tool” concept and some of the opportunities and implications academic librarians are considering, here are a few recent articles from around the library literature to check out:

Fawley, N., & Krysak, N. (2012). Information Literacy Opportunities within the Discovery Tool Environment. College & Undergraduate Libraries, 19(2-4), 207-214.

Coco, P. “Convenience and Its Discontents: Teaching Web-Scale Discovery in the Context of Google.” Web log post. ACRLog. Association of College and Research Libraries, 27 Jan. 2012.

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