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| News - January 2008 (ALA Midwinter Meeting wrap up) |
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WebFeat Launches SMART Usage Tracker v2.0
Hundreds visit exhibits booth as WebFeat unveils new products and enhancements at ALA Midwinter Meeting |
At the ALA Midwinter Meeting in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, WebFeat unveiled its latest products and enhancements. WebFeat released SMART Usage Tracker version 2.0 at a product launch breakfast on Saturday, January 12. Other events at the WebFeat booth demonstrated why the WebFeat product family is the industry's only one-stop e-resource solution for search, usage tracking, authentication, and administration.
SMART version 2.0 builds on WebFeat’s highly popular SMART version 1.0, offering enterprise/multi-library/branch reports, an XLS export feature, new graphical reports, all managed through a sophisticated new report generation console. SMART 2.0 enables libraries to instantly generate a wealth of reports to track usage for any database integrated into their WebFeat federated search solution.
Key among SMART’s new features is its enterprise reporting functionality. Multi-library or multi-branch library systems may generate entire suites of reports for a single library, a group of libraries, or the entire enterprise. Usage reports can also distinguish between walk-up users and remote users. SMART 2 reports and graphs can be easily exported into Excel for additional analysis. All SMART 2 reports are configured using a sophisticated new report generation console, enabling administrators to set report parameters and output choices from a variety of options.
Read more: press release.
Download information sheet: SMART 2.0 |
WebFeat Exhibits Booth
SMART 2.0 |
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Access PA, Bowdoin College, Dartmouth College,
Princeton University and the University of Pittsburgh Libraries Showcase their Webfeat Systems
WebFeat client showcases draw crowds to WebFeat booth |
During the 2008 ALA Midwinter Meeting, WebFeat hosted 4 Client Showcase sessions in which WebFeat clients demonstrated their customized WebFeat systems.
On Saturday, January 12, Bowdoin College kicked off the first client showcase session with a demonstration of its "Cast-a-Net Combined Search" powered by WebFeat. Judy Montgomery, Associate Librarian, and Sherrie Bergman, Librarian, featured how WebFeat quick search boxes are embedded within the library's various subject portal pages. In the Saturday afternoon session, WebFeat clients Access PA and the University of Pittsburgh teamed to demonstrate why WebFeat is used by nearly 3,000 libraries across Pennsylvania. Access PA staff member, Cindy Pitchon, showcased the agency's statewide federated search implementation. Jeff Wisniewski, University of Pittsburgh Web Services Librarian, showed off the customized Pitt system -- which includes the "Zoom!" quick search feature, compatibility with over 100 resources and subject portal integration.
On Sunday, January 13, WebFeat client showcases by Dartmouth College and Princeton University drew standing room only crowds for back to back sessions. Mary LaMarca Library Communications & Web Manager, demonstrated Dartmouth College Library's customized "Seach360" WebFeat system while Nancy Pressman-Levy guided attendees through a Q&A session about Princeton's WebFeat implementation, dubbed "PUL QuickSearch". Both Libraries' systems provide various quick search and resource discovery options and they are compatible with hundreds of resources.
WebFeat received excellent feedback from attendees for this format of presentation. Any libraries wishing to participate in future WebFeat client showcases at PLA '08 or ALA Annual '08 are encouraged to contact Eddie Neuwirth via email. |
Mary LaMarca - Dartmouth College Library
Nancy Pressman Levy - Princeton University Library with Todd Miller - President of WebFeat |
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WebFeat Posts Record Year in 2007
Company grows 55% in FY 2007. Usage exceeds 170 million database searches
WebFeat has posted another record year in 2007, its 10th year of consecutive growth,
increasing revenues by 55%. Database searches jumped by nearly 200% in the
period, growing from 88 million searches in 2006 to over 170 million. The
company added 330 new client systems during the period, in-turn providing
WebFeat federated search access for over 3,500 more libraries. WebFeat systems
are now available to over 16,500 libraries worldwide-- up from 100 libraries at the end of 2000.
WebFeat’s rapid growth is largely attributed to advances in its WebFeat Express and WebFeat Enterprise Edition administration technology, dramatically reducing the time required to configure, launch and maintain federated search systems.
WebFeat launched several new products in 2007, including Enterprise
Administration Manager™ for multi-library networks, WebFeat Proxy™, Menu Manager™ and version 3.0 of its highly successful WebFeat Express™ system. Notable new clients included North Carolina’s 200-library NC LIVE statewide network, and Pennsylvania’s 3000-library Access PA system. WebFeat also realized significant growth overseas, with new systems in the UK, France, Australia, China, Korea, Spain, the Netherlands, the Middle East, and more. WebFeat now supports 11 languages, including double-Byte Unicode characters.
Press Release |
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WebFeat Granted Chinese Patent
Chinese patent marks fourth WebFeat patent for session management and authentication technology
WebFeat has been granted Chinese patent #01811840.2 for its "Method and System for Retrieving Search Results from Multiple Disparate Databases.” The patent marks the fourth patent to-date for WebFeat for its authentication and session management technology. WebFeat also holds U.S. patent #6,807,539, German patent # DE20121706U, and Australian patent #WO0182117.
WebFeat’s four patents regard its proprietary technology that enable its translators to transparently perform the authentication and session management functions necessary to execute search queries and preserve native sessions in order to display full records associated with each database citation, regardless of where the application is hosted, or whether the user is within the library or accessing the system remotely. WebFeat’s session management technology further enables WebFeat to interact seamlessly with the native application on behalf of the user. Transparent authentication and session management for commercial databases is the single most daunting technology challenge associated with federated search.
WebFeat's patented techncology is at the heart of its compatibility with over 9,000 commercial databases
Press Release |
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WebFeat Express Includes New Quick Search Box Code Generator
The remarkable WebFeat Administration Console keeps getting better! WebFeat now includes an easy-to-use quick search code generator within the Administration Console that enables library administrators to quickly generate the HTML/JavaScript code necessary to embed customized WebFeat search boxes within any library web pages. Search boxes may be in library home pages, subject portal pages and even Blackboard or WebCT applications. Almost no HTML or programming knowledge is required to create customized WebFeat interfaces.
Download more details |
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Quick Hits: System Launches and Other News
Throughout the year WebFeat tries to highlight new client systems as they "go live" for their patrons/users. Please keep us posted when your systems launch and do let us know if you'd like to be included in this section of our newsletter.
Below are just a handful of WebFeat clients with systems launched within the last few months:
New York Public Library launched its new look website in December with WebFeat prominently integrated in its articles and database search pages. NYPL's WebFeat system enables patrons to simultaneously search nearly 400 licensed electronic resources, the NYPL website, and LEO and CATNYP—the two New York Public Library online catalogs. WebFeat also enables federated searching of the NYPL Digital Gallery—a repository of over 550,000 images from the Library's research collections and The New York Public Library’s Picture Collection Online—a collection of 30,000 digitized public domain images from books, magazines and newspapers as well as original photographs, prints and postcards, most created prior to 1923. WebFeat may be accessed from within any of NYPL’s four research libraries or any of the 87 branch libraries. Read More
Birmingham Public Library has launched "SuperSearch" a custom-branded WebFeat Express system. SuperSearch includes nearly 50 electronic resources. http://www.bplonline.org/virtual/onlinedatabases/
Campbell University(NC), has launched a WebFeat Express system to coincide with the start of its winter semester. The WebFeat system replaces a previous federated search system provided by Serials Solutions and takes advantage of WebFeat's relationship with NC LIVE. WebFeat provides a signficant discount for all NC LIVE member libraries which enables the libraries to simulataneously search all of their local resources along withthe more than 54 databases provided by NC LIVE. Libraries can customize the look and feel of their WebFeat implementation and include their local catalog in the search. http://www.lib.campbell.edu/
Asian Development Bank has launched a WebFeat Express system. ADB's electronic resources and systems librarian team used WebFeat's Quick Search customization features to develop a customized basic search interface to match library specifications. ADB is dedicated to poverty reduction in Asia and the Pacific, a region that is home to two thirds of the world's poor. Established in 1966 and headquartered in Manila, ADB is owned and financed by its 67 member countries, of which 48 are from the region and 19 are from other parts of the globe. http://www.adb.org/default.asp
Rochester Public Library(MN), has launched a WebFeat Express system, branded "Mega Search." The federated search solution replaces a system previously provided by Muse. The WebFeat solution includes federated access to several local information repositories. A convenient quick search box embedded in the library's home page provides easy access to e-resources. http://www.rochesterpubliclibrary.org/
Florence-Darlington Technical College(SC), has launched a WebFeat Express system to replace a previous system provided by Serials Solutions. The FDTC WebFeat system is noteworthy in that the service went live just 2 weeks after the library first contacted WebFeat about purchasing a system. "We were up and running within two weeks! The setup and implementation of WebFeat’s federated search engine was a breeze,” commented Linda Coe, FDTC Librarian. “The administrative module provided powerful and easy to use tools to quickly setup, customize, and launch WebFeat’s robust federated search interface and the dynamic support team responded within minutes to our inquiries. The remote patron authentication module provides (24/7) use of the rich and extensive suite of eDatabases to which we subscribe." http://www.fdtc.edu/default.asp
St. Clair Community College (MI), has launched a WebFeat Express system after an extensive RFP process and nearly 6 month evaluation federated search products. St. Clair Community College LRC has embedded a WebFeat quick search box on the Library's home page. http://www.sc4.edu/lrc/ |
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| © 2008, WebFeat. All Rights Reserved. |
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