SUNY New Paltz Upgrades Federated Search Service with WebFeat Express

New Paltz is first State University of New York institution to launch WebFeat system; University takes advantage of special WebFeat pricing for New York libraries

Old Brookville, NY, November 21 , 2006 — The Sojourner Truth Library at the State University of New York (SUNY) New Paltz has upgraded its previous federated search solution (Metalib) with a WebFeat Express federated search system. SUNY New Paltz is the first State University of New York institution to launch a WebFeat system. With WebFeat Express, Sojourner Truth Library patrons can simultaneously search nearly 100 scholarly electronic resources using a single, intuitive interface. WebFeat displays results, including full-text results, for all of these resources within their true native interfaces—which preserves all of the functionality of the sources being searched. WebFeat Express can be accessed from within the Sojourner Truth Library, or it may be accessed remotely with a valid library ID via the Library’s website (http://lib.newpaltz.edu/).

"Compared to our previous federated system, which demanded a lot of staff time to configure and customize the interface, WebFeat is a breath of fresh air," commented Colleen Lougen, Electronic Resources & Web Services Librarian, Sojourner Truth Library. "Not only is it easy to set up but WebFeat is easy for our users to search. The interface is intuitive and provides quick access to the native interface. In addition, maintaining our WebFeat system does not require a lot of staff time." WebFeat hosts the SUNY New Paltz WebFeat system which is seamlessly embedded within the Library’s web pages. WebFeat transparently handles all of the translator configuration and updates necessary to maintain a federated search system capable of searching so many resources.

"WebFeat is a very powerful and intuitive federated search engine," commented Chui-chun Lee, Library Director, SUNY New Paltz."Our faculty and students like it because it allows them to quickly search all our databases simultaneously while still getting results in their native modes. Our librarians like WebFeat because it will save staff time normally required to configure and maintain such a system. We are delighted to offer WebFeat to our academic community at SUNY New Paltz."

The WebFeat interface provides numerous ways for researchers to select and search databases. Researchers who have preferred resources to search, may select any combination of individual databases from an A-Z list that includes convenient descriptions of resources. Or, users may select one or more subject categories that Library staff have pre-populated with resources that are most relevant to the topic being searched. The Sojourner Truth Library’s WebFeat system includes 18 subject categories and 6 sub-categories. Resources and subject categories can easily be added/deleted at any time by Library staff using the intuitive WebFeat Administrative Console. "Using the WebFeat Administrative Console to set up our system was extremely easy and user-friendly," added Lougen. "The console guides you through all of the different steps to setting it up… we had the system up and running in a day!"

SUNY New Paltz is the first State University library to take advantage of special WebFeat pricing for New York libraries. Because WebFeat provides the federated search solution for NOVEL (New York Online Virtual Electronic Library), all New York libraries are eligible for substantial savings on WebFeat systems. WebFeat enables libraries to include all of the NOVEL databases in their local WebFeat systems free of charge.

Todd Miller, President of WebFeat, commented, "WebFeat has partnered with SUNY New Paltz to provide a cost-effective federated search implementation, with hassle-free service and increased access to electronic resources. We are pleased to see this partnership arise out of our relationship with NOVEL and the New York State Library."

Learn more about SUNY New Paltz and the Sojourner Truth Library at: http://lib.newpaltz.edu/about_library/about.html

About WebFeat
WebFeat (U.S. patent #6,807,539) is the developer of the WEBFEAT™ and WebFeat Express™ Search Prisms, used by over 5,000 leading public, academic, government and Global 1000 libraries and information centers—including over half of the 20 largest U.S. public libraries, 12 statewide library systems, and one out of every 10 Association of Research Libraries (ARL) institutions.

WebFeat offers a suite of next-generation federated search tools, PRISM, the SMART™ COUNTER-compliant usage tracker, and MyWebFeat™ personalized federated search system. WebFeat Enterprise Edition provides a complete search solution for multi-library networks, while WebFeat Express International Edition supports 8 languages, enabling users to dynamically change language displays. Originally founded in 1992 as an information technology consultancy, WebFeat has earned industry recognition from leading organizations such as Library Journal and the Gartner Group. Learn more about WebFeat at http://www.webfeat.org.