Ranking library materials
This work addresses the need for improved search functionality in library systems for librarians and users, but it is incremental as it builds on existing web search techniques without introducing new methods.
The paper tackles the problem of ranking library materials by reviewing and systematizing ranking factors from web search engines, concluding that current library systems underutilize these factors and require individualized weighting for effective implementation.
Purpose: This paper discusses ranking factors suitable for library materials and shows that ranking in general is a complex process and that ranking for library materials requires a variety of techniques. Design/methodology/approach: The relevant literature is reviewed to provide a systematic overview of suitable ranking factors. The discussion is based on an overview of ranking factors used in Web search engines. Findings: While there are a wide variety of ranking factors applicable to library materials, todays library systems use only some of them. When designing a ranking component for the library catalogue, an individual weighting of applicable factors is necessary. Research limitations/applications: While this article discusses different factors, no particular ranking formula is given. However, this article presents the argument that such a formula must always be individual to a certain use case. Practical implications: The factors presented can be considered when designing a ranking component for a librarys search system or when discussing such a project with an ILS vendor. Originality/value: This paper is original in that it is the first to systematically discuss ranking of library materials based on the main factors used by Web search engines.