The Summon™ Service Goes Mobile
Just four months after the commercial launch of its Summon™ web-scale discovery service, Serials Solutions, a business unit of ProQuest, has launched a mobile application that enables instant searching of the breadth of a library’s collection from a smartphone. Now, users of any library with the Summon™ service can search and retrieve digital content, such as full-text articles, and locate physical materials all from a single search box on their iPhone, BlackBerry, Android, Palm, or Windows Mobile.
“The mobile app is absolutely central to the Summon service’s mission to break down barriers between users and libraries. It’s been part of the planning from the outset,” said Jane Burke, Serials Solutions Vice-President. “Now, the content that libraries have so carefully collected and funded can be found simply and beamed to users anytime, anyplace. It puts the library – and all its content riches – within reach of users no matter where they are.”
True to the Summon™ service’s commitment to simplicity for users, the app is automatic: users simply point their phone’s browser at their library’s live Summon™ site and the app downloads instantly. From there, they simply key a term in the Summon™ search box and instantly retrieve relevant results that span the gamut from print to digital. It’s the latest innovation from the rapidly developing and pioneering service, which is the first and only available web-scale technology that enables single search-box access to the breadth of the library’s content – from books and videos to e-resources at the article level.
“The Summon mobile app fits perfectly with our vision to reach students where they are and we can put it to work today,” said Laura Harris, Web Services Librarian at Grand Valley State University, which launched the first live Summon site in August. “Our users connect to the library with a number of mobile devices and now they’ll be able to very simply search and retrieve content, too.”
The Summon™ service is backed by an all-new technology architecture and a mega-index of content – about half a billion records from more than 6,000 publishers. In fact, Grand Valley State University has tested the content for its ability to effectively represent the breadth of academic libraries. Their findings reveal that the Summon™ service captures 99% of their top 100 downloaded titles from EBSCO’s Academic Search Premier, 100% of their top 50 JSTOR titles and 100% of their top 50 titles from OCLC databases.
This web-scale discovery service provides a simple, obvious starting point for library searches, completely integrating physical and digital items in the library’s local catalog and purchased content. The Summon™ service provides simplicity for users and exposes the breadth of the library’s content, allowing more resources to be discovered – a boon for libraries who want to get more from collection investments and compete more effectively with Open Web search tools.
The Summon™ web-scale discovery service is hosted by Serials Solutions.
About Serials Solutions
Founded by a librarian for librarians in 2000, Serials Solutions is the global leader in E-Resource Access and Management Services (ERAMS) that serves more than 2,000 libraries of all sizes and types. Serials Solutions® KnowledgeWorks, the authoritative e-resource knowledgebase, is the foundation for Serials Solutions® 360, the only complete and integrated e-resource access and management solution. Serials Solutions recently introduced the Summon™ web-scale discovery service, a revolutionary tool that provides instant access to the full breadth of the library’s collection through a single search.
Serials Solutions also is the exclusive source for Ulrichsweb.com™ and Ulrich’s Serials Analysis System™ worldwide, and represents the AquaBrowser® Discovery Layer in the academic market in North America and Australia. The WebFeat® federated search service recently acquired by ProQuest soon will be incorporated into the Serials Solutions family of access and discovery services.
Serials Solutions provides fast implementation, easy customization, and outstanding value to libraries throughout the world.
Serials Solutions is a division of ProQuest LLC.
About ProQuest LLC
ProQuest creates specialized information resources and technologies that propel successful research and lifelong learning. A global leader in serving libraries of all types, ProQuest offers the culmination of experience from many respected brands, including CSA™, UMI®, Chadwyck-Healey™, SIRS®, and eLibrary®. With Serials Solutions®, Ulrich’s™, RefWorks®, COS™, and Dialog® brands now in the ProQuest family, the company continues to build on its legacy of responsive people in partnership with librarians.
ProQuest consistently seeks new ways to support researchers and quality research. More than a content provider or aggregator, ProQuest is an information partner, creating indispensable research solutions that connect people and information. Through innovative, user-centered technology, ProQuest offers a depth and breadth of global content that includes historical newspapers, dissertations, and uniquely relevant resources for researchers of any age and sophistication—including content not likely to be digitized by others. Inspired by its customers and end users, ProQuest is working toward a future that blends information accessibility with community to further enhance learning and encourage lifelong enrichment. For more information, visit www.proquest.com or the ProQuest parent company website, www.cambridgeinformationgroup.com.