Chapter 3. Index-Based Discovery Services: Current Players and Products

Abstract

Chapter 3 of Library Technology Reports (vol. 54, no. 8), "Index-Based Discovery Services: Current Players and Products"

In chapter 3, “Index-Based Discovery Services: Current Players and Products,” of Library Technology Reports (vol. 54, no. 8), Breeding looks at the current vendors offering index-based discovery services, which include EBSCO Information Services, which has developed EBSCO Discovery Service; Ex Libris, now owned by ProQuest, which develops and supports Primo and Summon; and OCLC, which offers WorldCat Discovery Service and its predecessor WorldCat Local. It is notable that the products in this category have remained constant since the initial slate of offerings emerged around 2009. The development and maintenance of the central indexes that power these products represent a massive investment of resources that is a very high barrier to entry for new products. These discovery services have been very widely implemented among academic and research libraries as well as smaller proportions of other types of libraries. For each of these organizations, its discovery services play a key role in its broader product strategies, and throughout this chapter, Breeding discusses the background of each product and how it fits within the company’s product portfolio.