Integration of Library Research Services Aims at Ease, Depth of Discovery
Researchers at libraries subscribing to both Credo and EBSCO Discovery Services (EDS) will now see Credo topic pages and full-text reference entries within their EDS searches, via new integration technology deployed by Credo.
The integration is intended to provide a gateway from a student's EDS search to Credo's multimedia reference content and other library resources, helping provide a "highly targeted starting point for deeper research," according to a Credo release.
"By leveraging this new technology from Credo we are able to offer a new reference layer that sets the context for information discovery and makes further use of existing library resources within the discovery environment," said EBSCO Executive Vice President and Chief Information Officer Michael Gorrell in the release. "This agreement expands upon our partnership with Credo to further address the research needs of libraries and the end user."
Highlights of the EDS search platform include the ability to touch upon multiple library resources in a single user search, including databases, special collections, e-books, catalog records, archives, and digital content available through the user's library.
Though the initial integration is limited to Credo topic pages and full-text reference entries, high-resolution photos and videos will be integrated soon, according to a Credo release.
The integration agreement with EBSCO comes as part of a busy start to 2013 for Credo, as the company launched two new editions in its line of Literati information skills software and services, Literati School and Literati Student Athlete, in January to complement Literati Academic and Literati Public, released in 2012. The company has also inked partnerships with ReadSpeaker and Reference Service Press, acquired onlinetutorsolutions.com, and saw Literati Public win a 2013 Software & Information Industry Association (SIIA) CODiE Award.
"This is an exciting time to be in the education technology and library industries," said Mike Sweet, Credo's CEO, in a recent release. "The number of new partnerships and the recognition that we've received during this first quarter show that we are not alone in realizing that information skills are essential to academic, professional, and personal success. We look forward to working with our new and future partners to make the skills gap a thing of the past."
About the Author
Kevin Hudson is a freelance journalist based in Portland, Oregon. He can be reached at [email protected].