In the Spotlight

Code Name: Einstein

Test drive the prototype for a new service at Northwestern University Library

Einstein is a system that will make it easier for faculty and students to search scholarly resources. It provides significant new functionality for locating and searching indexes, databases, e-journals, and full-text articles.

The system is designed with special features such as “QuickStart,” which is recommended for undergraduate students at the beginning of the research process. For this feature, Northwestern librarians have preselected eight multidisciplinary databases to help students start their research. Users can search all eight databases simultaneously and quickly retrieve a list of citations to articles and other types of references.

More advanced searching is facilitated through a feature called “Metasearch.” As with “QuickStart,” this option allows the user to search across multiple databases simultaneously. The key difference with "Metasearch" is that the user's research topic guides the selection of databases to be searched. For example, a user researching human-computer interaction might choose to do one simultaneous search of three databases: PsycINFO, Internet and PC Abstracts, and Linguistics and Language Behavior Abstracts. The result is a combined list of citations from all three sources. Although many of the Library's databases support this functionality, some do not and the Library is working with its vendors to make their resources “Metasearch” compatible. In addition, faculty and students continue to have the ability to connect directly to a database and search using its native interface.

The “Find Database” and “Find e-journal” functions allow the researcher to locate a database or electronic journal by exact title or by title keywords. In addition, users can browse by subject area to discover database resources that are relevant to a specific discipline or topic.

Finally, the “My Space” feature allows the user, once logged in with NETid, to "collect" favorite databases, e-journals, citations (which may then be saved to Endnote or RefWorks), and search preferences. Thereafter, when the user logs in, his view will be customized based on these preferences.

Einstein is now available at http://einstein.library.northwestern.edu. The Library will use the next couple of months to optimize the user interface and tweak the system to make it work better. In the meantime, please give this research tool a test drive.