(MICHAEL DOOLEY/The Daily Campus)

How often do students have to use the Web to find resources for a research paper?  This process can turn out to be a time consuming task.  During National Library Week held April 12 through the 14, the Central University Libraries unveiled a new discovery tool that will make that process a less tedious one.
 

The new service that SMU Libraries has launched allows students and faculty to search the library the same way they search the open Web.  Found on SMU’s library homepage, The Discover SMU Libraries service allows searches to be quicker, easier and just as useful as before.
 

This new service allows users to search all the libraries’ formats such as books, articles, newspapers, databases and more from a single search box.
 

“Offering this revolutionary service to our community is a culmination of several months of investigation, evaluation and planning by SMU Libraries and Office of Information Technology  staff,” said Toni Nolen, IT Services Librarian at Fondren Library, who led the implementation effort.

According to the research the SMU libraries did in order to set up this new service they found evidence that helped them decide on a new Web based search. 

Studies show that students and faculty prefer the quality information found in libraries, but find searching on the Web simpler and more straightforward they said.

From a professor’s perspective who teaches a research course, Dr. Rita Kirk said this service can be a fantastic aid to student research and encourage them to go beyond a simple Google search to achieve greater academic depth.

Sophomore Lana Greene said she was in the middle of writing a research paper and thinks it’s a quick and useful way to find sources.

“Even though, it’s a very broad search engine and can’t provide sources on specific topics, it’s a great place to start your research,” Greene said.

The Discover SMU Libraries service is from Serials Solutions, a Seattle-based company. 
This company works with publishers to pre-load information into a single storage where it can all be found. 

This can be identified like the Web; however, it is specific with the content and contains SMU’s library holdings.

“We still have our library catalog and all of the databases, and library patrons may still use those native interfaces, but the new Discover SMU Libraries search will be a good research starting place for many students and faculty and many times may be all that is needed for a given paper or project,” Nolen said.

Wednesday and Thursday, students and faculty will be able to test the new program during the annual CUL’s cookout. 

They will also have group demonstrations where users can see how this new service works.

With this year being its third consecutive event, the cookout is open to everyone without an RSVP from 11 a.m. to 2 p.m.

Along with the demonstration, the CUL and the Office of Information Technology will have food, drinks and giveaways.