Search Books, Databases, and More: The Swift Rise of Federated Search Boxes and Discovery Services on Academic Library Web Sites

Abstract

Academic library websites and search tools have changed dramatically over the last decade. Today, federated search boxes, often provided through discovery layer tools and services like the EBSCO Discovery Service, are ubiquitously featured on academic library home pages. Such search boxes mirror the simplicity of a Google search, offering the user a place to begin library research that, by design, includes results from a wide range of resources both within and beyond the library's collection. However, little explanation of what resources are being searched by using these Google-style boxes is available to users. This paper examines the evolution and current state of discovery service use and related library instruction on 30 academic library websites described in a 2010 study by Yang and Wagner. This sample of academic library websites illuminates current search layout and instruction trends and the swift rise of federated search boxes and discovery services from 2010 to 2024. Such a rapid change in the scope of searches available through library websites has created a gap in researcher knowledge and general strategic understanding that creates an exciting and critical challenge for online library instruction and website design.