Better Search = More Data
I ran across this interesting post yesterday on how adding the right kind of additional data to a dataset did more to improve its searchability and relevance than creating a more complex algorithm to search it. Worth a read for those search-geeks out there like myself.
We have daily conversations here about how to improve the relevance of WorldCat's search and find ourselves tweaking the algorithm almost monthly, but it's amazing how much more relevant the results became (back in the early days of '06) just by adding the count of libraries that hold an item into the "data pool." This gets me excited to start folding user-contributed data (tags, reviews, what-have-you) into the mix as it makes sense and as critical mass builds. The benefits to discoverability could be tremendous.
On April 2, 2008 at 5:20 PM Maxb22 said:
Does WorldCat have access to data regarding your member library users' book withdrawals and borrowing records (anonymized)? This would be especially interesting as it represents an non-web demographic. Also, some records may stretch back decades.
On April 3, 2008 at 7:42 AM K.G. Schneider said:
"This gets me excited to start folding user-contributed data (tags, reviews, what-have-you) into the mix..."
The review feature still has a bag of issues, and unless it's very well-hidden, I can't tag an item, let alone provide it with "what-have-you" (what would that be, anyway? Frequency of use, other books read by the same readers..?). I'm rooting for you, but I don't see you guys actually *doing* anything in this space yet.
It *is* all about the data...
On April 3, 2008 at 10:16 AM Bob Schulz said:
Unfortunately, we don't have access to the withdrawals and borrowing records, but I think you're right. That information could provide a valuable facet with which to manipulate the data that is unique to libraries.
On April 3, 2008 at 10:32 AM Bob Schulz said:
Thanks for your comment. I should have been more clear. I was speaking of functionality that's on the horizon, including (but not limited to) an overhaul of the review feature, the addition of tagging, and recommender features. I agree we haven't done much in this space yet, but the list of functionality we plan to release over the next 12 months is long and these types of social tools are the primary focus.
On April 3, 2008 at 5:00 PM K.G. Schneider said:
I wait with bated breath!