Addressing a Discovery Tool’s Shortcomings with a Supplemental Health Sciences-Specific Federated Search Engine

Some discovery tools may not necessarily be the best resources for searching the health sciences literature. This is especially true when the discovery tool is not a vendor-neutral product or when it does not deep search full-text electronic resources. Therefore, supplementing a discovery tool with a health sciences-specific federated search engine could be a viable option. This is a review of one university’s decision-making and implementation process for adding a health sciences-specific supplemental federated search engine. Included is a 30-month usage analysis of the federated search engine, along with website usability testing results.