In each case, these search facilities may be useful for those of us wishing to search one of these sub-sets of the world's open access repository material. As we have pointed out on the site, for researchers looking for information in their field, then the global search service of OpenDOAR might be more appropriate. However, we have received enough queries and suggestions over the past few years to think that a full-text search service for the UK or for SHERPA Partners may be of benefit to some users like advocates or administrators; for example, in establishing a national picture of particular research....
What the Google tool does do is to give a quick and useful search from specified repositories or other sites. We have included the 800 plus assessed OpenDOAR repositories for the global OpenDOAR search, and nearly 80 repositories for the UK Search, but of course, the specification could be quite small - say 3 or 4.
This opens up other ideas and possibilities. It certainly gives a quick solution to searching across a number of repositories based at the same institution. For example, here in Nottingham we have Nottingham ePrints, Nottingham eTheses and Nottingham eDissertations among others. I know that in a number of institutions, there may be one or more separate repositories that have been set-up within a department - often, but not exclusively a computer science department. The Google tool gives the opportunity to have a cross-repository search within the institution.
These services are a trial: they not perfect and there may be some oddities thrown up from the Google system, but they are producing interesting results and raising some new ideas. We are collecting feedback and will pass this on to Google.
Posted by
Peter Suber at 10/27/2006 10:04:00 AM.
The open access movement:
Putting peer-reviewed scientific and scholarly literature
on the internet. Making it available free of charge and
free of most copyright and licensing restrictions.
Removing the barriers to serious research.
