What's Driving Discovery Systems? The Case for Standards

In efforts to offer the best access possible to users, libraries are increasingly interested in systems that better respond to user needs. Discovery systems provide a single-search interface to all library resources through a single index of content. A number of black box issues plague discovery at present; these could be remedied through the application of standards. Issues are related to the content that is indexed, the metadata that is provided, and the algorithms used to provide a list of relevant results. The profession should consider the adoption of the Open Discovery Initiative as a first step in applying standards to this sector. The proprietary algorithms in use are necessary, but vendors and content providers at the same time have an obligation to follow standards as a way of best addressing the black box issues that have arisen.