PRESS RELEASES
BUFFALO AND ERIE COUNTY PUBLIC LIBRARY
INTRODUCES NEW WAY TO SEARCH FOR INFORMATION
~ MultiSearch Offers Convenient, One-Stop Searching ~
December 18, 2003 - Buffalo, NY - The Buffalo and Erie County Public Library (B&ECPL) unveiled MultiSearch, a revolutionary way to search for information, at the regular monthly meeting of the Library’s Board of Trustees today, announced Director Michael C. Mahaney. MultiSearch allows patrons to find books, audiovisual materials, journal or newspaper articles, reference book excerpts and other documents with a single search drawing from a multitude of sources, including the Library’s Catalog, website and popular reference databases.
“In the past, patrons have had to search the Library’s extensive resources individually, navigating different interfaces and formats to produce results,” said Mahaney. “MultiSearch provides individuals the opportunity to conduct one search in order to generate a variety of sources in a single, comprehensive list. Not only does MultiSearch provide quantity, but it also offers quality. By searching databases the B&ECPL subscribes to, not available through other search engines, MultiSearch allows access to authoritative, specialized information.”
MultiSearch is a product of WebFeat, a company used by more than 900 leading academic, public and Fortune 500 libraries, including more than half of the top 10 U.S. public libraries. Examples of other library systems offering the WebFeat product include San Francisco Public, Brooklyn Public, Free Library of Philadelphia and Cleveland Public.
“An additional benefit of MultiSearch is that the software will enable us to determine which databases are most popular and relevant, allowing us the ability to refine our electronic purchasing decisions and expend taxpayer dollars even more effectively,” added Mahaney.
MultiSearch is available through the B&ECPL’s website, www.buffalolib.org. If accessed remotely, a library card number is necessary.
For more information, call (716) 858-8900 or visit www.buffalolib.org.