Think of Middlespot as a Zotero-like organization tool for web searches.  Perform a search, and you have several ways to explore the search results, as well as saving collections of results in what they call a “Workpad”.

The fastest way to learn what this can do is to view their slideshow tutorial.  If you think it has potential, then don’t forget to check out their tools (including a way to incorporate Google search results into your workpad).

from MetaFilter

Wikia, the search engine designed around the concept of wikis, has been launched in alpha.  This means that a) it isn’t going to work as well as anyone wants, and b) no fair comparing it to Google et. al., except in the theoretical.  In fact, we usually wouldn’t see software until the beta stage of development; this shows how much Wikia will rely on users.

There isn’t all that much to see yet, but the idea of an annotated search engine where the users provide feedback about the search results, which will then be used to improve future results, is tantalizing.  Search 2.0 anyone?

via Open Access News

LENS is an AquaBrowser online catalog installation at the University of Chicago library that has just gone live, albeit in beta.

It is an impressive catalog interface, showing what can be done with our existing cataloging, good software, and an eye towards good layout.  I especially like the Library of Congress Classification links that reside above the search results… each time you narrow your search, you get additional options for narrowing it even further.  Try it and you will see what I mean.

Pretty much the only things I don’t like on first look are:

1. I have never really liked the “starburst” tag cloud that is part of the AquaBrowser installation.  It doesn’t really add to the ease of use, and isn’t very accessible (a text-based tag cloud is more user-friendly, I feel).  No big problem, though, as it isn’t an integral part of the search, and can be ignored fairly easily.
2. When you turn off page styles, the resulting page is very unfriendly, especially the search results box, which is sized quite poorly.  Their high accessiblity version of the site (called “text only”) is a great improvement.  Web sites should handle styling much more naturally, imo.

These minor points aside, this is our future, and UofC has done some fantastic work.  Kudos!

from a post to NGC4LIB

The Education Resources Information Center (ERIC) search tool has added a “Find in a library” link to many of their search results, which will open WorldCat in a new browser window with detail on which libraries in your area subscribe to the journal containing that article.

This one step makes ERIC much more convenient, and removes some of the guesswork involved with tracking down sources.

from ResourceShelf

MasterKey is an interesting prototype of a new meta-search engine.  I like search tools that generate metadata (in the form of subjects, authors, etc. to narrow one’s search) on the fly.  Vivisimo was the first of these that I encountered, and MasterKey is an excellent example of how to do this in a usable manner.

One thing that needs to be addressed, however:  once you have narrowed your search results, there doesn’t seem to be any straightforward way to go back to a broader set of results, short of modifying the info in the search box.  One has to expect to be able to back up and explore other areas with as much ease as narrowing the search in the first place.

from Catalogablog