University Library System's Zoom! Search Engine Wins Innovation Award

PITTSBURGH—The University of Pittsburgh Library System's (ULS) online library search engine that allows users to simultaneously search hundreds of databases has been awarded the 2006 WebFeat President's Award for Innovation.

Launched in September 2004, Zoom! allows users to search using key words in a simple search box on ULS' home page, www.library.pitt.edu. Results are available almost instantaneously from countless sources, including databases, ejournals, and online books and newspapers. Users need not know the exact titles of the databases they wish to search.

"People love it," says Jeff Wisniewski, ULS Web services librarian, who reports heavy use by Pitt students and faculty. In the 2005 calendar year, Zoom! was used in five and a half million searches.

WebFeat is the company that produces the software, and company president Todd Miller praised ULS staff for its creativity. "They have crafted information systems that push the envelope on federated search technology to meet the specific needs of the communities they serve," he said. "They have clearly demonstrated that libraries are not restricted to one-size-fits-all solutions."

Other college and university libraries competing for the President's Award included those at Northern Arizona University, Princeton University, and Westminster College.

The ULS is the 26th largest academic research library in North America and the 16th largest among the prestigious public libraries of the Association of American Libraries.

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