UKOLN WebWatch: UK Public Library Search Engines

Survey Of UK Public Library Search Engines - January 2000


About This Document

This document provides information from a survey of UK Public Library Search Engines. The survey was carried out between 4-5th January 2000. The survey was carried out using the information provided by the UK Public Library Page.

Library Search engine Location Search
Isle of Anglesey Library Services None found    
Angus Libraries None found    
Barking & Dagenham Libraries None found    
Barnet Libraries None found (Search OPAC only)    
Bath and North East Somerset Libraries Microsoft http://www.bath.uk.com/copyofintranet/search_for_information.htm  
Bedfordshire Libraries None found    
Bexley Libraries ICE (looks good) http://www.bexley.gov.uk/main/search.html  
Birmingham Libraries Domino? http://birmingham.gov.uk/epislive/search.nsf/$$Search?OpenForm  
Blackburn & Darwen Library Service None found    
Bolton Libraries None found    
Bracknell Forest Libraries Microsoft http://www.bracknell-forest.gov.uk/council/departments/leisure/libraries/  
Bradford Libraries None found    
Brent Libraries Domino? http://www2.brent.gov.uk/802564FF0046ADB3/SEARCHCIS?OpenForm&View=vWebSearchResults  
Bristol City Libraries Muscat http://www.bristol-city.gov.uk/cgi-bin/w3menu?C+CMM008+BG+F+CMM00107  
Bromley Libraries None found    
Buckinghamshire County Libraries None found    
Bury Libraries None found    
Caerphilly Library Services None found    
Calderdale Libraries None found    
Cambridgeshire Libraries eXcite (full Council search) http://www.camcnty.gov.uk/Excite/AT-all_sitequery.html  
Camden Libraries Cold Fusion? [cfm extension] (full Council search) http://www.camden.gov.uk/camden/search/  
Cardiff County Libraries None found    
Ceredigion Libraries None found    
Cheshire Library Services Home-grown http://www.cheshire.gov.uk/search/search.htm  
Conwy Library, Information and Archives Service Not known (full Council search) http://www.conwy.gov.uk/cgi-dta/atoz.mac/main  
Cornwall Library Service None found    
Coventry City Libraries None found    
Croydon Microsoft (Index server) http://www.croydon.gov.uk/sitesearch.htm  
Cumbria Heritage Services None found    
Darlington Libraries None found    
Devon Library Services None found    
Dorset Library Service None found    
Dudley Libraries and Information None found    
Dumfries & Galloway Libraries and Archives None found    
Dundee City Libraries eXcite http://www.dundeecity.gov.uk/AT-cityquery.html  
Durham County Libraries None found    
East Renfrewshire Libraries Microsoft http://www.eastrenfrewshire.gov.uk/council_information/Library%20Services.html  
East Lothian Libraries None found    
East Sussex County Library Service Microsoft  
Enfield Libraries None found    
Essex Libraries Microsoft (Index Server) http://www.essexcc.gov.uk/search/libSearch.htm  
Gateshead Libraries and Arts Service None found    
Glasgow City Libraries None found    
Gloucestershire Libraries None found    
Greenwich Libraries None found    
Hackney Libraries None found    
Hammersmith and Fulham Libraries Microsoft - Full Council search http://www.lbhf.gov.uk/Search/sitesearch.htm  
Hampshire County Libraries Muscat - several available http://www.hants.gov.uk/search.html  
Hartlepool Borough Libraries None found    
Havering Libraries None found    
Hertfordshire Libraries None found    
Hillingdon Libraries None found    
Hounslow Library Network ht://Dig http://www.cip.org.uk/search.htm  
Islington Libraries Microsoft http://www.islington.gov.uk/search.asp  
The Jersey Library None found    
Kendal Library None found    
Kent County Library Services None found    
Kensington and Chelsea Libraries None found    
Kingston upon Hull City Libraries Not yet available http://www.hullcc.gov.uk/search.html  
Kingston Upon Thames Libraries None found    
Kirklees Libraries None found    
Knowsley Libraries None found    
Lancashire County Libraries None found    
Leeds City Libraries Home-grown (Full Council site) http://www.leeds.gov.uk/search.html  
Lewisham Libraries None found    
Lincolnshire Library Service Microsoft http://www.lincolnshire.gov.uk/searches/KeywordsSearch.asp  
London Public Libraries None found    
Corporation of London Libraries None found    
Luton Libraries None found    
Manchester Public Libraries None found    
Merton Libraries None found    
Middlesbrough Libraries None found    
Midlothian Library Services None found    
Milton Keynes Library Service None found    
Monmouthshire Libraries and Information Services Microsoft (Index Server) (Full Council site plus areas) http://www.monmouthshire.gov.uk/search/search.html  
Newham Libraries None found    
Newport Libraries None found    
Norfolk County Library and Information Service None found    
North East Lincolnshire Library Services None found    
North-Eastern Education and Library Board None found    
North Lanarkshire Libraries and Information Microsoft http://www.nll.org/WebSearchForm.htm  
North Lincolnshire Libraries & Information Services None found    
North Somerset Libraries None found    
Northamptonshire Library & Information Service None found    
Nottinghamshire Library Services None found    
Oxfordshire Libraries None found    
Perth and Kinross Libraries None found    
Plymouth Library Services Not yet available http://www.plymouth.gov.uk/star/library.htm  
Portsmouth City Library Service None found    
Powys Libraries & Archives ht://Dig http://www.powys.gov.uk/english/search/search.php3  
Richmond upon Thames Library Services None found    
Rochdale Library Service None found    
Rotherham Library Services None found    
Rutland Library & Museum Service None found    
Salford Libraries None found    
Sandwell Libraries None found    
SLAINTE None found    
Slough Library & Information Service None found    
Solihull Libraries None found    
Somerset County Libraries None found    
South Ayrshire Libraries None found    
South Gloucestershire Libraries None found    
South Lanarkshire Libraries Home-grown (Microsoft) (touch screen interface) http://62.253.244.69/cgi-win/keyboard.htm  
South Tyneside Libraries None found    
Southampton City Libraries Muscat (Full Council site) http://www.southampton.gov.uk/cgi-programs/empower?DB=CityWeb  
Southend on Sea Borough Libraries SiteSearch - Public Domain, US student program http://www.southend.gov.uk/libraries/content/search/search.html  
Southwark Libraries None found    
Staffordshire Library & Information Services None found    
Stirling Libraries None found    
Stoke-on-Trent Libraries Information & Archives None found    
Suffolk County Council - Libraries and Heritage OPAC interface http://infolink.suffolkcc.gov.uk/cgi-bin/suffolk.sh?enqtype=INFO_KEYWORD  
Surrey Libraries Lotus Domino (Full Council) http://ww2.surreycc.gov.uk/indexes/atoz.nsf/indexes/1  
Sutton Libraries None found    
Swansea Libraries Microsoft (Full Council and areas) - good example http://www.swansea.gov.uk/searches/swansearch.asp  
Tameside Libraries and Heritage SWISH-E http://www.tameside.gov.uk/cgi-bin/search2.pl  
Telford and Wrekin Libraries None found    
Thurrock Library Services None found    
Torfaen Libraries None found    
Tower Hamlets Libraries None found    
Vale of Glamorgan Libraries None found    
Wakefield Libraries and Information Services None found    
Walsall Libraries None found    
Waltham Forest Libraries eXcite - full Council search http://www.lbwf.gov.uk/search.htm  
Wandsworth Libraries None found    
Warwickshire County Libraries Microsoft (Index Server) [Fill Council plus areas] http://www.warwickshire.gov.uk/search.htm  
West Berkshire Libraries None found    
West Lothian Library Services Microsoft [All Council plus areas] http://www.wlonline.org/main/frames~5~0~0.htm  
West Midlands Public Libraries Microsoft http://www.wm-libraries.org.uk/search.htm  
West Sussex Libraries Microsoft - All Council http://www.westsussex.gov.uk/site_data/search.asp  
Western Education and Library Board None found    
Westminster Libraries and Archives Microsoft (Index Server) http://www.westminster.gov.uk/anavigat/topframe/search.htm  
Wigan Libraries None found    
Wiltshire County Libraries Not known (database) http://193.133.95.171/cgi-bin/newweb-comminfo.sh?enqtype=ALL_TOPICS&enqpara1=entry  
Wirral Libraries None found    
Wokingham Libraries None found    
Wolverhampton Libraries and Information Services HotBot (remote) http://www.wolverhampton.gov.uk/search.htm  
Worcestershire County Libraries Microsoft http://www.worcestershire.gov.uk/wcc/mainpage/query.htm  
York City Libraries None found    

A summary of the search engine software used is given in the following table.

Software Totals Sites
Microsoft 13 (9.5%) Bath and North East Somerset Libraries - Bracknell Forest Libraries - East Renfrewshire Libraries - East Sussex County Library Service - Hammersmith and Fulham Libraries - Islington Libraries - Lincolnshire Library Service - North Lanarkshire Libraries and Information - Swansea Libraries - West Lothian Library Services - West Midlands Public Libraries - West Sussex Libraries - Worcestershire County Libraries
Microsoft (Index Server - .idq extension) 5 (3.6%) Croydon - Essex Libraries - Monmouthshire Libraries and Information Services - Warwickshire County Libraries - Westminster Libraries and Archives
Lotus Domino 3 (2%) Brent Libraries - Birmingham Libraries - Surrey Libraries
Muscat 3 (2%) Bristol City Libraries - Hampshire County Libraries - Southampton City Libraries
eXcite 3 (2%) Cambridgeshire Libraries - http://www.dundeecity.gov.uk/AT-cityquery.html - Waltham Forest Libraries
ht://Dig 2 (1.5%) Hounslow Library Network - Powys Libraries and Archives
HotBot (public) 1 (0.7%) Wolverhampton Libraries and Information Services
ICE 1 (0.7%) Bexley Libraries
SWISH-E 1 (0.7%) Tameside Libraries and Heritage
SiteSearch (public domain) 1 (0.7%) Southend on Sea Borough Libraries
Not known - .cfm extension (ColdFusion?) 1 (0.7%) Camden Libraries
Not known 1 (0.7%) Conwy Library, Information and Archives Service
Interface to OPAC / database 2 (1.5%) Suffolk County Council - Libraries and Heritage - Wiltshire County Libraries
Home-grown 3 (2%) Cheshire Library Services - Leeds City Libraries - South Lanarkshire Libraries
ColdFusion (.cfm suffix) 1 (0.7%) Camden Libraries
None found 98 (49%)
Total 137

The totals for services which provide a search engine are given below.

Software Totals
Microsoft (all) 18 (45%)
Domino 3 (7.5%)
Muscat 3 (7.5%)
Others 16 (40%)
TOTAL 40 (100%)

Maintained by Brian Kelly, UKOLN
Last updated on 23-Mar-2000

Email comments to B.Kelly@ukoln.ac.uk