EBSCOhost Transition Plan

As Wilson products are transitioned to the EBSCOhost platform, many customers will receive free upgrades to larger, more comprehensive databases. Please refer to the table below for more details:

Bring Wilson Databases into EDS

Content is the most important area when it comes to discovery services. “Content” encompasses not only the comprehensive nature of overall source coverage in a discovery service, but also the manner in which these sources are covered. In other words, in order for a discovery service to provide the best possible results on the first page of a result list, the metadata utilized in searching must be very detailed.

The Most Comprehensive and Robust Indexing of any Discovery Service
Whereas some discovery services tend to rely on basic Table of Contents data in searching, EDS utilizes detailed indexing including not only article title, source, author, etc., but more critically, subject headings, author keywords, author-supplied abstracts and other robust detail. Of course the availability of full text to search against is also a factor, and EDS leads the way in this area. But the reality is that there is a misconception about the value of relying on Table of Contents and full text for searching. This is because the power in quality relevancy ranking comes in large part from subject headings that are applied to each article by trained indexers leveraging controlled vocabularies.

Enhancing the Discovery Experience via Detailed Subject Indexes and “Platform Blending”
There is tremendous value in high-end indexing when it comes to providing the best results for a search query. This is a primary reason libraries utilize detailed subject indexes (e.g., H.W. Wilson databases, CINAHL, Historical Abstracts, Inspec, MEDLINE, PsycINFO), and we believe the best way to add “power” to comprehensiveness in a discovery service. In addition to the level of indexing provided in the EDS base index, for EDS customers who subscribe to H.W. Wilson databases, for example, the full indexing of these resources is brought in to the EDS experience. This happens through a process we call “platform blending” which allows databases that exist on the EBSCOhost platform (to which a library subscribes) to become part of the search experience. This is a huge advantage and unique characteristic of EDS as the overwhelming majority of these important index-only databases do not participate in discovery services. However, due to platform blending, an EDS searcher will be able to find results from an important index such as Art Abstracts…something that is not possible in other services. In the end, we are combining comprehensiveness with high-end indexing in order to provide the best, most relevant results immediately to the researcher – and easy access to full text.

No Cost Upgrades

Increasing Access to Wilson Resources – Unlimited Usage Options & Free Unlimited Use Upgrade for Retrospective Customers

If you have purchased a Wilson database, it is likely that it has some sort of restriction on the number of simultaneous users that may access the product. EBSCO will offer individual institutions affordable upgrade options to move to unlimited access.

In addition, if your library has purchased a Wilson Retro Index, EBSCO will be lifting the simultaneous user restriction and offering a free upgrade to unlimited access (to all individual institutions effective September 2011). This upgrade is not applicable to multi-site/shared subscriptions. To see all applicable retrospective archives, please visit www.ebscohost.com/archives.