Serials Solutions, a business unit of the US-based ProQuest LLC, has announced that its Ulrichsweb service has been named runner-up in the 'Greatest Usability Revamp' category in Library Journal's Best Databases 2011 list. Two years of research and development, along with the contributions of library partners helped the company produce a service that is valued and utilised by the library community.
In 2010, Ulrich's decided that the first iteration of its online presence was no longer working well enough to support the growth in the number of subscribers and the new ways in which the data was being used. Two years of research as well as input from librarians resulted in the material being indexed in new ways and the addition of more tools with which to explore it. New languages were added so that speakers of 14 languages including Spanish, French, Chinese, and even Turkish can comfortably use the platform. According to the company, the interface is now much cleaner; its single search box and advanced search options are particularly intuitive to use. Icons in the results list show which serials are refereed, available on the web, offer reviews, etc.
Ulrichsweb is an integrated, continuously updated service that enables librarians and patrons to discover, explore, annotate and reuse information about periodicals and the companies that publish and provide them.
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