Academic Librarians,Information Overload,and the Tao of Discovery

This article explores the meaning of web-scale discovery and argues for the need to formulate a philosophy of discovery (consistent with library values) before using and deploying a discovery tool to make it easier to achieve goals and objectives. It also focuses on how user behavior and the success of Google Scholar can help guide us in improving these tools. At the same time, the essay describes the limitations of discovery tools and their perceived role in contributing to information overload.