About Galaxy

Q: What is Galaxy?

A: Galaxy is a new discovery tool to help you get more from library resources. Galaxy is designed to search across multiple library databases simultaneously. By "library databases" we primarily mean online bibliographic indexes and subscriptions to packages of full-text journals, but Galaxy also includes a few non-journal collections as well as STARS (the library catalog). Our implementation of Galaxy allows us to search up to 50 library databases simultaneously.

Q: How many databases does the library have?

A: We have over 300 databases in the library’s online collection. This year we are testing Galaxy on 50 of our databases, and if it goes well and people are happy with Galaxy’s performance then we’ll consider adding more databases (in groups of 25).

Q: Does Galaxy work like Google?

A: No, Galaxy is very different from web search engines like Google or Yahoo because it searches deep inside databases that are not accessible to the bots and spiders that index the web. When you enter a search in Galaxy it passes the search along to the different databases in real-time, and each database responds to Galaxy with a set of results. Galaxy compiles and de-duplicates the results, ultimately presenting them to you in a single interface. Another major difference is that Galaxy does not maintain a single index compiled from the contents of the 50 different databases. Web search engines like Google, on the other hand, search a single large index that their spiders compile and routinely update.

Q: Why does the Library call Galaxy a “discovery tool”?

A: We call Galaxy a discovery tool because it will help you find information in databases you may never have thought to search on your own. For example, when the writer searched for information on "palliative care," a topic expected in the health, psychology, and news databases, Galaxy returned results in the business databases. People researching this topic probably wouldn’t think to check the business databases - and would have missed some information.

Q: How can people learn more about Galaxy?

A: The Galaxy search box is on the Library homepage and on Blackboard. Training sessions and workshops are posted on fliers. Anyone who wants to schedule a Galaxy session for their class, or for any group of 5 or more, can contact Library Instruction at librarysessions@notes.cc.sunysb.edu.

You can also check out the Galaxy Quick Reference Guide.