Session Description:
Commercial library databases are convenient and user-friendly, but what happens when you have a large amount of unique full-text documents that you want to make searchable? Have you ever tried to do a keyword search on a .PDF that is hundreds of pages long? It is an interminably slow process. This presentation will discuss how Chris has utilized open source DocFetcher software and digitized materials from Hathi Trust and the Internet Archive to research a book on Illinois bicycle history. It will also provide a live demonstration of how DocFetcher works in practice. This presentation has practical applications for anyone undertaking large text-based research projects as well as for indexing and searching unique library collections.
