Improving Library Resource Discovery: Exploring the Possibilities of VuFind and Web-Scale Discovery

Like many libraries, the Bridge Consortium (the shared library of Carleton College and St. Olaf College) had outgrown the existing catalog and needed to find an improved search interface for collections. Seeking something that would work with the existing Innovative Interfaces Inc.'s Millennium integrated library system, researchers explored everything from catalog enhancements provided by Innovative Interfaces to a completely separate, Web-scale discovery tool. For the past year, they worked to implement VuFind as a catalog overlay, continually customizing and enhancing it based on user feedback. At the same time, they continued to research a broader solution and recommended a discovery tool to their consortium leadership group that they believe will redefine student research at their colleges and give new shape and direction to their consortium. By thinking of discovery as more than a product and staggering their implementation, they were better able to meet their consortium's needs. This article details their evaluation process and provides reflection on the decisions made. Many libraries are considering Web-scale discovery products. As part of the process, they confront questions about open source tools, Web site redesigns, incorporating user feedback, and consortial needs. The researchers hope to contribute to these libraries' processes by outlining their process and considerations, and what they learned along the way to arrive at their current solution.     

Choosing Discovery: A Literature Review on the Selection and Evaluation of Discovery Layers

Within the next few years, traditional online public access catalogs will be replaced by more robust and interconnected discovery layers that can serve as primary public interfaces to simultaneously search many separate collections of resources. Librarians have envisioned this type of discovery tool since the 1980s, and research shows that discovery layer functionality and features have already resolved, or will soon remedy, many of the known issues with the traditional online public access catalog. The authors of this article review the literature on discovery, focusing on the evolution from the traditional online public access catalog to newer discovery interfaces, and summarize what has been published regarding the selection and evaluation of these new tools. Based on this review, emerging trends in the acquisition of discovery layers are described, including: the amount of time libraries devote to selection and evaluation, the staff involved and their areas of expertise, which discovery tools were selected to review, the evaluation methods used, and the features and functionality evaluated. The authors conclude with a discussion of the opportunities and concerns for libraries and their patrons related to discovery efforts, and provide direction for future research. While discovery layers are still developing, they show great promise in increasing the use and usability of library resources.     

上海图书馆的"虚拟-现实图书馆服务体系"

上海图书馆面向公众、科研、政府三个领域广泛地开展服务，形成了服务于社会大众与服务于科技活动和政府决策研究的服务模式。上海图书馆的发展目标是将被动的资源检索变为主动的知识导航，把传统的图书馆服务与网络技术结合起来，在信息资源的整合、开发和个性化服务等方面进行基于新技术与服务手段的创新，让图书馆的服务覆盖全社会。     

The Public Knowledge Project and the Simon Fraser University Library: A Partnership in Open Source and Open Access

The Public Knowledge Project is an ongoing collaboration between academics, librarians, publishers, editors, and software developers, working together to build alternatives in scholarly publishing. The project has developed a suite of open source software that significantly reduces the time and expense required for producing academic journals and conferences, and facilitates making research results freely available through open access. This article examines the history of the project, provides an overview of its open source software, discusses the growing community participating in the project, and considers its future directions.     

A Comprehensive Analysis of Academic Library Websites: Design,Navigation, Content,Services, and Web 2.0 Tools

This article's purpose is to analyze the current state of library websites in academic institutions in Gulf Cooperative Council (GCC) countries, aiming to determine their compliance with standard website practices. Based on the Library Website Evaluation Checklist (L-WEC) developed for this study, a content analysis is performed of 110 academic library websites. This research, being one of the first studies of its kind, should interest information professionals and educators responsible for developing and improving the quality of their websites. With the majority of academic users growing up in the Google generation, it is important to create more millennial-friendly websites that provide quick and easy access to Web-based services and content-rich information.     

Trends in Library Systems: Improved Workflow Processes,Greater Collaboration,and Unbounded Openness

The evolution of print, electronic, and digital resources, as well as shifting technology advancements, are significant drivers of change in libraries, including library systems. This article reviews the latest variety of library systems available focusing on the library services platform, ¹ 1. “Library services platform” is a term used by Marshall Breeding. See Marshall Breeding, Contents from the Guest Editor, 24 Information Standards Quarterly 2, 2 (2012). open source solutions, and the hybrid open source library services platform. All of these newer alternatives to the integrated library system are attempting in their own way to address the overarching drive for libraries, including law libraries, to have greater efficiencies in the following ways: (1) more productive business processes, (2) collaboration among libraries, institutions, and vendors, and (3) unfettered access to open code and software in order to customize library systems to their own specifications.     

Web-Scale Discovery in an Academic Health Sciences Library: Development and Implementation of the EBSCO Discovery Service

Funds made available at the close of the 2010–11 fiscal year allowed purchase of the EBSCO Discovery Service (EDS) for a year-long trial. The appeal of this web-scale discovery product that offers a Google-like interface to library resources was counter-balanced by concerns about quality of search results in an academic health science setting and the challenge of configuring an interface that serves the needs of a diverse group of library users. After initial configuration, usability testing with library users revealed the need for further work before general release. Of greatest concern were continuing issues with the relevance of items retrieved, appropriateness of system-supplied facet terms, and user difficulties with navigating the interface. EBSCO has worked with the library to better understand and identify problems and solutions. External roll-out to users occurred in June 2012.     

The reSearcher Software Suite: A Case Study of Library Collaboration and Open Source Software Development

This article examines the importance of library collaboration as demonstrated by the development of reSearcher, an open source software project at the Simon Fraser University Library, in British Columbia, Canada. A brief history of the project is provided, as well as an overview of each of the project's components, which offer electronic resource management, link resolving, personal citation management, and federated searching capabilities. The importance of libraries working together to ensure the success of the project is discussed, as well as the benefits received by members of the international library community participating in this open source alternative.     

弘扬地方文化提升图书馆品质——泰州市图书馆举办地方人士著述展牌展览八年来的实践

论文以泰州市图书馆的具体实践为例，阐述了公共图书馆在地方文献工作中制作展牌开展宣传工作，扩大图书馆社会影响的举措。     

公共图书馆文化创意产品开发中的优质IP培育研究——以国家图书馆为例

IP授权凭借其跨界合作带来的低成本、低风险、高流量的优势,已成为当今国内文化文物单位进行文化创意产品开发,推动中华优秀传统文化创造性转化与创新性发展的重要方向。文章立足公共图书馆职能及藏品特点,借鉴商业IP的培育理念,以国家图书馆为例重点探讨了图书馆优质文创IP的主要特点。并在此基础上,提出如何从核心价值观的提炼、流量级用户的培育和跨界合作等方面进行优质IP的培育。     

A pillar of the Youngstown community: The Public Library of Youngstown and Mahoning County engages in the Harwood practice

ABSTRACT

The Harwood Institute arrived in Youngstown, Ohio, in 1999; and today, over 18 years later, its teachings have made a profound effect upon the city. The Youngstown Public Library, through the leadership of Carlton Sears and Heidi Daniel, has wholeheartedly embraced the methods and ideology of the Harwood Institute, helping to reinvigorate and power a city working its way back to prosperity.     

Money and Leadership: A Study of Theses on Public School Libraries Submitted to the University of the Philippines' Institute of Library and Information Science

The author suggests the importance of knowledgeable leadership as a factor in improving Philippine school libraries. He offers a brief case study of how two different libraries fared with similar levels of funding. One without outstanding leadership did not advance; the other with knowledgeable leadership made large advances. This report is drawn from the author's earlier degree research at the University of the Philippines' Institute of Library and Information Science.