So, going back to the original topic of this thread.
Jean -- we're working on this exact same thing here at Cal State as version 2 of our Xerxes project. I guess great minds (or at least consortia) think alike. ;-)
It's still early days on that project, so I don't have a whole lot to report. But, after much experimentation, I've got the basic architecture and interface in place now, and have code written for Ebsco / EDS, Summon, and Primo / Primo Central. We also have code for Solr and Worldcat. First official release of version 2.0 should be available this summer.
I know VUFind also has code for Summon, and maybe also Blacklight? I know of a few other smaller projects doing this as well. You may get more responses to this question on the code4lib listserv.
Xerxes version 1 served as an interface to Metalib (which will get carried forward into version 2 as well), and we had -- and continue to have -- great success with that [1]. It has convinced me of the essential benefit of libraries developing their own interfaces to vendor systems.
--Dave
[1] http://library.calstate.edu/walker/2008/impact-of-xerxes-at-cal-state-fullerton/
==================
David Walker
Library Web Services Manager
California State University
http://xerxes.calstate.edu
________________________________________
From: Next generation catalogs for libraries [NGC4LIB_at_LISTSERV.ND.EDU] On Behalf Of Jean Phillips [jeanp_at_UFL.EDU]
Sent: Friday, March 18, 2011 11:41 AM
To: NGC4LIB_at_LISTSERV.ND.EDU
Subject: Re: [NGC4LIB] The next generation of discovery tools (new LJ article)
One aspect in the recent development of "Discovery Tools" has to do with institutions who have worked on developing their own user interface, which we used to call NextGen catalogs. We have a tool we've developed with the university librarians that we call Mango that has features the vendor interfaces don't have. If libraries give up these tools for the commercial "Discovery Tools" they gain access to e-resources, but lose some things too.
At FCLA and other places there are people working on the ability to include megaindexes of articles and others into their locally developed or open source Discovery Tool. We've recently been able to blend the results from Ex Libris's Primo Central Index in with our local repository of metadata from the catalog and digital collections sources. We are investigating being able to do the same with the other commercial megaindexes. This would make the user interface vendor-neutral in terms of which megaindex is licensed. That is important in a consortium like ours where each library could find that a particular vendor's content may be more relevant to their needs.
We'd be interested in hearing from others that are working on something similar. In addition to a simple search box that brings back "blended" results what options do you offer for searching articles only or print only? Which vendors are you working with? How successful have you been?
Jean Phillips
On Mar 16, 2011, at 12:23 PM, B.G. Sloan wrote:
"The challenge for academic libraries, caught in the seismic shift from print to electronic resources, is to offer an experience that has the simplicity of Google—which users expect—while searching the library’s rich digital and print collections—which users need. Increasingly, they are turning to a new generation of search tools, called discovery, for help."
See: http://bit.ly/g9KqiX
Bernie Sloan
Jean Phillips
Manager, ILS Services
Florida Center for Library Automation
jeanp_at_ufl.edu
Received on Mon Mar 28 2011 - 12:42:48 EDT