Paper details
Implementing a Discovery Tool: Options, Experience, Expectations
Author
Thomas Mutschler, Thuringian University and State Library, Germany
Documents to download
Abstract
With the introduction of discovery services libraries respond to the growing expectations of their users and the increasing variety of their media holdings. Since 2012 the Thuringian University and State Library of Jena (ThULB) offers a discovery service which allows users a Google like experience. It enables the search for articles deriving from different resources parallel to the library’s OPAC and combines different navigation functionalities under one surface. „ThULB Search“ was implemented on the basis of the unified Summon index in combination with the portal software VuFind in order to offer users a single point of entry. The Presentation discusses the different possibilities in setting up a discovery service. It summarizes the experiences of the ThULB Jena and draws first conclusions.
Author's professional CV
Dr. Thomas Mutschler is head of acquisitions in the Thuringian University and State Library of Jena. He holds a doctoral degree in History and a Master of Library and Information Science. His fields of interest are management in libraries, collection development, the digitization of cultural heritage materials and historical science.
