VuFind: Empowering Libraries with Open Source Community
Versatile VuFind system, a flexible and customizable search engine ideal for libraries. Explore its key features such as intuitive search interfaces, community support, and integration with popular library systems. Learn how VuFind and open source development benefit the profession of librarianship, and find out how you can engage with this powerful tool to enhance library services.
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Presentation Transcript
VuFind, Open Source, and the Power of Community Demian Katz Director of Library Technology, Falvey Memorial Library, Villanova University demian.katz@villanova.edu
Introduction / Overview Topics: What is VuFind, how is it developed, and what is next? What are the advantages and costs of open source development, and how can you participate? How do VuFind and open source software relate to the profession of librarianship? What lessons can be learned?
What is VuFind? A flexible search engine & discovery interface for all your content and end user functionality Open Source Highly Configurable Highly Customizable Highly Extensible Community Supported
Supported Content and Systems Built using PHP, Laminas components, and Apache Solr. Can import many types of record, including MARC and common flavors of XML. Integrates with most popular library systems, including Koha, FOLIO and Alma. Can be layered on top of commercial APIs such as EBSCO Discovery Service, Summon and WorldCat.
Key Features Simple, intuitive search interface (a.k.a. Google-y ) Relevance Ranking & Faceted Navigation
Key Features Access to common library functions (holds, renewals, etc.)
Key Features User-managed lists, comments, tags, etc.
Key Features More Like This , Did you mean? , Auto-suggest
Key Features Book Covers, Preview Links, Reviews, Author Bios etc.
Key Features Responsive Design
Key Features Citation and Export Support
Key Features i18n: 30+ interface translations
More Features How to find out about additional VuFind features: Check the changelog: https://vufind.org/wiki/changelog Check the configuration files: https://github.com/vufind-org/vufind/tree/master/config/vufind Ask the community!
VuFind Community Project Lead: Villanova University Infrastructure: vufind.org & wiki JIRA Issue Tracker Continuous Integration Server Github & Sourceforge Administration Community calls Development: Large % of core development & bug fixing Code review & merging of contributor patches/pull-requests
VuFind Community Open Library Foundation Home to FOLIO, ReShare, GoKB, Coral, and now VuFind Provides institution-neutral project support / sustainability Supports inter-project cooperation Hosts WOLFCon conferences
VuFind Community How to participate: Join the mailing list(s): https://vufind.org/vufind/support.html Join the Community Call: https://vufind.org/wiki/community_call Attend the Summit: https://vufind.org/vufind/schedule.html Watch the video tutorials: https://vufind.org/wiki/videos Open JIRA tickets: https://vufind.org/jira Contribute code: https://github.com/vufind-org/vufind
VuFind Roadmap VuFind 7.0 Coming July 20, 2020 Migration to Laminas and Symfony/Console Improved accessibility ArchivesSpace indexing support Many smaller features/fixes (see https://vufind.org/wiki/changelog) VuFind 7.1 Coming early 2021 New features: new theme, record versions VuFind 8.0 Coming summer 2021 Features to be determined at International VuFind Summit.
Open Source: Advantages No licensing costs Community development/testing/support Transparency Vendor independence Ability to customize functionality
Open Source: Costs Supporting technology in-house requires skilled staff Open source communities demand active participation Sustainability is challenging Documentation is rarely complete
Open Source Tools Communication Mailing Lists, Slack Dependency Managers Composer, NPM Integrated Development Environments VSCode Code Quality Tools PHPUnit, php-cs-fixer, PHP_CodeSniffer, phpmd Version Control / Collaboration Git / GitHub
Lessons Learned Systems change, but the user experience shouldn t (unless there s a reason). Looking at data differently helps you find and fix problems. The way librarians communicate with end users has changed dramatically; web interfaces really matter. Web interface design is a form of collection development. Agility is critical to success.
Challenges and Threats Opaque, commercially-motivated information services. Pressure to develop increasingly complex systems Need to train users in critical information seeking behavior Rapid technological change; increasing complexity. Technical debt Vendor consolidation. High costs Outsourcing of skilled work
Skills for the 21st Century Library Team Systems administration (Linux, Docker, etc.) Web technologies (HTML, CSS, etc.) Programming (PHP, Python, Ruby, Javascript, etc.) Metadata (MARC, XML, RDF, etc.) User Interface Design and Best Practices (web accessibility standards, etc.) Project Planning and Collaboration
More Information / Contact Details Learn more about VuFind: http://vufind.org Demian s contact information: email: demian.katz@villanova.edu Slack: https://vufind.slack.com (@demiankatz) Twitter: @demiankatz
