Taking control of discovery: in-house development to improve student experience and break down silos
Author
Faculty Advisor
Date
2014
Keywords
user experience, libraries, discovery, APIs, responsive web design, web programming
Abstract (summary)
When it comes to software, libraries have many more options today than they did ten years ago. While still reliant on vendors for some aspects of library software, more and more libraries are turning to in-house development and open-source software to take back a measure of control over their data and their users’ experience. MacEwan University and University of Alberta Libraries are both taking advantage of these new options in software development to create discovery and access systems that are more flexible and more intuitive. While these libraries differ greatly in their focus, and in the needs and requirements of their users, their approach to discovery has evolved along a similar path, with similar outcomes. Do projects like those at MacEwan and U of A represent a fundamental shift in how libraries understand discovery, or more broadly, a shift in how they understand their relationship with software vendors? This presentation examines the discovery projects at U of A and MacEwan, and probe some of the big-picture questions such projects raise.
Publication Information
DOI
Notes
Presented on October 1, 2014 at the Access Conference held at the University of Calgary in Calgary, Alberta.
Item Type
Presentation
Language
English
Rights
All Rights Reserved