Enhancing Subject Access to Electronic Collections with VuFind
Document Type
Article
Publication Date
10-2009
Volume
6
Issue
4
Journal
Journal of Electronic Resources in Medical Libraries
First Page
294
URL with Digital Object Identifier
http://dx.doi.org/10.1080/15424060903364784
Last Page
306
Abstract
This article describes the development and implementation of an electronic collections search system at the Cushing/Whitney Medical Library, Yale University, for the purposes of enhancing subject access to electronic collections, automating collection maintenance, and reducing ongoing costs. Librarians and systems support staff obtained metadata for electronic journals and books in MARCXML format from Yale's Voyager integrated library system (ILS) via Open Archive Initiative (OAI) harvesting and then imported the metadata into VuFind, a Solr-based open-source search system. Librarians customized subject queries to match the program offerings and research interests of the institution. Subject queries generated results sets, which could then be narrowed by users through VuFind's faceted browsing feature. The automation of processes decreased staff workload, while the engagement with open-source solutions increased technical capacity.
