VuFind is an open-source library search engine that allows users to search and browse beyond the resources of a traditional

Online public access catalog The online public access catalog (OPAC), now frequently synonymous with ''library catalog'', is an online database of materials held by a library or group of libraries. Online catalogs have largely replaced the analog card catalogs previously u ...

(OPAC). Developed by

Villanova University Villanova University is a private Roman Catholic research university in Villanova, Pennsylvania. It was founded by the Augustinians in 1842 and named after Saint Thomas of Villanova. The university is the oldest Catholic university in Penns ...

, version 1.0 was released in July 2010 after two years in beta. VuFind operates with a simple interface and offers flexible keyword searching. While most commonly used for searching catalog records, VuFind can be extended to search other library resources including: locally cached journals, digital library items, and institutional repository and bibliography. The software is also modular and highly configurable, allowing implementers to choose system components to best fit their needs. The project wiki lists around two hundred institutions running live or beta instances of VuFind including the

Georgia Tech Library The Georgia Tech Library is an academic library that serves the needs of students, faculty, and staff at the Georgia Institute of Technology. The library consists of the S. Price Gilbert Memorial Library and Dorothy M. Crosland Tower. In additi ...

, the

National Library of Ireland The National Library of Ireland (NLI; ga, Leabharlann Náisiúnta na hÉireann) is the Republic of Ireland's national library located in Dublin, in a building designed by Thomas Newenham Deane. The mission of the National Library of Ireland i ...

Yale University Yale University is a Private university, private research university in New Haven, Connecticut. Established in 1701 as the Collegiate School, it is the List of Colonial Colleges, third-oldest institution of higher education in the United Sta ...

, and the DC Public Library, as well as a dozen of instances run by finc in Germany.

Features

VuFind offers a number of features that enhance usability: *

Faceted search Faceted search is a technique that involves augmenting traditional search techniques with a faceted navigation system, allowing users to narrow down search results by applying multiple filters based on faceted classification of the items. It is som ...

results that allow users to narrow items by format, call number, language, author, genre, era, region, and more *Suggested resources and searches *Browsing capability *Personal organization and annotation of resources through favorites lists, texting, e-mailing, tagging, and commenting features *Persistent URLs *APA or MLA citations *Author biographies *Multi-language capability with translations available in Brazilian Portuguese, Chinese, Czech, Dutch, English, French, German, Japanese, Spanish, Bengali (India) and more

References

External links

* {{official website, https://vufind.org
Code repository
Free library and information science software Free software programmed in PHP Search engine software