2. Use VuFind to search a library catalogue

Play audio introduction for this task

VuFind: The Library OPAC meets Web 2.0

VuFind is a library resource portal designed and developed for libraries by libraries. The goal of VuFind is to enable your users to search and browse through all of your library's resources by replacing the traditional OPAC to include:

• Catalog records
• Digital library items
• Institutional repositories
• Institutional bibliography
• Other library collections and resources

VuFind is completely modular so libraries can implement just the basic system, or all of the components. And since it's open source, they can modify the modules to best fit their needs or add new modules to extend resource offerings.

The latest library to use VuFind is our own National Library of Australia catalogue which was launched on the 27th May 2008.

A few libraries with Sirsi Unicorn are currently testing VuFind to see if it works for them.

Your task

What we would like you to do is go to the VuFind website and find some items using their live demo, and then you could go and have a look at how the National Library of Australia looks using VuFind.

Let us know on your blog what you think of this system and if it is a good replacement for a library OPAC.