Open-Source: University of Chicago Library Formally Launches Kuali OLE and New Catalog Based on VuFind

UPDATE August 21, 2014
Earlier this month the Lehigh University Library in Bethlehem, PA became the first university in the U.S. to go live with the Kuali Open Library Environment (OLE).

The system will provide all the traditional library services expected as well as provide libraries with new enhanced ways to manage electronic resources from electronic books to digital born resources to streaming videos to cloud services—all at a fraction of the cost of purchasing these systems from proprietary software vendors.

Learn more about the implementation and launch of Kuali OLE at Lehigh.
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From the U. of Chicago Library News:

The University of Chicago Library is pleased to announce its launch of the Kuali Open Library Environment (OLE) and a new Catalog based on VuFind.
An open-source, community-based library management system, Kuali OLE was created by a partnership of some of the nation’s leading university libraries, including the University of Chicago Library. Kuali OLE, which provides the Library’s technical infrastructure, is intentionally designed to function with a wide range of user interfaces chosen by various individual libraries, including Chicago’s new Catalog.
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Kuali OLE was founded by a partnership of research libraries that now includes University of Chicago, Indiana University (lead), SOAS—University of London, Lehigh University, Duke University, North Carolina State University, University of Florida, University of Maryland, University of Michigan, University of Pennsylvania and Villanova University. The partners pooled resources and expertise beginning in 2008 with several grants from the Mellon Foundation to develop this next-generation library system. Chicago and Lehigh University are the initial implementers. Other partners plan to adopt the new system in summer 2015.
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UChicago Library staff members have tailored VuFind, a library catalog originally developed at Villanova University, to meet the needs of local users. Design goals for the Catalog were drawn from an extensive series of interviews with UChicago faculty and students, conducted to ensure that the new tool meets the needs of researchers. Initial designs were refined throughout the first half of 2014, following the public beta testing of the Catalog by users beginning on February 14, 2014.
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The new Catalog features a simple, clean visual design while retaining all of the functionality that patrons identified as valuable in the pre-existing UChicago systems. It also adds new features requested during interviews, including display of the current availability of items on the search results page, as well as easier access to ebooks and ejournals.

Direct to New Library Catalog
See Also: Some of the New Features “Coming Soon” to
See Also: Learn More About Kuali

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