INFORUM 2011

Xerxes - Tomas Bata University Information Resources Portal

Author

Lukáš Budínský, Tomas Bata University in Zlín - Library, Czech Republic

Co-authors

Ondřej Fabián, Tomas Bata University in Zlín - Library, Czech Republic

Documents to download

• Full text

• Presentation

Abstract

The paper deals with an ambitious and unique project within the Czech Republic – Tomas Bata University information resources portal Xerxes.

For its users, TBU Library acquires a wide collection of licensed databases and resources that originally had to be searched separately in their native interfaces. However, a centralized metasearch portal proved to be crucial as a means to simplify work with these heterogeneous sources of information.

As a technological basis, a certified metasearch engine Metalib from ExLibris has been chosen. The uniqueness of the project lies in the fact that the Metalib user interface has been completely replaced by Xerxes. It is a modular interface developed under the GNU license, using the X-Server for communication with MetaLib. A key feature is the ability to integrate own extra features.

A change of the portal layout was necessary at the beginning. Attractive, professionally designed graphic design portal facilitates one-button quick search in the key resources. In the next step, the behavior to the operation environment had to be optimalized. Full text link to available documents is immediately established by linking the knowledge base of SFX. Other integrated services such as document recommendations (service bX), or EDD for inaccessible documents are highly interesting as well. Users can save their favorite records retrieved from the database and work with them later (export to citation managers). More advanced services (quote generator, thumbnail envelopes) are in development.

The paper will present technological solutions and advanced services, as well as the user search experience.

Author's professional CV

Lukáš Budínský graduated in Systems Engineering at the Faculty of Economics at ČZU. He has had more than six years of experience in the Tomas Bata University Library in Zlin, where he is currently leading the IT department. The main scope of his activities is the development of access infrastructure to information resources, development of value-added librarian services, theses and tools for supporting science and research.

He has been project manager of numerous projects including the implementation of the SFX technology for Library TBU or DSpace deployment as theses repository. At present he is devoted to the development of prospective meta-search project Xerxes and he is also building institutional repository for TBU publishing.