Embracing E-Resource Discovery Technique Using Open Source Software: The IUB Library's Experience

Motivation

Resource discovery is to mean the process of identification and access to the information that are relevant and required by the user. By e-resource discovery system it is meant a collective set-up of web environment, where content integration from a diversity of information products and services are represented from a variety of domains relevant to the information needs of the user. Here, relevancy of resources and smooth access are the main requirements irrespective of their location, storage media and procedure, or the authority of the resources. IUB Library subscribes many electronic databases to support its user community but the management of them was becoming difficult. Databases were listed alphabetically in the website and accesses were provided accordingly. As a newly developed library website yet needed more tasks to become more functional, so very few information regarding subject-wise lists of journals or discipline-based searching as well browsing was not yet provided there. So, users were not fully aware about the coverage of the specific database. Although the expert users and faculty members were accustomed with their subject relevant database, the novice user felt very uncomfortable. In other words, new users did not know which database can best suit their subject requirements. As a result, getting maximum output from the databases was difficult. To overcome these obstacles and to provide optimum services, IUB Library implemented an e-resources discovery tool for its users. So, as a pioneer of utilizing a variety of e-resources, it is very justified to do such task for better access to resources in an effective and novel manner.

The growth of the library automation has been emerged during the 1960s. Though in Bangladesh, free and open source software specially Integrated Library System (ILS), Online Public Access Catalogue (OPAC) and Institutional Repository (IR) implementation are going as a slow coach but the embracement of next-generation catalogue awareness, enhancement and advancement are rare, very unsatisfactory. In this age of information explosion and information technology (IT) a variety of information in complex formats and platforms are available online. The producers of those intellectual outputs are specially researchers, scientists and authors. So, here, two main issues are identified: