VuFind Intigration at CSSSC

VuFind is an open-source library discovery platform used by libraries worldwide. It provides users with a simple and intuitive interface to search and access the library’s collections, Library Resources, and E-contents. Centre for Studies in Social Sciences Calcutta, has its collection divided into 3 libraries which are located at different geographical locations, and also have their own LMS. Library users faced problems while searching for a resource because they had to perform searches on three different OPACs. The purpose of this project is to install and set up VuFind on a server to provide library patrons with access to the Three Different library catalogs in one place.

Installation:

• Operating System: The server was set up using Ubuntu Server 24.04 LTS.
• Webserver: Apache2 was installed as the webserver.
• PHP: PHP version 7.4 was installed.
• Database: MySQL was used as the database management system.
• VuFind: The latest stable version of VuFind (version 8.0.2 at the time of writing) was downloaded and installed.

Configuration:

• Webserver Configuration: The Apache2 configuration file was modified to include the VuFind virtual host.
• PHP Configuration: The PHP configuration file was updated to reflect the necessary settings for VuFind.
• Database Configuration: A database was created for VuFind in MySQL, and the appropriate permissions were granted.
• VuFind Configuration: The VuFind configuration files were updated to reflect the database and system settings.
• LMS Integration: Vufind System was successfully integrated with Koha LMS of all three libraries, using OAI-PMH and Real-time Item information was retrieved using REST API.
• Customization: Significant customization was done in VuFind configuration files and also the theme files to accommodate the relevant and required fields in Search Results and Record Display Page. Code was modified to display the Accession number of the Items along with their availability.

Testing:

Once the installation and configuration were complete, VuFind was tested to ensure that it was functioning as expected. The following tests were performed:

• Search functionality: The search bar was tested to ensure that it was correctly retrieving results from the library’s catalog.
• Display of search results: The display of search results was tested to ensure that they were correctly formatted and displayed.
• Record display: The display of individual records was tested to ensure that the information was correctly displayed.

Conclusion:

The installation and configuration of VuFind were successfully done at the Centre for Studies in Social Sciences, Calcutta. The system was tested and found to be functioning as expected, and a Unified Search Interface was developed to search and browse collections of Three different libraries on a single window. The library patrons can now access the library’s catalog through VuFind, providing them with a simple and intuitive interface to search and access the library’s collections.