OPAC 2.0 comparisons

Summary

Based on my research in the fall of 2008, Aquabrowser offers the largest number of OPAC 2.0 features, with VuFind a close second due to better accessibility. Further research into the tasks and costs involved in developing our own modules to bring VuFind up to par with AquaBrowser would allow for utilization of the improved accessibility in VuFind.

OPAC Feature Comparison

Feature	CardCat	LibraryFind	Blacklight	VuFind	Evergreen	WorldCat Local	Endeca	Aqua Browser	Primo	Encore
Spell check		+	+		+		?	+	+	+
Images (covers)	+	?	+	+	+		+	+	+	+
Faceting	?	+	+	+	+	?	+	+	+	+
True basic search field		+		+	+		+	+	+	+
Advanced search	+	+		+	+	+	+	+	+
Relevancy ranking (not just sort)
Reviews (professional)				+	+			+		+
"More like this" suggestions	+	+				?		+	+
User-added tags (internal)				+				?		?
del.icio.us tagging			+						?
Customer-written reviews				+		+	+	+	+
"Email this" link				+		+	+		+
"Text this" link				+			+
RSS feed from search			+	+			+	+	+
Citation creator (various formats)		+	+	+		+	+		?
Saved items or favorites	+	+				+		+	+
Built-in OpenURL resolver	+	+				?		?	+	+
Breadcrumb trail		+					+	+
Incorporate outside content				+		+	+	+	+	+
Accessibility (Poor, Fair, Good, Excellent)	F	G	G	E	P	F	P	G	E	F

+ = included
? = included but poorly labeled or difficult to access
blank = not included

(Download Excel version of this chart.)

Features adapted from Casey, M. (2007). "Looking toward catalog 2.0." In N. Courtney (Ed.), Library 2.0 and beyond (pp. 15-24). Westport, CT: Libraries Unlimited.

LibraryFind

Listed strengths:

• Built-in OpenURL resolver
• 2-click find workflow
• Ability to locally index collections
• Web-based administration
• 3-tiered caching system (to improve speed of searches)
• Customizable user interface

Additional strengths:

• Faceting
• "Did you mean..."
• Resizable text
• Improves accessibility

LibraryFind

CardCat interface

More than one blogger for LITA lists LibraryFind as a "Top Tech Trend" at the 2008 Annual Conference.

Drawbacks

• "Saved items" option works only in current session. Later version will allow saving.
• Citation link very limited

Blacklight

From the website: "Blacklight is an open source OPAC (online public access catalog). That means libraries (or anyone else) can use it to allow people to search and browse their collections online. Blacklight uses Solr to index and search, and it has a highly configurable Ruby on Rails front-end. Currently, Blacklight can index, search, and provide faceted browsing for MaRC records and several kinds of XML documents, including TEI, EAD, and GDMS. Blacklight was developed at the University of Virginia Library and is made public under an Apache 2.0 license."
The project was first registered on 1/5/08, and is in pre-Alpha state, version 0.2, with a demo version online for use.

Features include

• Faceting
• Tagging using del.icio.us
• RSS feed for searches
• Plugin for Google Books search

Additional strengths

• Improves accessibility

Blacklight interface

CardCat interface

Drawbacks

• Fails to meet Section 508 standard when tested using Cynthia Says.
• Claims to be compatible with Zotero, but would not work for me
• Very early in development
• Update, 10/21/08: When evaluated in September 2008 using the FAE, this product scored 75% Pass for Navigation and Orientation.

VuFind

From the website: "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". It is being developed by Villanova University, and is up to Beta version 0.8.2 (stable release) with 60% of production version 1.0 development complete. A catalog driver for SirsiDynix is currently under development.

VuFind: Social Features from Falvey Memorial Library on Vimeo.

Features include

• Compatible with Zotero in Firefox
• Can pull in outside information, such as reviews from Amazon, and biographical information from Wikipedia, while keeping the user on your own library's web site
• Comments & reviews
• Tagging with its own internal system
• "Cite this" capability, plus it is downloadable in EndNote format
• Favorites
• Faceting

Additional Strengths

• Improves accessibility

VuFind interface

CardCat interface

Drawbacks

• Zotero gives wrong item type in record view for books (as web page). Posted discussion on topic requesting resolution.
• Lacks "Did you mean..." option, breadcrumb trail.

Evergreen

From the web site: "Evergreen is an enterprise-class library automation system that helps library patrons find library materials, and helps libraries manage, catalog, and circulate those materials, no matter how large or complex the libraries." The demo version was reviewed on 9/15/08.

Listed strengths:

• Stable, even under extreme load.
• Robust, and capable of handling a high volume of transactions and simultaneous users.
• Flexible, to accomodate the varied needs of libraries.
• Secure, to protect our patrons' privacy and data.
• User-friendly, to facilitate patron and staff use of the system.

Additional strengths:

• Spell check
• Simple, clean interface
• True basic search field
• Reviews are available, appear to require manual linking or entry

Drawbacks:

• Lacks compatibility with citation management software such as Zotero
• Roadmap has no plans for incorporating Web 2.0 functionality such as tagging, relevancy ranking, RSS feeds, etc.
• Poor accessibility

Evergreen

CardCat interface

WorldCat Local

Strengths

• Offers interface in 8 foreign languages.
• Comments link for feedback or to report problems on every page.
• Can save searches to "My Account."
• Holdings in other libraries (count).

Questions

• Can we get this with the World Cat iPhone app?

Drawbacks

• No true basic search field.
• Poor accessibility

WorldCat Local

CardCat interface

Endeca

Strengths

• RSS feeds for searches
• Content spotlighting
• True simple search box

Drawbacks:

• Almost works with Zotero in list view; does not work in item view.
• Does not offer "Did you mean..." but searches next closest term instead.
• Poor accessibility

Endeca

CardCat interface

AquaBrowser

Strengths:

• Visual representation of related terms via "word cloud"
• RSS feeds from search
• LibraryThing tags preloaded
• Can add summaries, view Table of Contents, user reviews, incorporate outside content

Drawbacks:

• Faceting limited to 5 items, had to go to another screen for more options in each category.
• Could not easily find example of tagging in numerous libraries searched.
• OpenURL resolver did not remain within interface, but forced user elsewhere.
• No citation creation
• Uses frams, a deprecated feature; impairs accessibility
• Average accessibility

Primo from Ex Libris

Version viewed: Emory University Beta

Strengths:

• True basic search field
• "Show more" toggles on page, unlike AquaBrowser
• Can "push" item information to Delicious and RefWorks
• Preferences window (# of items per page, etc.)
• RSS feeds from search
• "Haven't found what you are looking for?" help at bottom of results.
• Single sign-in.
• Offers many OPAC 2.0 features

Drawbacks:

• "Refine my results" sidebar can take over a page (do search on "terrorism").
• Separate tab for "Articles" even though "Journals" available in main search results...?
• Does not work with Zotero
• Mixed accessibility

Primo

CardCat interface

Encore

Strengths:

• Tag cloud
• "Recently added" items group in sidebar
• Sidebar item contains "ResearchPro" metasearch results
• Images from Yahoo
• Outside content includes TOC, author notes, reviews, summaries
• Item view shows images of items just before and after current item

Drawbacks:

• Cluttered appearance.
• Claims to have relevancy ranking "bars," but not item by item.
• No advanced search?
• Font contrast problems (especially tag cloud).
• Accessibility:

Encore

CardCat interface