Search tool

Lib4RI has developed a search tool that brings together results from numerous sources in a clear and easily accessible way. It combines content discovery with publishing services by also providing information on Open Access (OA) and OA funding opportunities. This makes the tool the central starting point for information from Lib4RI and helps to further increase the OA share of publications.

Bento box search

In academic libraries, the library catalogue is no longer adequate as the central search tool, since it covers only a small part of the information usually desired.

The Lib4RI search tool therefore combines the results from the library catalogue with hits from other scholar sources, such as Scopus and Web of Science, as well as additional material, including patents and maps. Results from the the institutional repositories (DORA) are also listed prominently in separate boxes.

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Enriched journal information

In a separate tab for journals, the Lib4RI Search Tool not only provides information on the accessibility of specific journals, but also supports researchers in the publication process with information on OA. For this purpose, the data is enriched to display relevant OA information at the level of individual journal titles, tailored to the situation at one’s own institution.

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Technical background

The layout of the web page is implemented as a Drupal module. It defines the tabs as well as arrangement of the bento boxes. 

The individual boxes are filled with content "on the fly" using Javascript and numerous interfaces (APIs) from the respective external sources. Open Access information is retrieved through Sherpa Romeo and DOAJ. Only the information on the institutional OA agreements is prepared and imported locally via a CSV file. The JavaScript code is available on Codeberg under a GNU General Public License.

Ongoing improvement

A beta version of the search tool is online since September 2022.

Try it out now!

With the proof of concept successfully running, we continue to develop further improvements. We envision a tool that is reusable, adaptable and easy to install. As next steps, we plan to:

• add browse and filter functions for journals
• provide a full code documentation
• modularise and review the code
• create additional boxes

Potential extensions could also include development of a multi-tenant framework or a GUI configuration.