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VuFind®

Open Library Foundation
United States of America
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About

Launched: 2007
Record Updated: Oct 04, 2024
Discovery system

VuFind® is a discovery system designed and developed for libraries by libraries, but also suitable for use in other types of organizations. The goal of VuFind® is to enable your users to search and browse through all of your resources in a single consistent and user-friendly interface. This could include:


  • Catalog Records
  • Digital Library Items
  • Institutional Repository Content
  • Institutional Bibliography Entries
  • Locally Hosted Journal Articles
  • Other Library Collections and Resources

VuFind® is completely modular, so you can implement just the basic system, or all of the components. It supports building a local index and/or integrating with a variety of subscription services. Since it's open source, you can modify or add modules to best fit your needs. A wide range of configurable options allow extensive customization without changing any code.

Mission

The mission of the VuFind® Community is to develop and support VuFind®, a free, open source discovery application. VuFind® provides a universal, user-oriented and configurable interface to support common search, browse and patron account operations across a wide variety of information systems and metadata types.

Key Achievements

The VuFind® community has maintained a consistent track record of significant annual or semi-annual releases since 2010. Its acceptance into the Open Library Foundation in 2022 has accelerated project growth, particularly among institutions also adopting the FOLIO library platform. In 2023, major focuses of the project management team included improved web accessibility and the adoption of a more convenient workflow for internationalization (using the Lokalise platform).

Technical Attributes

Maintenance Status

Actively Maintained

Open Code Repository

Implemented
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Technical Documentation

Implemented
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Code License

Implemented
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Open API

Implemented
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Open Product Roadmap

Implemented
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Technical Attribute Statements

Technology Readiness Level

  • Actual system proven in operational environment

Code Licenses Used

  • GNU General Public License (GPL)

Standards

Hosting Options

  • Through solution or third party vendor

Service Providers

Integrations

VuFind® includes driver integration with a wide variety of commercial and open source Integrated Library Systems (e.g. Alma, Evergreen, FOLIO, Koha). It also integrates with several commercial search services (e.g. EDS, Primo Central, Summon, WorldCat), analytics tools (e.g. Google Analytics, Piwik/Matomo) and cover image providers (e.g. Syndetics).

Community Engagement

Code of Conduct

Implemented
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Community Engagement

Implemented

Contribution Guidelines or Fora

Implemented
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Community Statements

User Contribution Pathways

  • Contribute funds
  • Contribute to code
  • Contribute to documentation
  • Contribute to education or training
  • Contribute to working groups or interest groups

More About Community Engagement

Community Engagement Activities:

The Community places a priority on mutual support and knowledge sharing, maintaining documentation and multiple communication channels in order to welcome newcomers and enable collaborative planning and problem solving.

Policies & Governance

Governance Summary

VuFind is developed and maintained by the Open Library Foundation, and is governed by a Project Management Committee with additional roles outlined here.

Policies

Bylaws

Implemented
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Commitment to Equity & Inclusion

Implemented
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Privacy Policy

Implemented
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Web Accessibility Statement

In Progress

Governance Records

Implemented
Website (Opens in new window)

Governance Structure & Processes

Implemented
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Policy Statements

Board Structure

  • Advisory board or steering committee

Community Governance

  • Formal

Additional Information

Organizational History

The first VuFind® alpha release was published in 2007, with the stable 1.0 release arriving in 2010. The software was significantly rearchitected for release 2.0 in 2013, and has grown organically since then. The project was incubated at Villanova University's Falvey Library, but moved into the Open Library Foundation in 2022.

Organizational Structure

Business or Ownership Model

Non-profit organization

Current Affiliations

  • Open Library Foundation

Funding

Primary Funding Source

  • Contributions

Funding Needs

At present, the project is entirely volunteer-managed, and it has a long history of successfully growing without a dedicated budget. However, since joining the OLF, fundraising has been more of a focus for the project. Obtaining sufficient funds to support dedicated project staff would help to ensure sustainability in case of future shifting of individual or organizational priorities.
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