Comparative review of common user interface software products for libraries

Abstract

A common user interface replaces the multiple interfaces found among individual electronic library resources, reducing the time and effort spent by the user in both searching and learning to use a range of databases. Although the primary function of a common user interface is to simplify the search process, library common user interface products can be holistic solutions designed to address requirements other than searching, such as user authentication and site branding. There are a number of vendors supplying common user interface products at present and the range of features supported by each product varies. This review provides a detailed summary of products currently on the market. In this research, common user interface software products were measured against a specially developed set of evaluation criteria to identify software trends and current market leaders. The quantitative data for this research were obtained through two surveys: a survey sent to common user interface software vendors to collect information about their products; and a survey sent to a selection of New Zealand librarians who were asked to rate common user interface software features. The results of the two surveys were combined to give overall scores for each of the common user interface products, which were weighted to reflect the requirements of New Zealand libraries.