Building a powerful search interface for library materials

One of the coolest experiences I've had was going to my local library and thinking that the catalog search looked slightly familiar. After clicking “view source” in my web browser, I quickly realized that it looked familiar, because it was using open source software that I helped create ten years earlier, VuFind.

VuFind is a search tool built for libraries that is versatile enough to handle almost any type of collection. The idea is simple: bring all kinds of resources—library catalogs, journal articles, digitized collections, even websites—into one easy-to-use search interface.

As half of a two-person team, I created the interface and frontend design for version 1 of VuFind, making sure it’s clean and intuitive so users can browse through everything seamlessly. The project has been going strong at Villanova University since 2007 and is used by several national libraries, dozens of university libraries, and of course, my local library in Raleigh, NC.