UCSB Library has selected a new, more modern online search tool to replace our 16-year old Library Catalog. The current Library Catalog is the entry point for locating books, journals, DVDs, and other materials held by UCSB Library. However, additional search tools are required for searching electronic journal articles and materials at other libraries.
Beginning summer 2017, a new product called Primo will serve as a one-stop search box for all physical and electronic items provided by UCSB Library, as well as items that can be requested through interlibrary loan. Primo, which will be available from the Library’s website homepage, will search across hundreds of catalogs, indexes, and databases to deliver the most relevant results from the Library’s increasingly diverse resources.
Web-scale discovery systems like Primo are increasingly common in academic libraries; many of our peer institutions are implementing such systems. Studies show that users want to access different types of library materials from within one interface, which web-scale discovery tools attempt to do as seamlessly as possible. A small group within UCSB Library has been evaluating these products for several years. Primo was selected because it best integrates a large number of resources we already have from multiple vendors and provides an intuitive and mobile-friendly user experience. Advanced researchers will still be able to search individual disciplinary and other Library subscription databases.
Primo will also allow UCSB Library to benefit from the increased security, interoperability, and efficiencies of a more modern system, including better back-end management of print and digital collections, more robust analytics, and cloud technology.
Stay tuned for opportunities to learn how you can get the most out of Primo.
