Discovery
This section covers the management and administration of discovery solutions and content platforms.
Inevitably in the current library technology landscape the primary focus is therefore on library discovery solutions. The overwhelming majority of UK higher education institutions are now using some form of discovery layer as the primary means of resource / content discovery. In many cases, this may also mean using a discovery solution as the principle means of discovering print resources within a library catalogue in addition to using it for discovering online journals, research databases etc.
Depending on the particular proprietary discovery solution used, discovery may be integrated as part of a library service platform facilitating electronic resource management solely through the library management system. Alternatively, if using a stand alone discovery solution dependent on data feed connection with an LMS, the LMS may also be used for aspects of electronic resource management such as acquisitions and subscription management.
Effective discovery is also dependent on authentication architecture. In many cases libraries will now integrate their chosen authentication solution with single sign on for ease of access. Authentication systems such as OpenAthens and Shibboleth are necessary components for managing access permission sets for different cohorts of users.