Implementing VuFind as an alternative to Voyager's WebVoyage interface: One library's experience

The purpose of this paper is to present a case study of what is involved in implementing the VuFind discovery tool.

The paper documents Western Michigan University's experience with VuFind thus far, in several stages: planning; pre‐alpha testing; alpha testing; and beta testing.

The implementation process took longer than the authors originally expected. Users' input was not consistent and demanded software customization. WMU began with a relatively loose project management approach, but later reinforced the project with a specific scope statement and prioritized items within the scope to arrive at a beta‐testable version of VuFind.

The benefits of using open source software include low barrier and cost to entry, highly customizable code, and unlimited instances (libraries may run as many copies of as many components as needed, on as many pieces of hardware as they have, for as many purposes as they wish). One significant cost is in human resources required to install, configure and customize open source software.

The paper provides a unique account of one library's experience providing an alternative catalog interface using open source software. It also uniquely reports on VuFind hardware and software architectures and some initial testing results and evaluation.