Aargauer Kantonsbibliothek is the First Swiss Library to Choose Serials Solutions AquaBrowser® Discovery Layer for Its Online Public Access Catalog
Oct. 11, 2010 – SEATTLE, Wash. & AARAU, Switzerland – Serials Solutions, a business unit of ProQuest LLC, announced today that Aargauer Kantonsbibliothek, in the Swiss Canton of Aargau, has chosen to adopt AquaBrowser® discovery layer to help library patrons quickly and easily find relevant results. A public library, Aargauer Kantonsbibliothek, is the first Swiss client to use a discovery service developed by Serials Solutions.
The AquaBrowser® discovery layer provides a fresh, modern interface for users. AquaBrowser® reveals library catalogs and local collections through a visually engaging Web 2.0 interface with built-in social networking, including LibraryThing integration and tagging, so that library users are able to quickly find relevant results.
“As we considered next generation discovery tools, we realized we needed a fully-hosted, subscription-based solution,” said Ruth Wüst, director of Aargauer Kantonsbibliothek. “We found AquaBrowser was both cost effective and easy-to-install, which was essential since we only have one employee in our IT department. In addition, AquaBrowser is user-friendly, providing people with the functionality they need for a better library experience.”
Aargauer Kantonsbibliothek selected the AquaBrowser® discovery layer after reviewing many different services. Wüst continued, “Our library was looking for a discovery layer for our online public access catalog (OPAC) that would work with our integrated library system. The solution also needed a German-language interface for us to serve our entire customer base.”
The AquaBrowser® discovery interface provides patrons with the ability to search the library’s holdings with a single query, regardless of format or where the content is located within the library. Search results are simultaneously ranked by relevance and visualized using word clouds that provide opportunities for additional exploration. These results can be further refined by faceted navigation.
“We are excited to have our first Swiss customer for our market-leading discovery layer,” said Michael Gersch, senior vice president and general manager, Serials Solutions. “AquaBrowser is a proven discovery solution that works with many integrated library systems. It can be configured to meet a library’s needs and can include custom mapping to a library’s MARC and Dublin Core data.”
AquaBrowser® is the world leader in visual faceted search that connects to any number of data sources. AquaBrowser® can be found in libraries around the world, including more than 250 libraries in the USA, as well as libraries in the United Kingdom, Germany, Belgium, Spain and Italy and 100 percent of all public libraries the Netherlands. Nearly 2,500 library locations are serving more than 60 million citizens worldwide with the AquaBrowser® search and discovery experience.
About Aargauer Kantonsbibliothek
The Aargauer Kantonsbibliothek is the state library of the Swiss canton Aargau. The 200 year old research library has a unique collection of illuminated, literary, and historical manuscripts and early printed books. It serves as the primary research library for state government and the general public and collects, preserves, and makes accessible Aargau-related materials. It operates the Aargau library network and supports the local school and public libraries. In addition to its rare book collections it offers access to ebooks or e-journals online or on e-readers and iPads.
About Serials Solutions
Founded by a librarian for librarians in 2000, Serials Solutions® is the global leader in E-Resource Access and Management Services (ERAMS) that serves more than 3,000 libraries of all sizes and types. Serials Solutions’ comprehensive suite of discovery tools and management services helps improve access to and use of collections, eases librarian workloads and ultimately reduces operating costs. Solutions include: 360, the only complete and integrated e-resource access and management solution; KnowledgeWorks, the authoritative e-resource knowledgebase and foundation for Serials Solutions 360; Ulrich’s, the world’s most authoritative source of bibliographic and publisher information for serials and the most comprehensive source of print and electronic serials data available; AquaBrowser®, a discovery layer that makes navigation more accessible; and most recently the Summon™ web-scale discovery service, a world-class tool that provides instant access to the full breadth of the library’s collection through a single search.
Serials Solutions is a business unit of ProQuest LLC.