Implementing a Bento-Style Search in LibGuides v2

Abstract

The National University of Singapore Libraries converted their LibGuides v2 instance into a research portal and incorporated a “bento box” search interface—that is, an interface where results from multiple systems or categories are compartmentalized by system or category, like a Japanese “bento”-style lunch box—on a trial basis. Our experience shows that building and maintaining a bento box search in LibGuides requires fewer resources than a fully homegrown solution would require. This makes it an attractive platform for building a bento-style search both for libraries who have limited technical resources and libraries who might want to experiment with this kind of search before fully committing. This paper shares the design, implementation and some early usage patterns of our bento search.