Наукові праці Національної бібліотеки України імені В.І. Вернадського (Jan 2023)
Creation and Functioning of a Library Service Platform: Swiss Experience
Abstract
Certain aspects of the creation and operation of the swisscovery search portal of the Swiss Library Service Platform (SLSP), which became operational in December 2020, are highlighted. It is a Swiss-wide library system for scientific media collections. Today, it offers more than 40 million books, series, magazines and non-book materials, as well as more than 3 billion e-articles. Swisscovery replaces previous library networks and research platforms. The swisscovery portal makes finding information simple and easily accessible thanks to a simplified ordering process. Every book, every magazine, every article has one entry in swisscovery. In this way, the user can immediately see in which libraries the medium he is looking for is available. One catalog, one system, one account provides direct access to almost the entire inventory of academic books and the large part of the Swiss academic media holdings, print and electronic. The developers of the project constantly work on the users’ convenience, applying the methodologies of flexible practice, and making the necessary adjustments to the user interface. Its advantages compared to Google in obtaining scientific information are undeniable. Users therefore benefit undeniably from direct access to the holdings of all libraries on swisscovery, as well as from the synergies and services offered by this future-proof platform. The new platform is monitored and harmonized by the non-profit organization Swiss Library Service Platform AG. The challenge is to integrate libraries into such a large network and minimize the inevitable frictional losses. Conclusions. Swisscovery is an innovative step in digital development, thanks to completely new possibilities for cooperation between libraries and services that are thus available to library users, promotes scientific progress and new knowledge and involves libraries in Internet governance, overcoming inequalities in access to content and digital infrastructure.
