Linked directories - one point to access files

When every year more and more publications appear on the publishing market, and the book collections of libraries are consistently replenished with new publications, the user is faced with the task of finding those titles that really meet his interests. So how do you find what's important in a situation where the collection of the National Library itself consists of 9 million volumes, and the storage area of ​​\uXNUMXb\uXNUMXbthe resource occupies twice the area of ​​​​the National Stadium field? The best solution is combined catalogs, which are a single point of access to the collections of Polish libraries and to the current offer of the Polish publishing market.

We combine collections and libraries in one place

Thanks to the implementation of the OMNIS Electronic Service project, the National Library began to use an integrated resource management system, which is by far the most advanced technological solution in the world. This system introduces many new features, incl. work in the cloud and the ability to co-catalog with other libraries in real time. The National Library, the largest public and research library in Poland, has integrated its resources into the system, giving all stakeholders access to more than 9 million collections and almost 3 million digital objects from the library. But that's not all. The Central State Library, embarking on the implementation of the new system, also focused on integration at the national level. This made it possible to provide users with information about library collections, prepared according to uniform principles, and library staff to manage their resources more efficiently. The National Library has combined its catalog with the collections of the Jagiellonian Library, the largest and oldest university library in Poland (more than 8 million volumes, including all the institute libraries of the Jagiellonian University) and the Provincial Public Library. Witold Gombrovich in Kielce (more than 455 thousand volumes) and the Provincial Public Library. Hieronymus Lopachinsky in Lublin (almost 570 vols.). Currently, thanks to the joint catalogs, users have access to a database containing up to 18 million collaborative library collections.

How to find a specific book and the necessary information in all this? It's simple! All you need is any device with internet access and one address:. For the convenience of the reader, a parallel with the mentioned system is made. a search engine that provides a wider, faster and more transparent access to information and a simple search in one point of access to the collections of Polish libraries and the current offer of the publishing market in Poland.

How does it work?

Using linked directories can be compared to using a search engine. Thanks to mechanisms that are already well known to Internet users, finding a specific set will not be a problem. On a computer, tablet or smartphone, the search engine will help you find everything you are looking for. It is here that in a short time, anyone can find books, newspapers, magazines, maps and other paper and electronic publications, simply by entering their request regarding, for example, the author, creator, title, topic of the work. Filters that allow you to refine even the most complex user query are extremely useful when creating a list of results. In case of ambiguous queries, it is worth using the advanced search, which allows you to perform an accurate search due to the appropriate selection of words in the descriptions of all types of publications.

In the search results, the user will also find electronic publications. Access to their full content is possible in two ways: through integration with collections hosted in the public domain (or under appropriate licenses) in the largest electronic library, or through a system that allows access to copyrighted publications.

In addition, the search engine allows you to use many other useful features: viewing the history of search results, “pinning” a given item to the “favorites” category (which speeds up returning to saved search results), exporting data for citation or sending a bibliographic description by e-mail. This is not the end because the reader's office opens up the possibility of: conveniently ordering and borrowing collections in a given library, checking the history of orders, creating virtual "shelves" or receiving email notifications about the appearance in the catalog of a publication that matches the search criteria.

New quality of library e-services

It should be noted that more and more citizens use e-services in Poland. Thanks to the combined catalogs, you can find the information you need, order or read various publications without leaving your home, without wasting time. On the other hand, by specifying the location of the libraries, it is extremely easy to take physical copies of the publication.

The activity of the National Library, which for many years has been implementing projects related to the digitization and exchange of collections of Polish literature, has had a huge impact on improving the services provided by electronic means. One of the most important initiatives is the OMNIS Electronic Service, a project co-financed by the Digital Poland Operational Program from the European Regional Development Fund and the state budget within the High Availability and Quality Services campaign. In addition to the associated catalogs, the project created additional electronic services: an integrated OMNIS search engine, POLONA in the cloud for libraries, and an e-ISBN publishing repository.

OMNIS is about opening up public sector resources and reusing them. Data and objects provided through OMNIS electronic services will serve the development of culture and science. You can read more about the project, e-services and their benefits on the website.