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FOLIO: Discovery

This guide provides information on the integrated library system (ILS) FOLIO and integrated products.

Library Catalog Options at University of Missouri

The University of Missouri offers two discovery systems for faculty, staff, students, and other users: EBSCO Discovery Service (EDS) and VuFind.

EDS is a discovery layer hosted by EBSCO that allows users to search for items cataloged in FOLIO (physical materials), online collections, and e-resources available through subscriptions. 

VuFind is a traditional online public access catalog (OPAC) that allows users to search for works cataloged in FOLIO only (physical resources). Most online materials are not cataloged in FOLIO. If an e-resource is cataloged in FOLIO, it will be accessible through the 856 field. Other online resources, such as those accessible through subscriptions or those e-resource records that require sideloading into the catalog are not included.

 

Why does the University of Missouri Library System have two online catalogs?

When the University of Missouri migrated to FOLIO in 2022, the University of Missouri lost access to a traditional online catalog or OPAC, and users expressed some concerns with EDS. VuFind was found to solve many of the issues mentioned by users including

  • A fully functional catalog for the State Historical Society of Missouri
  • Scoping by institution, campus, library, and location using limiters and default searches 
  • Patrons can place bulk renewals or renew all items
  • More sorting options including volume sorting and hierarchical or nesting sorting
  • Permalinking for items available in human readable format, and URLs are permalinks
  • Users without SSO, such as community and retired UM staff, can log in to VuFind to view their loans, fees, and requests.
  • Search algorithm can be tweaked for improved relevancy ranking
  • Patron can place multiple volumes of a title in the same session
  • Items linked to multiple records display in all linked records
  • Any field harvested from the FOLIO Inventory app (952 field in MARC record) can be indexed and used for searches including campus, library, location, and material type
  • Search results page for no search results is customizable. 

When should I use VuFind versus EDS?

As mentioned above, VuFind allows users to search for items cataloged in FOLIO, which is primarily physical resources. E-resources cataloged in FOLIO, such as some freely available online materials, are also searchable and accessible in VuFind. However, online resources available through subscriptions or databases, e-resource records that require sideloading into the catalog, and digital repository materials are not discoverable in VuFind. Most online resources are not cataloged in FOLIO.

VuFind is ideal for those users who want to search our physical collection only or those users who only have access to the physical collection. VuFind is also an option for those users without an SSO account who want place holds for physical materials and who want to manage their requests and loans through the online catalog. Users without a SSO account are not able to log into EDS. Users may also use VuFind to search for course reserves.This feature is not currently available in EDS.

EDS is for those users who want to search all resources (both physical and online) in one place. With EDS, users can search items cataloged in FOLIO, those available through subscriptions, e-resource records sideloaded into the catalog, digital repositories, and other UM online collections. User access to e-resources is based on the campus that is linked to their user account. Some resources are available system-wide and some are limited to specific campuses.

Differences between EDS and VuFind

Authentication

EDS: Only university-affiliated users with an active SSO, such as current faculty, staff, and students, have access to EDS to view user account information. Some campuses have a "guest access" option so users can view and search the catalog without logging in. 

VuFind: Both users with an active SSO account and those users without a SSO account but have an active user account can log in to VuFind. Those users with an active SSO account should use the "Institutional Login" option. Those users without a SSO account, such as community users, should use the "Catalog Login" option. For "Catalog Login", the username is the email in their FOLIO user record and the password is the barcode in their FOLIO user record.

Instances

EDS: Each campus and the State Historical Society have multiple profiles under their own EDS site that are grouped together under a UM system-wide EDS site. Some features and functionality can be applied at the site/profile level and other customizations can only be applied at the UM system level. 

VuFind: All campuses and the State Historical Society share one instance of VuFind. This means that all customizations are at the system level. However, URLs can be created with default filters to limit to a certain campus, libraries, or locations.

Discoverable Materials

EDS: Users can search for items cataloged in FOLIO (physical materials) and online resources. Access to online resources is based on the campus affiliation of the user.

VuFind: Users can only search for items cataloged in FOLIO. This is primarily physical resources. E-resources that have been cataloged in FOLIO are also discoverable. All other online collections are not searchable or accessible in VuFind. Most online materials are not cataloged in FOLIO.