Technical Specifications / Credits
Guide to the Catalog
The Catalog/Articles/Databases interface has been developed in-house by the library's IT staff, using a PHP code-base to render data, and relying on XML data interchanges for the information it presents. The Catalog/Articles/Databases interface is indebted to the following applications and/or concepts, either as inspiration or as data sources (or both):
- The PHP codebase was heavily inspired by early versions of David Walker's Xerxes application
- "Articles" and "Databases" data comes from ExLibris' Metalib application, using that software package's X-Server API and interface
- "Catalog" data comes from two sources: indirectly from ExLibris' ALEPH Integrated Library System application, and directly from Endeca Technologies' search application. (The data itself is served to the Catalog/Articles/Databases interface using a custom-built XML web-services layer on top of Endeca.)
- The (Catalog) Endeca application source is managed by - and part of - a larger consortial project across four Triangle institutions, named Search TRLN; links to the Search TRLN application are provided on nearly every results page as a way to expand on the search results.
- Some internal functionality in the catalog component (e.g. auto-segmentation of Chinese/Japanese/Korean characters) is achieved through Google's services library, notably Google's "language" service (for language detection), interpreted through Google's AJAX Search API library. Google's JSON data is parsed in PHP by the Services_JSON PEAR package.
- "E-Journals" data and the interface is hosted by an instance of ExLibris' SFX application; this component is not encompassed by the PHP codebase (but some data is served up in "Articles" through the SFX XML API).
- Many of the "Books" enhanced content -- table of contents, cover images, A/V track-listings, etc. -- are provided through access to Syndetics services, provided via an XML-based API.
- The "books" cover-image effects are provided through two different coding projects: JQuery and its plugin module FancyBox (used for most of the cover-images), and the versatile JW Image Rotator Flash-based application (which provides the rotating slideshow of new arrivals, embedded through the SWFObject project.
- Most of the icons provided in the Catalog/Articles/Databases interface come from the comprehensive FamFamFAM Silk collection.
- Email functions provided in the web-application utilize the PHPMailer utility.
919-660-5870
(Perkins Circulation Desk)
Unless otherwise specified on this page, this work is licensed under a
Creative Commons Attribution-Noncommercial-Share Alike 3.0 United States License.
Last modified November 8, 2010 1:45:09 PM EST