The Knowledge Portal, or the vision of easy access to information
| Pages | 594-601 |
| DOI | https://doi.org/10.1108/07378830911007691 |
| Date | 20 November 2009 |
| Published date | 20 November 2009 |
| Author | Wolfram Neubauer,Arlette Piguet |
| Subject Matter | Information & knowledge management,Library & information science |
The Knowledge Portal, or the
vision of easy access to
information
Wolfram Neubauer and Arlette Piguet
ETH Library and Collections, Swiss Federal Institute of Technology,
Zurich, Switzerland
Abstract
Purpose – The purpose of this paper is to show that the development of the “Knowledge Portal” is an
attempt to develop a central access system in terms of a “single point of access” for all electronic
information services. This means that all these sources – from the library’s catalogue and full-text
in-house applications to external, licensed sources – should be accessible via one central web service.
Design/methodology/approach – The Knowledge Portal is a piece of software and a real library
application, based on Primo, a commercial product, which has been enhanced through a cooperative
project from ETH Libraries (Libraries of the Swiss Federal Institute of Technology Zurich) and
ExLibris. The new portal will be the result of integrating this new metasearch and the library’s
homepage.
Findings – The paper gives an overview of the general idea behind this complex and clearly
user-oriented project and shows which steps are necessary for its launch.
Originality/value – The paper gives an example of how to organize cooperation between quite
different project partners and shows the complexity of setting up a portal as the single point of access.
Keywords Knowledge management, Portals, Informationcontrol
Paper type Research paper
Introduction
Like many other academic libraries, ETH Libraries and Collections, a specialist
information provider for science and technology, are offering their users an extensive
choice of different information services. All researchers, all scientists and also all
students have access to nearly all relevant information. This is the positive side of the
coin. On the other hand, every vast service portfolio of a library is by definition
heterogeneous and quite difficult to use. This is especially relevant for those customers
who use library services only occasionally. This means that the more information
services and information channels there are, the more complex it is for the customer to
find what they need for their scientific work. Thiswas also the situation at ETH Zurich.
The vision, the main goal of the project “Knowledge Portal” is to develop a central
access system in terms of a “single point of access” for all electronic information
services. This means that all these sources – from the library’s catalogue and full text
in house applications to external, licensed sources – should be accessib le via one
central web service.
The library’s environment
In terms of its numbers, the ETH Zurich, the Swiss Federal Institute of Technology
Zurich, although one of the most important research institutions in Europe, is a
The current issue and full text archive of this journal is available at
www.emeraldinsight.com/0737-8831.htm
LHT
27,4
594
Received 11 June 2009
Revised 2 July 2009
Accepted 24 July 2009
Library Hi Tech
Vol. 27 No. 4, 2009
pp. 594-601
qEmerald Group Publishing Limited
0737-8831
DOI 10.1108/07378830911007691
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