43 million queries a year: the current portal catalogue is by far the most frequently used web service provided by the German National Library (DNB). This catalogue is intended for both the general public and for special target groups such as data subscribers or media depositors. A new catalogue is currently being developed as part of a project that will last several years. Curious users have been able to test many of the functions in the beta version since the summer of 2022. The primary goal of the new launch: the DNB's online catalogue needs a new technical platform to make it easier to maintain and expand – and to ensure that it remains barrier-free and intuitively accessible. It is mainly intended for the general public, less so for professional users.

Why a new catalogue?

The software technologies and frameworks used by the portal catalogue are getting on in years. The (portal/catalogue) application is already more than ten years old, and even minor changes usually mean that a new version of the whole application has to be created. This is due to the rigid software architecture and inflexible processing of data. Remedial action will now be taken during the course of a project that will span several years – resulting in a DNB online catalogue that is easier to maintain and expand.

The primary goal? A complete reimplementation incorporating up-to-date technologies. Individual components are to be modularised. This means that independent services will be developed for various tasks and brought together in one interface. These services can then be maintained and expanded separately in the future.

Easy for everyone to use

The new catalogue will have plenty of advantages for users: the user interface will be modernised and incorporate the DNB's new website design. Most importantly, the new catalogue will enable even users with no special knowledge of librarianship to carry out research. The search options, filters and catalogue display in particular have been made more user-friendly. The first beta version of the new catalogue went online in the summer of 2022. This beta version allows users to perform basic functions such as searching and displaying metadata and filtering search results, e.g. by time.

With a modern user interface and a new design, the catalogue allows users to conduct their research without needing any specialist knowledge about libraries Screenshot: DNB

What does the new catalogue contain?

The new catalogue will still encompass the entirety of the DNB's holdings. As of the end of 2022, these consisted of over 28 million bibliographic data records and more than 9 million authority data records.
The data records describe the different materials held by the German National Library. Everything is included, from books and sound recordings to websites. The authority data are just as diverse.
With a wealth of material comes a wealth of data. The data come from various sources and are generated in accordance with various cataloguing guidelines. Extensive data models have been created to facilitate the efficient processing of this wide variety of data. They form a standardised foundation for the simplified further processing of data in the catalogue's subcomponents. Almost any kind of display format can be generated from the data models, e.g. hit lists, favourites lists and detail views. The search function also accesses the data models.

The new catalogue covers the full range of the DNB's holdings, with bibliographic data records for 28 million titles and 9 million authority data records Sreenshot: DNB

One application – many services

The technical architecture of the new catalogue comprises several specialised sub-applications that are configured to perform various functional and technical tasks as separate services. Information about the technical services is summarised in a web-based user interface. The range of services available is extensive, including the execution of search requests, the configuration of search keys, the provision of book cover images and the creation of data models. This type of task distribution simplifies the implementation of new requirements since only one sub-application has to be modified and not the whole system.

The new catalogue utilises the widely used search engine technology Solr. However, the filter options – which number more than one thousand – and graphic representation of publication years posed significant challenges for the short response times of the Solr installation. These challenges were resolved by balancing the load generated by the search queries between several computers or nodes.

What is behind the beta version?

The new catalogue's user interface is based on Government Site Builder, the German federal government's content management system. This system has been expanded to accommodate the new catalogue's requirements. To this end, the DNB made use of an existing framework service agreement that offers the development of a design for the catalogue interface as one of its options. Many of the functions and design elements are based on the DNB website – so that users can feel "at home" right away when carrying out searches. And no matter whether they are using a laptop, tablet or smartphone: the catalogue is designed in such a way that it can adjust to various screen sizes with almost no loss of function. Moreover, the beta version of the new catalogue is already entirely bilingual.

What happens next?

The beta version is already receiving a steady stream of visitors, even though basic functions such as loan issues have not yet been realised. What will the focal areas be over the next few years? Improved accessibility, the most intuitive interface possible for the new catalogue and the integration of loan functions. There will also be additional links between data records to facilitate further research. All functional and technical components, particularly for search and display, will undergo ongoing adaptation and improvement.
Do you want to find out more about the beta version of our new catalogue? Then take a look at our Blog.

Click here for the beta version.

Click here for the current portal catalogue.