It is over four years since we introduced the Ex LibrisEL Commons collaborative platform. Customers and staff members use the CodeSharesection of EL Commons to publish the extensions they build using the Ex Libris systems’ open interfaces. Here are three of my favourite code contributions of 2012:
The Primo Result Extender Aggregator Service (PREAS) was created by Karsten Kryger Hansen and Kasper Løvschall from Aalborg University. It allows libraries to enrich Primo search results with supplementary information such as matching full text in Google Books, related information in Wikipedia, and the availability of article feeds from JournalTOC for specific journal titles.
Lucas van Schaik from Leiden University created another nice extension with a program that adds Google-like pagination to the Primo result pages.
Both contributions did not just achieve high ratings by fellow developers, but were also very popular among Primo users; they were each downloaded more than a hundred times.
Last but not least: Shortly before Christmas, Ido Peled, product manager at Ex Libris, added a code extension that adds altmetric scores from altmetric.com to the Primo research results, where they are available. It captured a lot of attention and has been downloaded over 70 times in the short time since it was published.
These three favourites are just a selection of many great contributions. Ex Libris customers can view many more on the EL Commons website. Sharing code extensions and trying out new ideas based on the open interfaces of Ex Libris systems adds a lot of value for users and allows institutions to gain from each other’s expertise. Supporting EL Commons is part of the Ex Libris open platform strategy.
We are looking forward to a great 2013 with many more innovative ideas!
January 7, 2013
