Fyndkataloger

Fyndkataloger, or discovery catalogs, are unified search interfaces that allow users to find resources described in metadata across multiple libraries, archives, museums, and other repositories. They aggregate records from disparate catalogs and digital collections, enabling a single query to retrieve books, articles, images, recordings, and other media held by participating institutions.

They provide advanced search features and facets to refine results, such as format, language, publication year, subject terms, author, and location. Users can often view item availability, hold options, and links to full text or digitized versions. Discovery catalogs are designed to support learning, research, and casual discovery, and may integrate with user accounts, request workflows, and interlibrary loan services.

Technically, fyndkataloger rely on metadata standards and interchange protocols to collect and normalize records. Common standards include MARC, Dublin Core, and sometimes MODS or EAD, while harvesting can use OAI-PMH. Searchability is typically enhanced through indexing, authority control, and controlled vocabularies. Many discovery platforms also support Z39.50 or SRU interfaces and OpenURL link resolvers to connect search results to full-text resources or holdings, and may offer APIs for integration with other systems.

In Sweden and other Nordic countries, fyndkataloger often operate across national and regional institution collections, sometimes leveraging national catalog infrastructures. They aim to improve discoverability and access by providing a unified entry point, while facing challenges related to metadata quality, deduplication, and varying access rights across institutions.

Overall, fyndkataloger play a central role in modern information discovery by bridging multiple holdings and simplifying access for diverse users.