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SEARCH. FIND. IMPACT.
The Karlsruhe Virtual Catalogue has been connecting library catalogs worldwide for three decades and makes academic holdings searchable - from current publications to older editions, grey literature and special collections. As a publicly funded and quality-assured infrastructure, it provides a reliable basis for researching and accessing media.
How was the KVK created? How is it used? And what role does it play today?
Voices, insights, figures and stories from three decades of research practice provide a look behind the scenes of a platform that many have long since taken for granted.
The year is 1996:
Every library has its own catalog.
If you search, you find - often only part of it.
The rest? Hidden somewhere out there.
At the KIT Library, they think: There must be an easier way ...
The solution: search in many catalogs at the same time - without collecting them.
The KVK simply asks everywhere.
One search, many answers.
And suddenly the hits that nobody expected appear.
More and more libraries are joining in, more and more catalogs are becoming visible.
The KVK is spreading - first regionally, then far beyond.
A good idea becomes a tool that people no longer want to do without.
The technology continues to develop, as do the interfaces.
But the idea remains surprisingly stable: better to search once correctly than ten times individually.
It has worked for 30 years - and will almost certainly continue to do so in the future.
Table of contents
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Indispensable since 1996 ...
To mark the 30th anniversary of the Karlsruhe Virtual Catalog, a survey was launched directly among users. The response was significantly higher than expected - as was the positive response.
The evaluation of the 860 re-registrations shows a clear picture of the frequency of use:
- 58% use the KVK regularly
- 21% even daily
- 19% use it occasionally
- 0.6 % the KVK is a completely new discovery
A result that the IT team of the KIT Library is of course particularly pleased with!
... and the KVK is used for this
In addition to the frequency of use, users were also asked which tasks they currently perform with the KVK. Multiple answers were permitted. The re-registrations show what the catalog is most frequently used for:
- 646 re-registrations are for searching for a very specific title
- 422 people use the KVK to check the availability of a work
- 253 respondents use it for thematic research, also across national borders
- 173 check the possibility of interlibrary loan
- 47 use the KVK to simply have a look around
The survey thus shows not only how often the KVK is used, but also what it is used for and why it has maintained its firm place in research practice for three decades.
Uwe Dierolf
As Head of IT at the KIT Library, Uwe Dierolf has been helping to shape the KVK's technical infrastructure since 1996. The computer scientist is a creative mind, full of ideas and enthusiastic about discovering and implementing new solutions. In addition to developing and maintaining web services and databases, he and his team ensure that the KVK functions as a reliable, user-oriented platform.
Michael Mönnich
As a librarian and supporter of numerous IT projects at the KIT Library, Michael Mönnich was one of the initiators of the Karlsruhe Virtual Catalog in 1996. After completing his studies and doctorate in pharmacy and the history of pharmacy, he joined the higher library service in 1989 and worked at the KIT Library until 2023, most recently as deputy director and head of user services.
Roland Sand
As a computer science student in the mid-1990s, Roland Sand applied for a student's project, student's thesis at Karlsruhe University Library entitled "Development of a meta-search interface for WWW library catalogs". He played a key role in the planning and technical implementation of central parts of the KVK.
Today, the software developer works for an IT service provider in Karlsruhe.
The Karlsruhe Virtual Catalog has been bringing people and knowledge together all over the world for 30 years. Time to look back, celebrate a little and show how vital and indispensable this idea still is today.
"State of the art" or already a "digital classic"?
To mark the anniversary, we're taking a closer look at this question. With a look back, a survey of users and selected voices, we show what the KVK is today.
... a national and international inventory overview and therefore my first port of call when I do research beyond my own library. THANK YOU KIT for the initiative! My No. 1 for 30 years.
Mehr
In its April 7 issue, "Die Rheinpfalz" reports on the Karlsruhe Virtual Catalog (KVK). The article by Andreas Lapos shows how the catalog still provides access to several hundred million media in numerous national and international catalogs, making it an indispensable tool for research and study.
Mehr
646 re-registrations, re-enrollments relate to the search for a specific title.
(Multiple answers were possible)
For 30 years, the KVK has been a reliable, publicly funded search infrastructure for academic research. It bundles international catalogs, indexes diverse holdings and provides structured data and availability information via open interfaces.
422 people use the KVK to check the availability of a work (multiple answers were possible)
... a fabulous research tool. As a music historian and former librarian, I am sometimes asked to write essays or texts for program booklets - the KVK is a great source for finding one or two titles and then ordering them from the LVK.
Mehr
The "Worldwide" section has now grown to include over 30 catalogs, thus expanding the international search options.
173 check the possibility of interlibrary loan (multiple answers were possible)
... *the* central tool for bibliographic research - congratulations on your 30th anniversary and thank you for your great work!
Mehr
The KVK has reached a level of 84 simultaneously searchable bibliographic databases worldwide.
253 respondents use it for thematic research, even across national borders (multiple answers were possible)
The new mega-network K10plus (merger of the Southwest German Library Network (SWB) and the Joint Library Network (GBV)) is integrated. The KVK adapts its interfaces in order to efficiently retrieve the more than 200 million data records of this network.
Research literature on a topic - also internationally.
In June, the Virtual German State Bibliography (VDL) will be anchored as an independent search option on the KVK homepage. In September, the option for the Virtual Catalog Theology and Church (VThK) follows and enables targeted searches in ecclesiastical holdings.
This is the first time that virtual catalogs have been integrated into the Karlsruhe Virtual Catalog.
... indispensable. I am researching children's and youth literature between 1933 and 1945. Some works are hard to find, and the KVK has often provided important information.
Mehr
The BibTip recommender system is integrated, which works across the boundaries of individual library networks and links titles from different sources. The ISBN already determined from the full title display with cover image serves as the basis for determining recommendations. BibTip draws on an existing recommendation system that is continuously being expanded on the basis of its integration into numerous library and union catalogs. Thematic recommendations appear directly in the short and full title display of the KVK.
...an indispensable tool that would have to be invented quickly if it didn't already exist!
Mehr
The shutdown of the KVK, announced as an April Fool's joke, caused a great response - and some shocked reactions, which some people still remember today.
Sorry again for the shock :-)
The KVK search mask and results pages have been converted to responsive web design. This means that the service can now also be used on smartphones and tablets - even if many target systems still do not display their full title ads in a mobile-optimized way.
... the greatest research tool for my work, without it everything would be much more tedious, so I get a lot of information quickly at a glance!
You made my day!
Mehr
Full title pages are displayed directly in the KVK, including automatically added cover images. Using the "view-title.php" script, the system loads the title page internally, determines the ISBN and adds suitable covers.
Many catalogs do not yet offer this function themselves - the KVK closes this gap and adds visible added value to its infrastructure.
use the KVK every day.
47 use the KVK simply to have a look around. (Multiple answers were possible)
The KVK is introducing a free text search and is thus responding to the wish of many users for a simple search slot, as has become popular with Google.
In addition to enhanced statistical functions for project partners, multilingual support was introduced. Customer-specific hit lists could be customized using their own text modules and templates.
For projects such as VDL, the KVK was also opened up to any search attributes and technically enhanced. Session limits and the reuse of existing sessions reduced the load on the target systems and prevented unnecessary resource consumption in the union catalogs.
... a very useful tool, albeit with pitfalls: For example, some catalogs often report back that they are blocked. It is astonishing that the fundamental need for a worldwide federated search has remained.
The WorldCat promises more in terms of name, but the KVK has by far the greater practical benefit for finding holdings records.
It is gratifying that it exists, and if it did not, it would have to be invented. In any case, the proud age of 30 years is reason enough for a hearty birthday wish and congratulations to the KIT Library as inventor, developer and operator.
Mehr
The Karlsruhe Virtual Catalog goes online. Since then, billions of search queries have been sent from Karlsruhe to library and union catalogs worldwide, evaluated and made accessible in a standardized form.