On January 15, 2001, the Association of Southeastern Research launches "Kudzu," a system of linked online catalogs at 14 research libraries across the Southeast, connecting more than 180,000 students and faculty to more than 23 million volumes. The system allows users to browse the participating catalogs using a single search interface, and to submit interlibrary loan requests directly to the source library. Using existing systems at each participating site, most documents can be delivered within two days.
"We are thrilled to see this vision become a reality," commented Paul Gherman, ASERL's Board President and University Librarian at Vanderbilt University. Additional ASERL member libraries will likely join the system in the future. "This is one of the largest shared catalog systems in the region, and something for which we can truly be proud," added Gherman.
The initial system utilizes OCLC's SiteSearch software running on a server based at Vanderbilt's Jean and Alexander Heard Library. Other related systems and services are being considered for future phases of the system. Marshall Breeding, Library Technology Officer for Vanderbilt's library system, is leading the technical development. John Burger, ASERL Project Manager at SOLINET, is coordinating project logistics.
The participating institutions in this phase of the Kudzu project are
- Wake Forest University
- Tulane University
- University of South Carolina
- Clemson University
- Auburn University
- University of Mississippi
- Virginia Commonwealth University
- Mississippi State University
- University of Kentucky
- University of Tennessee-Knoxville
- Vanderbilt University
- University of Alabama
- University of Alabama at Birmingham
- University of Louisville
For additional information about this project, please contact John Burger.
