Does the Summon service support a catalog that is shared amongst multiple institutions?

The Summon service provides support for Union catalogs and provides an Institution facet that allows users to limit catalog results to a particular library or libraries holdings.

Libraries can also choose to set up Summon so that after the user selects an institution, Summon's Library Location facet displays the particular locations where the item is held within the institution(s) selected.

Libraries using Union Catalogs in Summon may also specify a library location value or an institution value that will always appear in the top six facet values unless there are none. This is called Whitelisting Library Locations and Institutions, and is controlled through the Settings page in the Summon Administration Console.

Support for Union catalogs takes full advantage of the match and merge functionality in CDI. Items with two or more records are merged together into a single result, with links to the user's local institutional catalog.

Libraries using Union Catalogs in Summon may also specify which participant record appears as the main record in a merged record for a search result. For example, the library may choose which institution's records should be favored, or whether to favor an item based on the library location value.This is called Participant Record Prioritization and is also controlled through the Settings page in the administration console.

A shared catalog loaded in Summon can also take advantage of the Items at my Institution facet that makes it simple for users to display only those results (print and electronic) available at their institution.

To initiate setup of a shared catalog in Summon, use the Contact Us menu at the top of this page to reach our Support team.