A new interface for IUCAT: Blacklight by Hyeran Kang.
From the post:
As you may have heard, work has begun on a new interface for IUCAT. The IU Libraries OLE Discovery Layer Implementation Task Force (DLITF) will be overseeing the implementation of a new discovery layer, powered by Blacklight, to overlay our current SirsiDynix system. Development work is going on during this fall semester and a public Beta will be launched in spring 2012. This is a good time to share some background information around the new discovery interface, Blacklight.
What is Blacklight?
Blacklight is a free and open source OPAC (Online Public Access Catalog) solution developed at the University of Virginia (UVA) Library; check the project site for detailed information. While some OSS (Open Source Software) systems, such as Evergreen and Koha, were developed to replace a library’s entire ILS (Integrated Library System), Blacklight has been designed to work with a library’s current ILS to assist in reengineering the library’s searching tools. It uses Apache Solr for indexing and searching records and Ruby on Rails for its front end.
If Solr or Ruby on Rails is on your “to be learned” list, you might want bump one or both up a notch or two and consider contributing to the Blacklight project.