News Release #2 (March 2021)

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[Local catalog] and Melvyl is/are retiring, but UC Library Search will do more!
Melvyl is retiring, new UC Library Search will do more!
Saying goodbye to Melvyl, but UC Library Search will do more!
Do more with UC Library Search! [Local Catalog] and Melvyl retiring July 27th.

UC Library Search will replace Melvyl and [local catalog] as a single, UC-wide library discovery tool on July 27, 2021.

Melvyl debuted in 1981, before most of our current students (and some faculty) were born. Melvyl revolutionized the UC Library system, allowing researchers to find books at other UC campuses through computer terminals on their own campuses.

Behind the scenes however, Melvyl relied on a complex patchwork system that connected multiple catalogs and databases in order to coordinate interlibrary loan(s) and full-text access. As several of these systems approached the end of their life spans, the UC Libraries recognized the technical unsustainability and inherent risks associated with keeping the Melvyl system. [So began the project of making UC Library Search a reality.]

UC Library Search will vastly improve the user experience of faculty, students, and researchers worldwide who need to access collections across the University of California system. Rather than using Melvyl, which linked separate catalogs from different institutions, all of the University of California libraries will now be part of one unified discovery tool.

Previously, researchers had to search two places to locate library resources: [local catalog] and Melvyl. Some materials, like course reserves, could not be searched in Melvyl. Other resources, notably those held by other UC campus libraries, couldn’t be found in local catalogs. And yet other resources had to be located in separate databases like HathiTrust.

UC Library Search will maximize the value of the UC collections by making resources much easier to find and borrow thanks to its improved inter-library resource sharing tools and simplified user interface.

As Melvyl approaches retirement, let's celebrate the 40 years of service it has given to UC Library users and welcome UC Library Search - the discovery tool of our future.

For more information, please see libraries.universityofcalifornia.edu/uclibrarysearch, or contact <<name and email of contact person on your campus>>.