Towards unified retrieval system for GLAM institutions in India: Designing a prototype for biblio-cultural information space

Generally, the galleries, libraries, archives, and museums (GLAM) of developing countries use two different information representation and retrieval systems to manage bibliographic datasets and cultural-heritage objects. These software-centric systems create different retrieval silos, and end users need to hop from one retrieval interface to another with diverse search techniques for an all-encompassing search. A centrally indexed biblio-cultural information system in place of multiple retrieval silos, as a single-window search mechanism for bibliographic and cultural resources, may help users of GLAM find the required information with ease. This study is an attempt to design a technical framework towards this goal of a unified system of retrieval by applying different domain-specific open-source applications related to a library software ecosystem, and open standards. The methodology, based on open-source software and open standards, may well be adopted by libraries with complex information management needs.