CHADD’s National Resource Centre on ADHD Library Implements Soutron

Soutron’s end-user customisable library software solution has been implemented at CHADD’s (Children and Adults with Attention-Deficit/Hyperactivity Disorder) NRC (National Resource Centre) library on ADHD, located in Lanham, MD, USA.

The NRC Library at CHADD is supported by the Centres for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). CHADD’s NRC Library is also an Affiliate Member of the Network of the National Library of Medicine, National Institutes of Health, U.S. Department of Health and Human Services.

The goals and priorities of CHADD are to serve as a clearing house for evidence-based information about ADHD, provide support for families and individuals affected by ADHD, and serve as their advocate. As a result, the NRC library users comprise a diverse audience of teens and children, parents and caregivers, educators, policymakers, and healthcare professionals.

Providing access to that diverse set of users proved difficult with their previous system. A long-term InMagic Genie (later known as GeniePlus) user, the CHADD NRC library found that the search interface of their existing library solution from Lucidea was difficult for their audience to use. “The InMagic search interface was built for a librarian to use,” states Zuali Malsawma, MLIS and NRC Director.  “And the design was fixed. We could not do a lot on our own and had to use Lucidea services to make those changes.”

That fixed design meant the NRC library could not provide information to their various audiences the way they wanted to. “Our audience is very important to us, as we address a range of needs from parental needs, research needs from students and teenagers, from healthcare professionals and more,” states Zuali.

Search Portal

By implementing Soutron and creating a custom search portal, the NRC library is now better able to provide access to their unique collection and address their audience needs. The new online NRC library search portal is organised by audience types, all of whom can now quickly find materials that are relevant to their needs.

This new accessibility is due to the flexibility of Soutron’s Library and Archive Search Portal technology. It is template driven, incorporates HTML5 and CSS style sheets and is easily customisable. Rachel James, MSLIS, Health Sciences Librarian and manager of the Young Scientist Research Awards at CHADD agrees: “With Soutron I can create collections and easily use CSS styles to customise,” says Rachel. “I also found that I could easily update fields and records to make our collection materials display the way I want them to.”

CHADD’s National Resource Centre on ADHD maintains the NRC Library as a source for scientific and medical evidence-based information on attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) and related topics.

To access the CHADD National Resource Centre library on ADHD, visit here: https://chadd.org/adhd-information-library/

Get in touch with us if you would like to see how Soutron software can help your organization or book a demonstration today!