Recap: VuFind® Berlin 2025 – What’s in it for us?

From September 29 to 30, 2025, the Berlin State Library hosted the international VuFind® Global Summit alongside the German VuFind® User Group Meeting. Under the motto What’s in it for us?, more than 120 participants – 60 on site in the library’s Simón-Bolívar-Saal and another 60 joining online – came together to discuss how discovery systems like VuFind® create value for libraries and their users.

Prof. Achim Bonte during his opening address

In his opening address, director general Prof. Achim Bonte emphasized that open source is not just about code, but about community and commitment. He highlighted how the Berlin State Library has made openness a strategic principle by fostering collaboration across communities and institutions. The library’s decision to use VuFind® not just for its discovery systems, but also for its upcoming digital collections platform, underlines this commitment. This set the tone for two days that showcased both the technical sophistication and the collaborative energy of the VuFind® ecosystem.

Ralf Stockmann discussing his keynote with the audience

The program offered twelve presentations, reflecting the diversity of the VuFind® community’s work. Topics ranged from software architecture, UX and accessibility to AI-driven discovery and organizational approaches to open-source development. The presentations and videos are all available on the VuFind® website. The first half of the second day was dedicated to the German VuFind® User Group Meeting, with more practice-oriented presentations and five parallel breakout sessions. The session on AI in Discovery, moderated by Dorian Grosch, sparked particular interest. It resulted in a collaborative initiative to explore the potential of machine learning for improving discovery systems. Those interested in contributing can join the ongoing discussion (currently in German).

The breakout session on applications of machine learning technology in discovery systems sparked a lot of interest

Despite its hybrid format, the conference maintained a lively and collegial atmosphere. The Simón-Bolívar-Saal proved to be a great venue, and the social dinner offered time for networking and conversation beyond the sessions. Participants also had the chance to join guided tours through both buildings of the Staatsbibliothek, which were well received.

Lively discussion about UX topics during one of the breakout sessions

The discussions in Berlin confirmed that discovery systems remain at the heart of digital library strategy — not just as search interfaces, but potentially also as data platforms that connect collections, users, and research. With its open architecture and active community, VuFind® continues to be a catalyst for innovation across institutions. In the words of Prof. Achim Bonte: Whatever is in it for us, we’re in it together!