June 25, 2013
This Alma development partner now enjoys unified resource management and unified discovery of all library collections
Chicago, IL—June 25, 2013. Ex Libris® Group, a world leader in the provision of library automation solutions, is pleased to announce that Purdue University is in production with the next-generation Alma library management solution. A member of the Association of Research Libraries (ARL) and an Alma development partner since 2009, Purdue has played a central role in creating, shaping, and enhancing Alma, which has now been selected by over 150 institutions worldwide.
In the past, Purdue Libraries used multiple systems to manage print and electronic resources. Now it enjoys two unified, cloud-based solutions: Ex Libris Primo®, for the discovery of all library collections (replacing the open-source VuFind system), and Alma, for resource management.
”Going live marks the culmination of our three-year involvement with the development of Alma,” Paul Bracke, Associate Dean for Digital Programs and Information Access and Associate Professor of Library Science, commented. ”Together with the other development partners, we have seen Alma grow from concept into reality – a platform that we feel will be a highly effective platform for managing library operations with robust analytics.”
Reflecting on the strategic importance of Alma for the Library and the university, Mr Bracke noted: ”Alma is a cornerstone of the Libraries’ efforts to fulfill our strategic goal of facilitating the continuum of scholarly communication, from discovery to delivery, through the provision of information resources, services, and both internal and external partnerships. On a practical level we are excited about eliminating outdated silos between print and electronic resources, a hindrance in today’s digital world. In addition, the Alma Analytics tool will take our understanding of usage, expenditure, and other metrics to a new level.”
Mark Triest, president of Ex Libris North America, remarked: ”Purdue University brings a long history of excellence in scholarship and technological advocacy to the development and implementation of Alma. We are proud and grateful to have partnered closely with their experts to make Alma the most advanced library management service on the market. It will be exciting for us to watch and support Purdue University Libraries in the coming months as the impact and potential of Alma are felt across the campus.”
About Purdue University
Located in West Lafayette, Indiana, in the United States, Purdue University consists of six campuses. Purdue was founded in 1869 as a land-grant university, when the Indiana General Assembly accepted a donation of land and money from Lafayette businessman John Purdue to establish a college of science, technology, and agriculture in his name. Purdue has the second largest undergraduate body in Indiana, and the school’s international student population is one of the largest for a public university in the United States. Heralding its ongoing involvement in aviation and space technology, Purdue was the first university in the world to offer an aeronautics program. For additional information on Purdue University, see http://www.purdue.edu/.
About Ex Libris
Ex Libris is a leading provider of automation solutions for academic, national, and research libraries. Offering the only comprehensive product suite for electronic, digital, and print materials, Ex Libris provides efficient, user-friendly products that serve the needs of libraries today and will facilitate their transition into the future. Ex Libris maintains an impressive customer base consisting of thousands of sites in more than 80 countries on six continents.
Dedicated to developing creative solutions in close collaboration with customers, Ex Libris enables libraries to maximize productivity and efficiency and, at the same time, greatly enhance the user experience. By empowering users to discover and obtain the information they need, libraries ensure their position as the bridge to knowledge.
