January 25, 2009
Ex Libris joins a European consortium of broadcasters and innovators to develop preservation technologies, tools, and processes for audiovisual collections
Jerusalem, Israel – January 25, 2009. Ex Libris™ Group is pleased to announce that based on its experience in the development of digital preservation systems for libraries, the Company was invited to become a member of the PrestoPrime consortium. PrestoPrime is a European Union project, funded by the Seventh Framework Program (FP7) to research and develop means of ensuring the permanence of digital audiovisual objects in archives, libraries, museums, and collections.
The goal of PrestoPrime, to be pursued over a four-year schedule, is to evaluate and prepare tools and processes for the long-term preservation of audiovisual objects, programs, and collections, and to find ways of integrating specialized audiovisual archives into the framework of digital libraries. Program partners include three of the major European broadcasting agencies: the French national broadcaster, Institut National de l’Audiovisuel (INA)–-which is coordinating the program– Italy’s national broadcaster, Radiotelevisione Italiana (RAI), the British Broadcasting Corporation, (BBC) and several other leading technology innovators from Europe.
In November 2008, version 1.0 of the Ex Libris Rosetta digital preservation system went live at the National Library of New Zealand, and the system is now in general release. Ex Libris Rosetta is a first-of-its-kind solution enabling academic, research, and national libraries to maintain the usability and integrity of their digital resources in perpetuity. The understanding that preservation and access belong together—and are not mutually exclusive entities—dictated a design in which preservation support is built directly into the platform rather than serving as an add-on feature.
”Ex Libris is thrilled to have this opportunity to contribute to the wider community,” Tamar Sadeh, director of marketing at Ex Libris, commented. ”After years of research and advocacy for the cause of digital preservation, it is indeed an honor for us to participate in the PrestoPrime project. We look forward to extending our expertise to dealing also with the preservation of audiovisual materials, leveraging our thorough understanding of the needs of digital libraries.”
About the Seventh Framework Program (FP7) of the European Union
FP7 is 7th Framework Program for Research and Technological Development. It will last for seven years from 2007 and has a total budget of over 50 billion. FP7 is a key tool to maintain European leadership in the global knowledge economy. This money will be spent on grants to research actors all over Europe and beyond, in order to co-finance research, technological development and demonstration projects. Grants are determined on the basis of calls for proposals and a peer review process, which are highly competitive, and activities funded from FP7 must have a ”European added value”. One key aspect of the European added value is the transnational nature of many actions: research projects are carried out by consortia which include participants from different European (and other) countries; fellowships in FP7 require mobility over national borders.
PrestoPrime operates under the ”ICT-2007.4.3: Digital libraries and technology-enhanced learning” Work Program Topic within FP7
For additional information on FP7, see http://cordis.europa.eu/fp7/home_en.html
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 enable them to transition into the future. Ex Libris maintains an impressive customer base consisting of thousands of sites in more than 70 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.
For additional information on Ex Libris Group, see http://www.exlibrisgroup.com/
