September 26, 2011
This installment of the cloud-based service accelerates the product’s readiness for general release in early 2012 Jerusalem, Israel—September 26, 2011. Ex Libris® Group, a world leader in the provision of library automation solutions, is pleased to announce that the fourth partner release of the Alma library management service is now available for testing by development partners. Delivered on schedule, this fourth release is being deployed to partners in the Ex Libris cloud environment and represents a major milestone on the road to the solution’s general release, planned for early 2012. The fifth and final partner release is scheduled for November 2011. Highlights of the fourth partner release include the following: As with all new Ex Libris solutions, the features for this release were defined in close collaboration with development partners. Their in-depth feedback on the first three partner releases has significantly improved the ease with which Alma handles the full spectrum of library workflows. ”The fourth partner release of Alma brings our institution substantially closer to our objective of managing the full spectrum of library collections and services with a single solution,” commented Robert Gerrity, associate university librarian for library systems at Boston College, an Alma development partner. ”By integrating Alma with our Primo solution, we can deliver a completely seamless experience for our users, whether they are requesting library services, searching our local collections, or accessing our licensed e-resources.” The number and diversity of institutions that have committed to acquiring Ex Libris Alma as their next-generation library resource management infrastructure continues to increase with the recent addition of libraries in Europe and North America. For such early adopter libraries, this latest partner release provides further evidence that Alma not only streamlines library staff workflows but does so in ways that improve direct services for end users. J. Stephen Town, director of information at the University of York—an Alma early adopter—noted: ”Alma, with Primo as the discovery interface, will meet our need for an effective library infrastructure for the future, an infrastructure that suits the university’s reputation for excellence. With Alma, we will fulfill our aspirations for international collaboration and our strategy of building long-term alliances and partnerships. We are excited about working with Ex Libris and other early adopters to help the company create a product of great value.” ”This partner release is a major landmark in the development of Alma,” remarked Bar Veinstein, vice president of resource management solutions at Ex Libris. ”Alma has now entered the final phase before its general release and continues to receive increasing recognition from the academic library community. Our two partnership programs—for development partners and collaborative partners—are well underway, demonstrating the library community’s confidence in Alma’s ability to take libraries to the next generation.” About Alma By consolidating the disparate systems used by today’s libraries to manage electronic, print, and digital resources, the Ex Libris Alma solution accelerates libraries’ move toward next-generation services. Alma’s cloud infrastructure helps libraries increase their efficiency through data sharing and collaboration. As a result, libraries can focus their resources on extending services within and outside their institution and on supporting the institution’s teaching and research missions. About Ex Libris Dedicated to developing creative solutions in close collaboration with customers, Ex Libris enables academic, national, and research 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 more information about Ex Libris Group, see our Web site, join us on Facebook, visit our Commentary blog, and follow our Twitter page.
Ex Libris is a leading provider of automation solutions for academic 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.
