March 8, 2007
Iowa State expands library system functionality and stability with cross-product integration of four Ex Libris e-products
Newton MA—March 8, 2007. Ex Libris™ Group is pleased to announce that Iowa State University has opted to purchase four Ex Libris e-products—the SFX® link resolver, MetaLib® library gateway, Verde® e-resource management system; and the companys newest offering, the next-generation, user-centric Primo® discovery and delivery solution.
To power its library systems, Iowa State University has in the past combined best-of-breed technologies from multiple vendors. In a move toward strengthening its technological platform and increasing the stability and cross-product integration of the schools library systems, Iowa State has elected to purchase a top-tier suite of e-products from a single vendor, Ex Libris.
The library at Iowa State prides itself on providing their students and faculty with the best technologies the market has to offer. We are currently engaged in a major redesign project for our Website, aimed at energizing and revitalizing its functionality and services to meet the increasing demands of our users. In this process, we have identified a number of primary expectations that draw upon Web 2.0 concepts: user-centric design; collaborative workspaces; and quick, easy, and effective search and retrieval of library resources regardless of format or location, said Olivia Madison, dean of the library at Iowa State. With these goals in mind, we found Ex Libris had the product portfolio we were looking for to support our objectives. They possess a strong market presence and excellent reputation within the research library community.
Iowa State is a member of the Primo Charter Member program and will be involved in the continued development and testing of the Primo solution, a revolutionary product for the discovery and delivery of scholarly information resources. Iowa State University officials consider the Primo system the perfect fit for the librarys Web site redesign and resource-discovery strategy.
Susan Pastore, vice president of sales at Ex Libris (USA), noted, Whereas best-of-breed products will always characterize library market sales, libraries are even better served when they can obtain excellent products from a single library solutions vendor. Iowa State University’s recent purchase of four Ex Libris products is a perfect example.
About Iowa State University:
Iowa State is a leading land-grant university with international stature and a friendly hometown personality. Its 26,000 students choose from more than 100 majors, study with world-class scholars, and keep more than 500 student organizations going strong. The collection at the Iowa State Library includes over 2.4 million volumes; 31,000 journals received annually; 46,000 electronic journals; and numerous microform units, photographs and slides, films and videos, and audio materials. The collection is continually growing, with about 28,500 books purchased annually. Materials range in date from 1475 to the present and represent 118 languages.
For additional information on Iowa State University, see http://www.iastate.edu.
About Ex Libris Group:
Ex Libris Group is a leading worldwide developer and provider of high-performance applications for libraries, information centers, and researchers, with installations around the globe. Ex Libris Groups flagship ALEPH® 500 and Voyager® integrated library solutions are in use at over 3,000 sites worldwide. Other products from the Ex Libris suite, deployed at more than 1,300 sites, focus on the digital library and offer state-of-the-art, user-centric solutions for managing and providing informed access to electronic resources and digital assets.
