June 23, 2014
The flexible, intuitive Primo search interface integrated with Alma’s streamlined workflows were a winning combination for La Trobe
Adelaide, Australia—June 23, 2014. Ex Libris® Group, a world leader in the provision of library automation solutions, is pleased to announce that La Trobe University in Melbourne has selected the Ex Libris Alma library management solution and the Primo® discovery and delivery solution. The University Library is replacing a number of systems, including Innovative Interfaces Millennium and ProQuest Summon, with the cloud-based Alma and Primo platform for unified resource management and discovery.
La Trobe University’s evaluation of commercial systems indicated that Alma has been built from the ground up with the future electronic library in mind. The University was keen to move towards a cloud-based system in which software management, server management, and IT infrastructure could all be managed by Ex Libris, without having to devote Library and IT staff to manage these processes.
”Alma is a good strategic fit for us,” commented Simon Huggard, Digital Infrastructure Manager at La Trobe University Library. ”We believe that the Primo and Alma systems will provide the tightest integration between back-end and front-end systems: a fully integrated, single search engine for all print and e-resources, with the ability to easily search full-text content which matches La Trobe University’s extensive electronic subscriptions.”
The University is currently in the midst of a critical period of transformative change, aligning all its efforts with its new Future Ready strategy. ”In our opinion, the Alma and Primo systems provide the best match for this new direction. Together they will allow Library staff to focus on providing the best value for the University’s teaching, research and student community by alleviating manual and time consuming tasks,” Mr. Huggard continued. ”The fact that the Alma system is a next-generation integrated library system was very attractive to us. It is built to support libraries as they move into changing roles which support teaching and learning, research efforts and outputs, and e-resource management and availability, as well as a large legacy print collection.”
Holley Dumble, Ex Libris sales director for Australia and New Zealand remarked: ”La Trobe University Library’s decision to embrace the Ex Libris vision for unified discovery supported by unified management of all library resources is an important message for the academic library community in Australia and New Zealand. Numerous libraries that selected other discovery systems in the first wave of adoption are now turning to Ex Libris to provide a joined-up, SaaS solution for both librarians and end-users. The combination of Primo and Alma, endorsed by La Trobe, offers users a unique level of integration between the users’ discovery experience and seamless access to the operations of the library.”
About La Trobe University
La Trobe University was the third university to open in Victoria—Australia’s second most populous state—in 1967. It now accommodates more than 30,000 students including approximately 7,600 international students from over 90 countries. La Trobe University has a network of campuses with 21,000 students at its Melbourne campus located in the northern suburb of Bundoora, and over 5,900 at campuses in regional Victoria at Albury-Wodonga, Bendigo, Mildura and Shepparton, and two smaller campuses in Melbourne’s business district. For more information, see http://www.latrobe.edu.au/.
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 90 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.
