Primo Version 3.0: A Giant Leap for the Worldwide Primo Community

The integration of OPAC functionality with the redesigned and streamlined Primo user interface exposes the full spectrum of library services through a single point of access

Jerusalem, Israel—May 3, 2010. Ex Libris® Group is pleased to announce the general release of version 3.0 of the Primo® discovery and delivery solution. The major new functionality in version 3.0 is the result of continued collaboration with the rapidly expanding international Primo community, consisting of over 270 sites that span 29 countries on six continents.

Bringing together a simplified, modernized user interface, enhanced search and display options, the integration of OPAC functionality, and support for seamless searching in the Primo Central index of scholarly materials, Primo 3.0 now enables users to interact fully with the library through a single interface in a straightforward and engaging manner.

Highlights of this version include the following:

• A redesigned, simplified user interface: On the result list page, users can now see all information related to an item—the entire record, with all the details; availability information; a preview (for online items); tags, ratings, and reviews; detailed location information; recommendations based on scholarly usage patters; and more.


• Integration with Primo Central: Primo provides seamless access to Primo Central, a mega-aggregate of scholarly materials hosted by Ex Libris in a cloud computing environment. Primo displays a single relevance-ranked list of local and global materials, with the visibility of local collections controlled by the institution.


• Integration of OPAC functionality: Library services are now available through the Primo main window—for example, users can renew loans; see hold requests, fees, and fines; and update their contact information. This complete integration with the library management system is carried out through the use of APIs that comply with the Digital Library Federation recommendations for discovery interfaces (DLF ILS-DI), which are implemented in the Aleph® and Voyager® integrated library systems. An intermediary Primo-like screen is available for integration with library systems that do not provide such APIs. 


• Recommendations: The integration of two recommender systems—the Ex Libris bX article recommender service and the University of Karlsruhe BibTip recommender for library catalogs—enables Primo to display the most relevant recommendations generated on the basis of researchers’ usage of scholarly materials.


• Enhanced search and display options: The sophisticated Primo search engine has been enhanced with a ”starts with” (left-anchor) search option and new sorting features, including out-of-the-box ascending and descending sort order and author and title sorting; locally defined fields for sorting; and a customizable sorting order for characters. Other enhancements offer libraries further control over relevance ranking and the grouping (FRBRizing) of search results.


• iPhone interface: The out-of-the box CSS-based iPhone interface, which can be easily customized by library staff, provides an additional library-branded access point to collections.


• Multilingual thesauri: In a multilingual environment, controlled terms in the full display and in facets automatically correspond to the interface language.


• Back-office enhancements: Enhancements to the Primo back office in version 3.0 include an increased number of function-specific administrative roles; the availability of institution-based filtering of the back-office operations, a feature that facilitates efficient and secure access for consortium administrators; and a Web-page harvesting capability.

”We are very excited about the release of Primo version 3.0,” remarked Paul A. Soderdahl, director of library information technology at the University of Iowa. ”The complete integration of Primo with our Aleph OPAC and the new, single results page have turned discovery into a simple and intuitive task. Primo is making the elusive single search box a reality.”

Gilad Gal, senior product manager, discovery and delivery solutions at Ex Libris, commented: ”Primo version 3.0, with its restructured user interface and its range of integrated functionality and content, is an important landmark for the company and our customers. It was an honor to collaborate with our dynamic international customers to create a complete, efficient discovery experience.”

About Primo Central
Primo Central, a mega-aggregate of scholarly materials hosted by Ex Libris via a cloud computing infrastructure, is a new addition to the Primo environment. Primo Central covers hundreds of millions of electronic resources of global and regional significance, harvested from primary and secondary publishers and aggregators. Primo Central is currently undergoing beta testing by 10 Primo libraries together with a number of MetaLib libraries, and will be available to all Primo and MetaLib institutions later this year. Primo 3.0 is uniquely designed to accommodate Primo Central’s blend of local and global results.

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 75 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 our Web site, visit our Initiatives and Commentary blogs, and follow our Twitter page.