June 15, 2016
Alma API automates ordering process to save librarians’ time
Mountain View, CA—June 15, 2016. ProQuest is debuting a new, streamlined acquisition process for academic and research libraries that use the Ex Libris Alma® library management system and the ProQuest OASIS® workflow solution, a web-based system for searching, selecting and ordering print and electronic books. Via an Alma API, all electronic and print book orders placed via OASIS will be automatically updated in Alma in real time. As a result, librarians will no longer need to manually update their management system.
”Leveraging the Alma open platform and robust APIs, this new integration provides customers with additional innovative and efficient ways to simplify routine library workflows,” said Dvir Hoffman, Ex Libris Vice President, Product Management. ”This is one of the first examples of the synergy between ProQuest and Ex Libris. Plans are under way for further integrations of ProQuest and Ex Libris solutions, to the benefit of librarians and library patrons alike.
”The integration of Alma and OASIS will bring several major advantages:
The acquisition of print and electronic books will be streamlined for customers using Alma and OASIS.
Updating will be smoother and faster than the previous practice of carrying out daily file transfers.
Staff time that was previously devoted to manually copying information from one system to another will be shifted to high-value tasks that help libraries achieve their mission.
”Our goal at ProQuest and Ex Libris is to continually connect and converge resources to make a more efficient environment for librarians and researchers,” said Kathy Masnik, VP of Product Management for ProQuest Books. ”The development of the API ordering method for Alma customers via OASIS is a great step forward. It is an example of one of the many partnerships we are pursuing to provide our customers with choice in book selection and acquisition workflows.”
The OASIS workflow tool is ProQuest’s free web-based system for searching, selecting, and ordering print and electronic books for academic libraries. Through OASIS, users not only enjoy access to one of the broadest title databases in the industry but also benefit from powerful search, profiling, collection management and reporting tools. In addition, the strategic partnership with Ingram, the world’s largest book wholesaler, enables ProQuest to provide unparalleled speed and reliability in fill rates for print books via OASIS.
The Alma resource management solution is a cloud-based SaaS platform that facilitates the discovery of, and access to, library resources and services by students and researchers. Librarians benefit from a unified management system for electronic, print, and digital resources, as well as robust analytical tools that provide the business intelligence necessary for supporting the requirements of today’s libraries.
About ProQuest (http://www.proquest.com)
ProQuest connects people with vetted, reliable information. Key to serious research, the company’s products are a gateway to the world’s knowledge including dissertations, governmental and cultural archives, news, historical collections and ebooks. ProQuest technologies serve users across the critical points in research, helping them discover, access, share, create and manage information.
The company’s cloud-based technologies offer flexible solutions for librarians, students and researchers through the ProQuest®, Bowker®, Coutts® information services, Dialog®, ebrary®, EBL™, and SIPX® businesses – and notable research tools such as the Summon® discovery service, the RefWorks® citation and reference management platform, MyiLibrary® ebook platform, the Pivot® research development tool and Intota™. The company is headquartered in Ann Arbor, Michigan, with offices around the world.
About Ex Libris
Ex Libris, a ProQuest company, is a leading global provider of cloud-based solutions for higher education. Offering SaaS solutions for the management and discovery of the full spectrum of library and scholarly materials, as well as mobile campus solutions driving student engagement and success, Ex Libris serves thousands of customers in 90 countries. For more information about Ex Libris, see our website, and join us on Facebook, YouTube, LinkedIn, and Twitter
