Ricoh to Promote Ex Libris Digital and Electronic Library Products in Japan

 July 6, 2007

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Ex Libris partners with Ricoh to expand penetration of the Japanese library software market

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Ex Libris Group and USACO Corp., the Ex Libris partner in Japan since 2001, have announced the formation of an alliance with Ricoh Co. Ltd., a leading vendor of integrated library systems in Japan. This alliance will expand the presence of Ex Libris in Japan through the promotion and sale of Ex Libris digital and electronic products. Ricoh, the developer of the Limedio open-network library information management system, began selling this product in 1993. Today, over 170 institutions in Japan use Limedio, the most widespread integrated library system in Japan.

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Aiming to substantially increase the presence of Ex Libris in Japan, this new alliance will leverage Ricoh’s strong presence in and familiarity with the Japanese library market and USACO Corp.’s experience with e-resources and the Ex Libris e-product suite.

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“We are pleased to enter into this relationship with Ex Libris,” remarked Masayuki Nishimoto, general manager of the Solution Marketing Center Marketing Group at Ricoh. “The Ex Libris best-of-breed e-library products fit well with and complete the existing Ricoh library automation offering. The global presence of Ex Libris and its experience in the academic library market make it a company that local academic institutions will feel confident working with.”

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“The flexibility and easily customizable characteristics of the Ex Libris products make them a popular choice in the Japanese market,” commented Yutaka Masuda, vice president marketing at USACO. “Since we have become the local Ex Libris representative in Japan, our strong technical team has gained a great deal of knowledge in the electronic resource domain as well as in the implementation and support of Ex Libris solutions.”

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“Increasing our geographic reach in Asia Pacific in general and Japan in particular continues to be a major goal for Ex Libris,” explained Oded Scharfstein, VP Asia Pacific at Ex Libris. “The formation of this partnership proves our high level of commitment to this market. We believe that leveraging Ricoh’s prime position in the Japanese software market will be instrumental in increasing the local adoption of Ex Libris solutions. Ex Libris currently has 18 Japanese customers. New members of this community include Keio University, Soka University, and Hoshi University.” 

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About Ricoh:

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A global leader in digital office solutions, Ricoh constantly creates new value by interfacing people and information, offering a broad range of digital, networked products–including copiers, printers, fax machines, semiconductor-related products, DVD/CD media, and digital cameras. Ricoh operates in over 100 countries and employs 79,000 people worldwide. Consolidated revenue for the year ending March 2007 was 2,068,925 million yen.

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For additional information on Ricoh, see http://www.ricoh.com/

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About USACO Corp.:

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Originally founded as Yamakawa & Company in 1934, USACO Corp. has served the academic and educational communities with quality scientific research content through such media as journals, books, and documents. During the last decade, this content has been provided via electronic media in addition to print, helping scientists and engineers acquire better quality information quickly and more efficiently.

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For additional information on USACO Corp., see http://www.usaco.co.jp/ (in Japanese)

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About Ex Libris:

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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. The Group’s 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.