August 4, 2009
Swinburne’s staff and users will benefit from a unified point of access to the full spectrum of local and remote materials
Adelaide, Australia– August 4, 2009. Ex Libris® Group is pleased to announce that Swinburne University of Technology in Melbourne, Australia, has chosen a full suite of Ex Libris solutions to serve as the backbone of its library services. Following a thorough selection process, the university has opted for the Primo® discovery and delivery solution, the Aleph® integrated library system—replacing the university’s SirsiDynix Horizon system—and the suite of Ex Libris solutions for electronic resources: the SFX® OpenURL link resolver, the MetaLib® gateway and metasearch solution, and the Verde® e-resource management system.
Swinburne University of Technology requested bids for all of its major library systems at the same time and considered commercial as well as open-source systems. In particular, the library was looking for a single, easy-to-use discovery interface that would enable users to find and access relevant information resources of various types, including their library collections; online content such as articles and e-books; union catalogs and catalogs of other libraries; and Web pages.
During the evaluation process, the Swinburne University library staff focused on functionality—for which Ex Libris products provided the best match—but also put a strong emphasis on usability and openness. Aided by a user experience consultant, the library staff looked for systems that deliver a high degree of usability for the library users and are likely to continue to do so into the future by supporting adaptation to change as it occurs. The outcome of the evaluation was that the suite of Ex Libris systems fulfills the university library’s requirements.
”Swinburne sees openness as the most effective way of future-proofing library software, and Ex Libris software is particularly open in its approach,” commented Derek Whitehead, library director at the university. ”Furthermore, we are interested in how library systems will match the striking developments in search and discovery in the Web world and have been particularly pleased that developments such as Primo Central, the Ex Libris centralized index of scholarly e-content, take us much closer to the kind of search our users are expecting.”
Douglas Barnard, managing director of Ex Libris Australia, remarked: ”We are delighted to be embarking on this partnership with Swinburne and are proud that Ex Libris solutions were singled out for their rich functionality, the intrinsic openness of their architecture, and the excellent user experience they provide for both library staff and end users. It will be a great pleasure to work in close collaboration with the university for the years to come.”
About Swinburne University of Technology
Located in Melbourne, Swinburne has a strong reputation in Australia and overseas as a provider of career orientated education and as a university with a commitment to research. The university maintains a strong technology base and important links with industry, complemented by a number of innovative specialist research centers. Swinburne is now one of a few Australian universities whose responsibilities span the range of programs from apprenticeships to PhDs. In keeping with this breadth of involvement, the university continues to play a leading role in creating new approaches to integration between sectors.
For additional information on Swinburne University of Technology, see http://www.swinburne.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 enable them to transition into the future. Ex Libris maintains an impressive customer base consisting of thousands of sites in more than 70 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.
