December 8, 2014
The next-generation solutions will support the University Library in meeting strategic goals
London, UK—December 8, 2014. Ex Libris® Group, a world leader in the provision of library automation solutions, is pleased to announce that The Open University (OU) in the UK has selected the Ex Libris Alma® library management service and the Primo® discovery and delivery solution to provide unified resource management and discovery. The Open University also selected the bX® Recommender, a user-facing service that presents article recommendations based on the usage data of millions of users around the world. This suite of integrated products will support the library’s commitment to ensuring that its technology framework meets the needs of users both now and in the future.
”As The Open University Library’s collection consists largely of e-resources, we wanted to improve our users’ experience by ensuring easier access to online material,” commented Nicky Whitsed, Director of Library Services. ”Together with enhancing the discovery experience by offering a one-stop search interface via Primo, we were keen to improve the efficiency of library operations. Alma provides cross-collection workflows within a flexible system that easily integrates with other library and external systems used by The Open University. The Ex Libris solutions that we have adopted will help the library support the OU’s strategic aims whilst enabling our institution to keep pace with changes in higher education.”
Christoph Frech, regional sales director for northern and western Europe, remarked: ”Primo will enable The Open University to provide its distance learning users with quick and easy access to resources from wherever they are. At the same time, Alma will empower the Library in making evidence-based decisions and streamline workflows, thus ensuring that the library collection reflects the changing needs of its diverse user community. These solutions from Ex Libris will make The Open University Library systems fit for purpose long into the future.”
About the Open University
The Open University (OU) is the largest academic institution in the UK and a world leader in flexible distance learning. Since it began in 1969, the OU has taught more than 1.8 million students and has more than 200,000 current students, including more than 15,000 overseas.
The OU is rated in the top five of UK universities for student satisfaction in the National Student Survey, since the survey began in 2005. In 2013/14 it had a 91% satisfaction rating. Over 70% of students are in full-time or part-time employment, and four out of five FTSE 100 companies have sponsored staff to take OU courses.
In the UK’s latest Research Assessment Exercise (RAE 2008) The Open University was ranked in the top third of UK higher education institutions. More than 50% of OU research was assessed in the RAE as internationally excellent, with 14% as world leading. For further information please visit: www.open.ac.uk
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.
