Chicago, Illinois — September 15, 2020
The Ex Libris Alma platform will unify the management of digital and physical resources, streamline workflows, and bring the university libraries’ vast collection into the classroom
Chicago, Illinois—September 15, 2020. Ex Libris, a ProQuest company, is pleased to announce that Universidade Estadual Paulista (Unesp) (São Paulo State University) has selected the Ex Libris Alma® library services platform to unify the management of its physical and electronic library collections and provide seamless access to the digital collection, an aggregate of more than three million items. For the 34 member libraries, the Alma platform will replace the Ex Libris Aleph system, which has served the institution for more than two decades. Unesp is the first Brazilian university to implement Alma cloud services.
The new library services platform will give the university greater control over the acquisition, cataloging, and circulation processes for print materials, e-books, and other types of electronic content, simplifying the work of librarians and library assistants. Facilitating the libraries’ collaboration with faculty members, the Alma platform will enable the libraries to become more involved in teaching, learning, and research.
This is a milestone in our plan to revitalize and reconceptualize Unesp’s libraries and adopt contemporary trends in transforming these spaces.
“The 21st-century library is no longer just a space for shelves with print materials. Today the library is a center for learning and research resources,” said Unesp General Coordinator of Libraries Flávia Maria Bastos. “The new system will streamline the management of our growing digital content, especially subscriptions to databases, e-books, and electronic journals, and will enable librarians to develop services that support new teaching and research needs.”
The initiative to overhaul the library system was conceived in 2017 by the general coordinator of libraries (CGB) and received the approval of the dean of undergraduate studies (“PROGRAD”), the Information Technology Coordination (CTInf) group, and the rector’s office.
“This is a milestone in our plan to revitalize and reconceptualize Unesp’s libraries and adopt contemporary trends in transforming these spaces,” commented Unesp’s rector, Professor Sandro Roberto Valentini.
“The Alma platform will help the libraries engage their patrons as well as improve the staff’s operational efficiencies through streamlined workflows,” commented Professor José Paes de Almeida Nogueira Pinto, who serves as a cabinet advisor to the rector and was deeply involved in the acquisition.
The Unesp vice-rector, Professor Sergio Nobre, added, “With this disruptive technology, faculty members will be able to teach using videos, audio files, images, and other materials that are linked to the library system. The Alma platform will help the libraries become more engaged with teaching and research and will enhance the Unesp user experience.”
Boe Horton, vice president of sales for Latin America and the Caribbean at ProQuest Ex Libris, commented, “We are excited to welcome Unesp as the first Brazilian member of the flourishing Alma community. Unesp will benefit from streamlined library management and superior analytics, and we look forward to spirited collaboration with this important university.”
About Universidade Estadual Paulista (Unesp)
One of the three largest and most important Brazilian universities, Universidade Estadual Paulista (Unesp) stands out as an example of extreme success among the multicampus institutions around the world, comprising 34 units in 24 cities in the State of São Paulo. Founded in 1976, the institution offers courses in diverse areas of theoretical and experimental sciences, engineering, health, communications, humanities, social sciences, and the arts. As one of three public universities maintained by the State of São Paulo, Unesp offers a quality education while developing strategic research and interacting with society through the provision of services for the community.
About Ex Libris
Ex Libris, a ProQuest company, is a leading global provider of cloud-based SaaS solutions that enable institutions and their individual users to create, manage, and share knowledge. In close collaboration with its customers and the broader community, Ex Libris develops creative solutions that increase library productivity, maximize the impact of research activities, enhance teaching and learning, and drive student mobile engagement. Ex Libris serves over 7,500 customers in 90 countries. For more information, see our website and join us on LinkedIn, YouTube, Facebook, and Twitter.
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