March 24, 2014
By consolidating multiple systems into a unified library management solution, the university will streamline and modernize its library services
Adelaide, Australia—March 24, 2014. Ex Libris® Group, a world leader in the provision of library automation solutions, is pleased to announce that the University of Western Australia (UWA), a member of the Group of Eight (Go8) coalition of Australian universities, has selected the Ex Libris Alma library management solution to replace a number of disparate systems, including Innovative Interfaces Millennium. UWA sought a solution that would provide streamlined, unified workflows and enable the university to handle both electronic and print collections within a single system.
During its evaluation of next-generation library services, UWA realized the importance of selecting a mature solution that is in use by an active community. As Scott Nicholls, assistant director of information resources at UWA Library, explained, ”Over the years, we kept increasing the number of systems as we tried to meet the requirements of an exponentially expanding electronic collection. Alma was designed from the ground up to address the modern challenges faced by libraries, especially in the management of electronic resources that are purchased as collections. In light of our extensive collections and diverse user community, Alma presents the best opportunity to build better workflows and to take advantage of shared metadata via the Alma Community Catalog.”
Alma’s fully cloud-based design was also a major factor in UWA’s choice of Alma. ”Freeing staff from the tasks involved in software maintenance enables us to focus on our users and become far more efficient and effective as an information service,” added Mr. Nicholls. ”We are excited to begin working with Alma’s powerful analytics capabilities, which will provide us with insights into usage and trends regarding our collections. Another important advantage of Alma is its ability to integrate with institutional and external systems, through its numerous open interfaces.”
”The addition of UWA to the burgeoning Alma community in Australia and New Zealand will be welcomed by other Alma users in the region and worldwide,” remarked Holley Dumble, Ex Libris sales director for Australia and New Zealand. ”UWA sees the future of its library services as increasingly online, open, and integrated with other campus technologies. This vision aligns perfectly with the Ex Libris strategy for Alma—to assist libraries in becoming a major contributor to their institution’s academic goals.”
About the University of Western Australia
Ranked 91st in the world by the 2013 Academic Ranking of World Universities (ARWU), UWA is internationally recognized for its strong commitment to excellence in teaching, learning, and research. Western Australia’s first university, UWA celebrated its centenary in 2013. With over 25,000 students enrolled in nine faculties, the university offers a wide range of exciting and comprehensive undergraduate and postgraduate programs. UWA attracts the world’s brightest through scholarships and investments in research, teaching, and infrastructure. UWA is a member of the prestigious Group of Eight coalition of leading research-intensive Australian universities and belongs to the international Matariki Network of Universities, whose institutions pride themselves on the quality of the student experience. UWA is one of only two Australian universities to belong to the Worldwide Universities Network, a partnership of 18 research-led universities in Europe, North America, North Asia, and Australia. For more information, see http://www.uwa.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 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.
