Chicago, Illinois — January 28, 2019
The Alma platform and Primo solution will serve 91 member institutions in the I‑Share framework, helping them collaborate more efficiently and enhancing their user experience
Chicago, Illinois—January 28, 2019. Ex Libris®, a ProQuest company, is pleased to announce that the Consortium of Academic and Research Libraries in Illinois (CARLI) has selected the Ex Libris Alma® cloud-based library services platform to support the I‑Share framework, which will enhance services and expand collaboration among participating institutions.
I‑Share serves 91 CARLI member institutions, including three ARL members: Southern Illinois University Carbondale, the University of Illinois at Chicago, and the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, which has the largest public university library in the United States. I‑Share libraries include all Illinois public universities, 47 Illinois private colleges and universities, 26 Illinois community colleges, and research libraries including the Illinois State Library, the Newberry Library, and the Abraham Lincoln Presidential Library.
Key collaborative aspects of the platform, namely the Alma Network Zone and the Ex Libris Primo discovery and delivery solution, will help us achieve even greater efficiencies as a consortium and expand upon our members’ nearly 40-year history of consortial resource sharing.
I‑Share supports resource sharing and collection management functions, including circulation, cataloging, acquisitions, serials control, course reserves, and reporting. Leveraging the Alma platform, I‑Share participating libraries will each have an online catalog of their own collection as well as a merged, unified catalog of the holdings of all I‑Share libraries, thus facilitating resource sharing among participating libraries.
Alma library services will replace CARLI’s implementation of the Ex Libris Voyager® integrated library system and SFX OpenURL link resolver. In addition, the Ex Libris Primo® solution will provide I‑Share libraries with a discovery interface and a central index of metadata that can direct a user to resources licensed by the user’s library or by the consortium.
As a collective, CARLI adds value to member libraries of all types and sizes by enabling the libraries to share costs, collections, expertise, programs, products, and services. Participating CARLI libraries will use the Alma platform and Primo solution to unify the management of print resources and e-resource licenses; share data, collaborate more efficiently, and streamline workflows. Furthermore, cross-institution analytics will assist the consortium in assessing system-wide resource sharing, collection development, and usage of collection resources, all in support of data-driven decisions.
CARLI Senior Director Anne Craig commented, “CARLI member libraries have taken the next step in cooperation to ensure that the rich and treasured tradition of resource sharing in Illinois will continue to be enhanced and promoted.”
CARLI Director of User Services Kristine Hammerstrand added, “Key collaborative aspects of the platform, namely the Alma Network Zone and the Ex Libris Primo discovery and delivery solution, will help us achieve even greater efficiencies as a consortium and expand upon our members’ nearly 40-year history of consortial resource sharing.”
I‑Share currently has more than 14 million unique bibliographic records representing over 38 million items. During 2018, the I‑Share libraries filled nearly 300,000 I‑Share resource sharing loans to patrons of other I‑Share libraries.
“The Consortium of Academic and Research Libraries in Illinois is unique in its sheer size, scale, and diversity. Ex Libris is excited to deliver the collaborative services that CARLI requires and preserve institutional autonomy where necessary,” said Eric Hines, president of Ex Libris North America. “CARLI’s goal to eliminate silos and redundant processes and data through a shared platform will be realized.”
About the Consortium of Academic and Research Libraries in Illinois
The Consortium of Academic and Research Libraries in Illinois (CARLI) provides library services and support to 128 Illinois public universities, community colleges, private colleges and universities, and research libraries. Of those institutions, 91 participate in the I‑Share resource-sharing program. CARLI fosters cooperation among Illinois academic and research libraries and encourages innovation and excellence in the development of collaborative programs, products, and services. For more information, visit https://www.carli.illinois.edu.
About Ex Libris
Ex Libris, a ProQuest company, is a leading global provider of cloud-based 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.
