Chicago, Illinois — March 3, 2020
The Ex Libris Alma platform and Primo solution will help UC campus libraries, regional storage facilities, and the California Digital library collaborate more efficiently, while also enhancing their end-user experience
Chicago, Illinois—March 3, 2020. Ex Libris, a ProQuest company, is pleased to announce that the University of California (UC) Libraries have selected the Ex Libris Alma® library services platform and Ex Libris Primo® discovery and delivery solution to deploy a systemwide integrated library system (SILS).
Currently, the maintenance of many independent but interconnected library and resource sharing systems at UC provides diminishing returns, resulting in higher system resource investments and lost opportunities to innovate and enhance the libraries’ services. The Ex Libris higher-ed cloud platform will help the UC Libraries scale efficiently, providing the technological infrastructure to support more than 2,000 library staff members who serve 330,000 students and academic employees across 100 libraries.
Even in its formative stage, the SILS project has brought about close collaboration among the UC Libraries.
The Alma cloud-based platform will help the libraries improve the faculty and student end-user experience in discovering and accessing items in UC’s vast physical and electronic collections. The libraries will also be able to take advantage of business intelligence that feeds a data-driven approach to library management and development, and will benefit from the operational efficiencies and transformative opportunities enjoyed when a systemwide approach is taken.
In addition, the Ex Libris Primo solution will provide the UC Libraries with a discovery interface and central index of metadata that directs users to both local and systemwide resources.
“Even in its formative stage, the SILS project has brought about close collaboration among the UC Libraries. This contract enables us to build on that foundation and reimagine how we serve our communities and how we go about our work,” said Chris Shaffer and Günter Waibel, co-chairs of the UC SILS project.
Reflecting on the positive impact on library staff, UC’s Council of University Librarians Chair M. Elizabeth Cowell added, “To date and moving forward, the SILS project provides professional development opportunities for library staff as we all learn what this collaboration means to the UC Libraries and the variety of expertise needed to ensure its success.”
“We are happy that the Alma platform and Primo solution will assist the University of California Libraries in advancing innovation and enhancing access to their vast collections,” said Eric Hines, president of Ex Libris North America. “Collaborating to develop shared services will eliminate the duplication of effort and help the librarians throughout the university tap into their collective expertise.”
About the University of California Libraries
Individually and collectively, the University of California Libraries provide access to the world’s knowledge for the UC campuses and the communities they serve, directly supporting UC’s missions of teaching, research and public service. The University of California Libraries, which include some of the world’s most distinctive collections and innovative services, constitute the largest university research library in the world.
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.
