May 15, 2014
The Belgian university will transform library operations and resource management by replacing its existing systems with the cloud-based Alma solution.
Paris, France —May 15, 2014. Ex Libris® Group, a world leader in the provision of library automation solutions, is pleased to announce that the University of Liège (ULg) in Belgium has selected Ex Libris Alma for its multiple campuses and libraries. For almost 10 years, ULg’s libraries have worked closely with Ex Libris to deliver best-of-class solutions to the libraries’ staff members and users. Starting in 2006 with the implementation of the Aleph integrated library system and the SFX link-resolver, ULg later added Primo for discovery and delivery. Now, with its decision to join the Early Adopter Programme, ULg becomes the first French-speaking university to move to Alma.
Fully cloud-based, Alma is a next-generation library management service that automates and streamlines all library operations (order management and acquisition, catalogue management, metadata management, and digitization) for the full range of bibliographic resources—regardless of their location or format. It is an open, interoperable platform that supports the standard protocols used by libraries (such as OpenURL, SRU, Z39.50, EDI, NCIP, and SIP2), thus enabling greater integration with other systems.
University Library Director Paul Thirion commented: ”We have been following the progress of Alma very closely since its launch. We were excited to discover how Alma’s workflows could comprehensively modernize the library’s administrative tasks by using automated business processes and shared data. We are very confident that the strong relationship we have built up with Ex Libris during a decade of collaboration will help us to move smoothly to the next generation service.”
”We spend most of our budget on electronic resources and sometimes face difficulties accurately evaluating their usage, along with our classic print media,” Mr. Thirion continued. ”Since Alma supports the entire suite of library operations for print, electronic, and digital resources, and includes integrated analytics functionalities, we see great opportunities to improve the Library collection development and our services for our users. We are very excited to be joining the Alma Early Adopter Programme.”
Philipp Hess, regional sales director for South-West Europe, remarked: ”We are delighted to see our long-time partners at the University of Liège giving their vote of confidence to Alma and the Ex Libris strategy for unifying resource management. The Alma community in Europe is growing rapidly and the addition of ULg begins the growth of next-generation management systems in the French-speaking library community.”
About ULg
The University of Liège is a publicly-funded university which will celebrate its 200th anniversary in 2017. It offers some of the most varied courses in Belgium through its 11 faculties, school and institute: more than 22,000 students, including more than 2,000 doctoral students. ULg has an international dimension: 22% of students are from other countries, (119 nationalities); a third of doctoral students are from outside Belgium; 20% of the 2,500 researchers are foreign. ULg is the only university in Belgium to have been awarded all three certificates from the European Commission: the ECTS and Diploma Supplement certificates, which attest to the quality of reception arrangements and information for international students, and the HR Strategy in Research certificate, which guarantees the quality of human resources for researchers. For more information about the University of Liège, see https://www.ulg.ac.be/cms/c_5000/en/home.
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.
