December 2, 2015
Cloud-based solutions to power the management and discovery of resources for over 100 libraries in the Swiss canton of Vaud
Hamburg, Germany—December 2, 2015. Ex Libris® Group, a leading global provider of cloud-based solutions for higher education, is pleased to announce that the Cantonal and University Library of Lausanne (Bibliothèque cantonale et universitaire – BCU Lausanne) has chosen the Alma® library management service and Primo® unified resource discovery and delivery solution to create a dynamic library network covering the whole canton of Vaud. Alma will replace BCU Lausanne’s existing VTLS Virtua library system.
Jeannette Frey, director of BCU Lausanne, said: ”By making our library responsible for the entire canton network of more than 100 libraries, Project RenouVaud (Réseau des bibliothèques vaudoises) presents a major strategic milestone for BCU Lausanne. Due to go live in 2017, Alma and Primo will ensure that the member libraries will be able to provide to their users with a complete catalogue, shared by the entire network, complemented by an easy and effective search experience.”
BCU Lausanne is the first member of the Library Network of Western Switzerland (RERO) to move from VTLS Virtua to Ex Libris Alma. ”As a result of this move we will gain in three important areas,” continued Ms. Frey. ”Firstly, we will be able to integrate all of our electronic, print, and digital collections into a single library catalogue—which will make managing, developing, and understanding their usage much easier. Secondly, Alma’s ability to streamline professional library workflows, especially in the critical areas of selection and acquisition, will enhance the efficiency of our operations. Finally, Primo will enable us to provide the libraries in the Vaud network with a comprehensive discovery experience for users, across all resources and on all media.”
”Alma has a proven track record in supporting successful consortial implementations in Europe, Australia, and the US. We are looking forward to discovering ways to foster broader and stronger collaborations between libraries in the network,” Ms. Frey added. ”We have great confidence in the ability of Ex Libris to facilitate our success in this project. The Ex Libris team was committed to understanding our unique objectives, context, and history, and we enjoy working with them. It is especially helpful for us to be able to implement this project in French.” she concluded.
Ofer Mosseri, corporate vice president and general manager of Ex Libris Europe remarked: ”The decision of BCU Lausanne to use Alma and Primo for resource management and discovery, as well as collaborative network services, across the French-speaking canton of Vaud continues the considerable success we have had in other French-speaking regions of Europe. Time and again, Alma and Primo have been selected by libraries across Europe for their ability to help independent, networked, and consortia libraries of all sizes improve utilisation of resources, be able to work more efficiently, and deliver enhanced user and staff experiences.”
About BCU Lausanne
The library for the university and canton of Vaud provides services to students, researchers, academics and the general public from five sites in the canton of Vaud, Switzerland. It has more than 150 employees, provides access to over 7.8 million print, electronic, digital and digitised resources and manages a large number of special collections. The library is also responsible for the canton’s cultural collections and is a legal deposit institution.
The RenouVaud Project will see the BCU Lausanne act as service provider to all academic and public libraries across the entire canton of Vaud and provide unified discovery and management of print, electronic and digital materials to their users. For more information, see https://www.bcu-lausanne.ch/english-speaking/.
About Ex Libris
Ex Libris is a leading global provider of cloud-based solutions for higher education. Offering SaaS implementations for the management and discovery of the full spectrum of library materials, as well as mobile campus services for driving student engagement and success, the Company serves over 5,600 customers in 90 countries. Ex Libris solutions are deployed at 43 of the top 50 universities worldwide and more than 40 national libraries.
With the Ex Libris Alma® resource management service and Primo® discovery and delivery solution, libraries lower operational costs, increase efficiency, and add value to their institution through diverse new services and collaboration with other libraries and organizations. The Ex Libris campusM™ mobile platform enables universities to deliver a unified digital experience, promoting student engagement while providing mobile access to campus-wide information and services.
