Tokyo, Japan — March 28, 2018
Alma will support the two leading Japanese universities in strengthening their international positions through close collaboration, automation, and efficient workflows
Tokyo, Japan—March 28, 2018. Ex Libris®, a ProQuest company, is pleased to announce that Japan’s Keio University and Waseda University have chosen the Ex Libris Alma® library services platform and Ex Libris Primo® discovery and delivery solution to enhance collaboration, efficiency, and services for the universities’ libraries. The Alma platform will replace the Innovative Millennium integrated library system used by Waseda and the Ex Libris Aleph® integrated library system at Keio University.
In 2017, the two universities formed a consortium aimed at dramatically improving their collaboration and efficiency. Immediately afterwards, the new consortium embarked on a process of seeking a library services solution to support the universities’ goals. With their selection of the Alma and Primo solutions, Keio and Waseda became the first two institutions in Japan to opt for the two Ex Libris systems.
In making our decision, we were particularly impressed by the Alma and Primo capabilities to optimize workflows, reduce the total cost of ownership, and provide a high level of flexibility in supporting our unique Japanese requirements.
Keio and Waseda Universities, which operate 30 libraries on 11 campuses, used a rigorous evaluation process to identify a system that applies the latest technologies and is built on a cloud-based, software-as-a-solution (SaaS) platform with monthly updates and streamlined consortium workflows. The Alma platform will enable the consortium to optimize collaboration and library management processes and will provide the cross-institution analytics that are essential for making increasingly complex decisions. With the Primo discovery solution, users will be able to easily access all resources in the consortium, regardless of their source institution. In addition, the many Primo configuration options will enable the consortium to apply Japanese-specific features and attributes.
Professor Yoshiaki Fukazawa, director of Waseda University Library, noted, “One of the main reasons for our selection of Alma is its ability to implement both shared and individual workflows for the consortium.”
Professor Kanji Akagi, director of the Keio University Media Center, added, “In making our decision, we were particularly impressed by the Alma and Primo capabilities to optimize workflows, reduce the total cost of ownership, and provide a high level of flexibility in supporting our unique Japanese requirements.”
Vice President of Ex Libris Asia-Pacific Ziv Benzvi commented, “Ex Libris is excited to welcome Keio University and Waseda University, the first Japanese institutions to adopt the Alma and Primo solutions, to our active user communities. The broad-ranging Alma and Primo capabilities will provide the newly created consortium with workflow efficiencies, cost savings, comprehensive reporting and analytics, and advanced collaboration features.”
About Keio University
Established in 1858 by Yukichi Fukuzawa as a small school of Western learning, Keio has a history as Japan’s very first private institution of higher learning. Over the 150 years since its founding, Keio has thrived under its founder’s motto of jitsugaku, or empirical science, as the university continues to transform Japan into a modern nation through contributions to education, research, and medicine. For more information, see our website.
About Waseda University
Waseda University is one of the most prestigious private universities in Japan. It was established in 1882 by Shigenobu Okuma with the aim of upholding the independence of learning, promoting the practical utilization of knowledge, and creating good citizenship. Waseda currently consists of 13 undergraduate schools, 21 graduate schools, and various affiliated research institutes. For more information, see our website.
About the Keio-Waseda Consortium
A memorandum for the Keio-Waseda Consortium was signed on May 12, 2017. Back in 1986, Keio and Waseda signed an interlibrary loan agreement, according to which full-time staff, faculty, graduate students, and undergraduates were given mutual access to resources from the two institutions. To expand on this agreement and improve convenience for library users, Keio and Waseda have selected a library system that can be used jointly and will store data from both universities.
About Ex Libris
Ex Libris, a ProQuest company, is a leading global provider of cloud-based solutions for higher education. Offering SaaS solutions for the management and discovery of the full spectrum of library and scholarly materials, as well as mobile campus solutions driving student engagement and success, Ex Libris serves thousands of customers in 90 countries. For more information about Ex Libris, see our website, and join us on Facebook, YouTube, LinkedIn, and Twitter.
