Jerusalem, Israel — July 7, 2020
Cloud Apps further open the Ex Libris cloud platform to community innovation, helping create even more connected and adaptable library services in these uncertain times
Jerusalem, Israel—July 7, 2020. Ex Libris®, a ProQuest company, is pleased to announce the launch of its Cloud Apps open framework, which enables apps written by Ex Libris community members and a broader ecosystem of partners to run inside the Ex Libris higher-ed cloud platform. The first Cloud Apps will be made available with the August release of the Ex Libris Alma® library services platform.
Since the launch of the Ex Libris App Center last year, the community has shared more than 60 apps in the App Center marketplace, helping users meet essential and changing institutional needs. The Cloud Apps open framework extends the openness, agility, and adaptability of the Ex Libris higher-ed cloud platform to the next level.
We are very excited about the opportunities presented by the new Ex Libris Cloud Apps open framework, which supports the creation of custom features and workflows in Alma that can improve productivity and efficiency. 
Cloud Apps will improve library productivity by extending the functionality of Alma services and of other Ex Libris cloud solutions. They can be used to integrate Ex Libris cloud solutions with external systems or data sources, enable workflow efficiencies, and enrich Ex Libris solutions with extensions that meet unique institutional needs. Library staff users will be able to easily launch them from the higher-ed platform itself with one click.
Cloud Apps will offer a wide range of functionality. For example, a newly developed Appointment Scheduler app extends Alma capabilities and enables libraries to schedule time-limited in‑library appointments with patrons. Such a function is particularly useful under the limitations imposed by the COVID-19 pandemic.
Nishen Naidoo of Macquarie University, who serves as the chair of the ELUNA/IGELU Interoperability Working Group and as a member of the Cloud Apps user focus group, highlighted the community aspect: “We are very excited about the opportunities presented by the new Ex Libris Cloud Apps open framework, which supports the creation of custom features and workflows in Alma that can improve productivity and efficiency. We encourage the development of apps in the wider Alma community.”
“The launch of the Cloud Apps framework marks a momentous milestone in Ex Libris’ open platform journey. At Ex Libris, we believe that our innovations help drive our customers’ innovations, and vice-versa,” said Dvir Hoffman, Ex Libris corporate vice president of resource management solutions. “Cloud Apps supports our mission of enabling libraries to do more with less, a mission that is particularly important in today’s uncertain times, when the role and the needs of the library are constantly changing.”
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.
