NEWS

Ex Libris Alma Goes Live at Purdue University Libraries

This Alma development partner now enjoys unified resource management
and unified discovery of all library collections

Ex Libris® Group is pleased to announce that Purdue University is in production with the next-generation Alma library management solution. A member of the Association of Research Libraries (ARL) and an Alma development partner since 2009, Purdue has played a central role in creating, shaping, and enhancing Alma, which has now been selected by over 150 institutions worldwide.

In the past, Purdue Libraries used multiple systems to manage print and electronic resources. Now it enjoys two unified, cloud-based solutions: Ex Libris Primo®, for the discovery of all library collections (replacing the open-source VuFind system), and Alma, for resource management.

“Going live marks the culmination of our three-year involvement with the development of Alma,” commented Paul Bracke, associate dean for digital programs and information access and associate professor of library science. “Together with the other development partners, we have seen Alma grow from a simple but powerful concept into a functioning and highly effective platform for managing library operations and generating robust, practical analytics.”

Reflecting on the strategic importance of Alma for the library and the university, Mr. Bracke noted: “Alma is a cornerstone of Purdue Libraries’ efforts to fulfill our strategic goal of facilitating scholarly communication, from discovery to delivery, through the provision of information resources, services, and both internal and external partnerships. From a practical point of view, we are excited about eliminating outdated silos between print and electronic resources—silos that are no longer relevant in today’s digital world. In addition, the Alma Analytics tool will take our understanding of usage, expenditure, and other metrics to a new level.”

Mark Triest, president of Ex Libris North America, remarked: “Purdue University brings a long history of excellence in scholarship and technological advocacy to the development and implementation of Alma. We are proud and grateful to have partnered closely with their experts to make Alma the most advanced library management service on the market. It will be exciting for us to watch and support Purdue University Libraries in the coming months as the impact and potential of Alma are felt across the campus.”

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