NEWS

Five Academic Publishers to Advise on Development of the Rialto™ Marketplace

ProQuest collaborates with leading publishing companies as it reinvents selection and acquisition for libraries

A group of renowned global academic publishers have announced that they will contribute their expertise to the development of ProQuest Rialto. Rialto is a comprehensive marketplace that enables libraries to acquire content from a variety of publishers and platforms.

Emerald Publishing, Oxford University Press, SAGE Publishing, Taylor & Francis Group and The University of Chicago Press will work with ProQuest to shape the new product. These publishers join a group of 10 academic libraries who have also signed on as development partners, ensuring a three-way, content-neutral conversation between libraries, the publishing community and ProQuest, a leader in educational technology. Rialto will be initially available to its development partners in December of this year before its broader launch.

ProQuest announced the development of Rialto in November 2018. Built on the Alma® library services platform, Rialto streamlines purchasing workflows by enabling libraries to acquire content of all types – ebooks, print books, video and more – from many sources. Advanced analytics from Rialto will help libraries make data-driven selection and acquisition decisions.

“This is a unique opportunity for publishers to provide input into the strategy, development and testing into a major new initiative,” said Julie Carroll-Davis, ProQuest Senior Vice President, Global Content Alliances. “By working with ProQuest to create Rialto, these publishers are helping to define the future of selection and acquisition of academic content.”

“We’re excited to introduce this incredible group of colleagues who will be helping shape solutions for academic libraries,” said Audrey Marcus, ProQuest Vice President, Books Product & Operations. “Each publisher has a unique and important position in our industry, and their broad perspectives and diversity of thought will be key to the progress of Rialto.”

Publishers on their decision to work with ProQuest:

• “Emerald Publishing was founded to champion new ideas and nurture fresh thinking in the applied fields. We are committed to establishing new pathways to impact and to making research more accessible. This collaboration with ProQuest is one of many ways we are helping our research reach a wider audience.” – Caroline Summers, Head of Book Sales, Emerald Publishing

• “At Oxford University Press, we aim to make our content available to library customers and end-users wherever they wish to purchase and access it as part of our mission to disseminate scholarship worldwide. This extends to the tools that librarians use to manage their title selection and acquisition as part of an efficient workflow. We are pleased to be working with ProQuest to engage with rapid advancements in technology to meet the challenges and opportunities in the library collection management workflow.” – Lisa Nachtigall, Director, Global Library Resellers, Oxford University Press

• “In our mission to creatively disseminate teaching and research on a global scale, it is vital that we continually look for ways that we can respond to the evolving needs of academic librarians. Joining ProQuest in this development provides an opportunity to do this and overall improve access to resources in higher education.” – Alexandra Jenner, Digital Sales Manager, SAGE Publishing

• “Taylor & Francis is pleased to be involved with a project that will align the interests of librarians, publishers and platforms together in a next-generation marketplace. Rialto will bring much-needed improvements to print and digital discovery, acquisition and purchasing workflows within the industry.” – Mark Majurey, Commercial Director & VP, Digital Publishing, Taylor & Francis Group

• “We at the University of Chicago Press are eager to help pioneer new ways of extending the availability and accessibility of knowledge. We are especially pleased that ProQuest Rialto is including a broad range of stakeholders in the development of this exciting new marketplace for academic content.” – Garrett Kiely, Director, University of Chicago Press