University of the Free State is the First Library in South Africa to Select Serials Solutions Summon™ Service and 360 Link
SEATTLE – Nov. 17, 2011 – Serials Solutions®, a business unit of ProQuest® LLC, announced today that the University of the Free State (UFS) in Bloemfontein, South Africa, selected the Summon™ web-scale discovery service and 360 Link OpenURL link resolver to further increase the discoverability and access to its library collections. Internationally recognized for its excellence in advanced research, UFS is one of country’s oldest multi-lingual institutions serving more than 33,000 students, and the first library in South Africa to adopt the Summon™ service and 360 Link.
“We were looking for a discovery solution that would not only simplify the entire research process for our users, but also ensure that our library’s valuable resources are easily discovered and used to their fullest potential,” said Betsy Eister, director of library information services at University of the Free State. “We found the Summon service to be the clear choice as it enables us to aggregate our content and make it searchable from a single index. And when integrated with 360 Link, we are assured our researchers are getting up-to-date and accurate links to relevant articles, digital resources and other full-text items in the library’s collection.”
By implementing the Summon™ service, UFS will provide its patrons a superior discovery experience so they receive the most relevant information from the full breadth of content found in the library’s collection. The University Library contains more than 640,000 books and 55,000 electronic resources, and subscribes to more than 100 online databases. These resources serve more than 33,000 students enrolled at the university.
Powered by Serials Solutions KnowledgeWorks, the most complete, accurate, and up-to-date knowledgebase available, 360 Link is a highly customizable offering. Librarians at UFS can define the best possible user experience for their patrons by determining the order of databases and resource links, the style of citation display, and which custom services to provide. In addition, since 360 Link is provided as a Software as a Service (SaaS), UFS Library can quickly implement and integrate 360 Link with its other library software and technology, saving the librarians time, resources and effort.
“We are very pleased that a prestigious university such as UFS chose our comprehensive discovery services to improve the discoverability and usability of the library’s collection for its students, faculty and staff,” said John Law, vice president of discovery solutions at Serials Solutions. “Like UFS, the goal for many libraries today is to facilitate learning and collaboration among their patrons. Serials Solutions is committed to helping libraries achieve this goal by providing the most comprehensive and relevant search experience combined with superior linking to enable users to not only discover, but seamlessly access content—ultimately meeting user expectations.”
Recognized as the Best Enterprise Search Solution at the 2011 CODiE Awards by the Software & Information Industry Association (SIIA), the Summon™ service offers the most compelling user experience by providing an easy and open discovery experience. University of the Free State joins more than 300 libraries worldwide subscribing to the Summon™ service, many of which are seeing a substantial increase in the use of their library’s collections. With a single unified index, the Summon™ service provides instant access to the breadth of authoritative content that is the hallmark of great libraries.
About University of the Free State South Africa (www.ufs.ac.za)
The University of the Free State (UFS) with its Main Campus in Bloemfontein, the judicial capital of South Africa and in the heart of the country, is one of the oldest South African institutions of higher learning. Our two other campuses are the vibrant Qwaqwa Campus in the Eastern Free State and the smaller South Campus in Bloemfontein. The university is a multicultural, parallel-medium (English and Afrikaans) institution with a history intertwined with that of the Free State and South Africa and, to a growing extent, Africa and the rest of the world.
A full range of undergraduate and postgraduate degrees and diplomas are offered in seven faculties including economic and management sciences, education, health sciences, humanities, law, natural and agricultural sciences, and theology. More than 33,000 students are enrolled at the university, of which 28,186 students are studying on the Bloemfontein Campus, 874 on the South Campus and 4,260 on the Qwaqwa Campus. A total of 2,900 staff members are working on all three campuses.
About Serials Solutions (www.serialssolutions.com)
Serials Solutions® is the global leader in essential discovery and e-resource management solutions which are powered by a comprehensive knowledgebase. Its popular suite of Software as a Service (SaaS) solutions helps improve access to and use of collections, eases librarian workloads, and ultimately reduces operating costs. Solutions include: the world-class Summon™ web-scale discovery service, providing instant access to the full breadth of the library’s collection through a single search; the AquaBrowser® discovery layer, making navigation more accessible; 360 services, the only integrated e-resource access and management solution; KnowledgeWorks, the authoritative e-resource knowledgebase and foundation for Serials Solutions® 360; and Ulrich’s™ services, the world’s most authoritative source of bibliographic and publisher information for serials and the most comprehensive source of print and electronic serials data available. Headquartered in Seattle, Serials Solutions is a member of the ProQuest® family of companies.