Michigan Shared System Alliance Selects Ex Libris Alma and Primo Solutions

CHICAGO, IL, March 1, 2018 – Ex Libris^®, a ProQuest company, is pleased to announce that the Michigan Shared System Alliance (MSSA) has chosen the Ex Libris Alma^® library services platform and Ex Libris Primo^® discovery and delivery solution to enhance collaboration, efficiency, and services for the Alliance’s members. The Alma platform will replace the Innovative Sierra integrated library system at five of the member institutions.

The Michigan Shared System Alliance is a newly established consortium founded by seven members of the Midwest Collaborative for Library Services (MCLS): Albion College, Ferris State University, Hope College, Kalamazoo College, Michigan Technological University, Oakland University, and Western Theological Seminary.

MSSA selected the Alma and Primo solutions as a means of making their workflows more efficient. The Alma and Primo solutions’ handling of electronic resources and subscription renewal will bring instant benefits to MSSA and help integrate e‑resources with acquisitions. In-depth customization features will increase search and administration options for faculty, students, and library staff.

By coming together as a group, MSSA libraries anticipate that the sharing of experiences and knowledge will contribute to a smooth implementation process and continued communication will help members manage their systems more effectively.

Scott Garrison, dean of the library at Ferris State University, commented, "Replacing multiple locally hosted back-office and public-facing systems, the Alma and Primo solutions will eliminate the need at Ferris to maintain and replace physical servers and will provide our librarians and staff an important opportunity to rethink workflows and processes. The modern, cloud-hosted system architecture of the Alma platform and Primo solution will offer us much-needed new functionality, including greater system integration, electronic resource management, unified user accounts, and analytics. We are very pleased to be joining other members of the Michigan Shared System Alliance in the move to the Ex Libris Alma and Primo solutions."

Kalamazoo College Library Director Stacy Nowicki commented, “In our search for a new library system, we wanted to take advantage of newer, cloud-based technology with a vendor partner that provides responsive technical support. We also considered budget and found that the inclusive price model offered by Ex Libris facilitates the expansion of our system.”

“Ex Libris is excited to welcome the Michigan Shared System Alliance to our active Alma and Primo user communities,” said Eric Hines, president of Ex Libris North America. ”The broad-ranging Alma and Primo capabilities will provide MSSA with workflow efficiencies, cost savings, advanced reporting and analytics, and collaboration features.”

About The Michigan Shared System Alliance

The Michigan Shared System Alliance (MSSA) formed when a group of Michigan academic libraries, some of which are public universities and some, private colleges, were all about to begin investigating options for a new integrated library system. Rather than proceed individually, they joined together in 2016 to form the Michigan Shared System Alliance. Consortium membership is open to any Michigan academic institution. Current members are Albion College, Ferris State University, Hope College, Kalamazoo College, Michigan Technological University, Oakland University, and Western Theological Seminary.

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.

About ProQuest (http://www.proquest.com)

ProQuest is committed to supporting the important work happening in the world’s research and learning communities. The company curates content that matters to the advancement of knowledge, assembling an archive of billions of vetted, indexed documents. It simplifies workflows so that people and institutions use time effectively. And because ProQuest connects information communities, complex networks of systems and processes work together efficiently. With ProQuest, finding answers and deriving insights is straightforward and leads to extraordinary outcomes.

ProQuest and its companies and affiliates – Ex Libris, Alexander Street, Bowker – stand for better research, better learning, better insights. ProQuest enables people to change their world.