University of Manchester Library Chooses Ex Libris Leganto Solution for Reading List Services

LONDON, UK, April 17, 2019 – Ex Libris^®, a ProQuest company, is pleased to announce that The University of Manchester Library has selected the Ex Libris Leganto™ reading list solution to help the University realize its 2020 vision for achieving an outstanding learning and student experience. The Ex Libris Leganto solution will replace Talis^® Aspire^® software and will be integrated with the University’s Ex Libris Alma^® library services platform and Ex Libris Primo^® discovery and delivery tool.

To investigate options for improving the Library’s reading list services, The University of Manchester Library established the “Books Right Here Right Now” (BRHRN) strategy project. The project identified a need for a reading list solution that would ensure a coherent approach to the provision of reading list materials, improve the student experience of accessing and using items on their reading lists, and implement novel methods of providing textbooks via the Library. The project involved extensive research and consultation with library staff, teaching staff, and students.

Head of Digital Technologies and Services Lorraine Beard said, “The University of Manchester Library’s Strategic Plan requires us to deliver an outstanding learning and student experience. Through its innovative and consistent approach, Leganto will support this plan by enabling us to ensure the friction-free provision of the library resources that students need to be successful in their studies. The Leganto solution will also contribute to the University’s new emphasis on digital learning, alongside our expanding distance-learning portfolio, by helping us develop a pioneering digital service that benefits all students and promotes success.”

As a result of the BRHRN project, the University is implementing a new Library purchasing policy that includes an agreed set of terms for reading list items and the use of demand-driven access. Through the Library’s eTextbook Programme, access to core e‑textbooks will be offered to specific cohorts of students via Manchester’s Blackboard virtual learning environment. A single, consolidated team will be managing reading list services and providing access to all reading list materials, from digitized readings to e‑textbooks.

The Leganto solution will save time and effort by streamlining the ordering of reading list books and digitized chapters. Furthermore, Leganto analytics will enable teaching staff to evaluate and encourage student engagement with reading list content. Students will benefit from seamless access to reading list resources within the virtual learning environment.

Ofer Mosseri, corporate vice president and general manager of Ex Libris EMEA, said, “I am delighted to welcome The University of Manchester to our rapidly growing community of Leganto users. The adoption of the Leganto solution, integrated with the Alma platform and Primo discovery and delivery, will centralize and simplify previously disjointed, complex workflows and will provide metrics on reading list content usage. This information will guide the University in its purchasing policy and inform future business decisions.”

About The University of Manchester Library

The University of Manchester Library is at the heart of Britain’s largest university, welcoming over three million students, researchers and visitors per year. It makes an indispensable contribution to the University’s work and reputation by supporting its students and staff in all areas of study and scholarship. As one of only five National Research Libraries in the UK, it is one of the best-resourced academic libraries in the country and also includes The John Rylands Library, the most remarkable university special collections library in the world. For information about The University of Manchester Library, see its website and check it out on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram.

About Ex Libris

Ex Libris, a ProQuest company, is a leading global provider of cloud-based 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 about Ex Libris, see our website, and join us on Facebook, YouTube, LinkedIn, and Twitter.

About ProQuest (https://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.