Catalan Consortium Chooses Ex Libris Alma and Primo to Accelerate the Digital Transformation of Higher Education in Catalonia
BARCELONA, SPAIN, September 8, 2020 – Ex Libris, a ProQuest company, is pleased to announce that the Consorci de Serveis Universitaris de Catalunya (CSUC) (Consortium of University Services in Catalonia) has selected the Ex Libris Alma® library services platform and Ex Libris Primo® discovery and delivery solution to promote excellence in teaching, learning, and research and to facilitate the implementation of blended and virtual learning. CSUC serves 10 universities as well as the National Library of Catalonia (BC) and is integrated with the University Union Catalogue of Catalonia (CCUC).
Currently, the CSUC library workflows and the interaction of patrons with member libraries are hampered by a number of factors: system version upgrades are a manual process, which can lead to different versions being used simultaneously; the consortial infrastructure is based on single-tenant architecture; a lack of integration leads to the duplication of records and processes across the consortium; and, finally, electronic and print resources are managed differently, forcing users to conduct separate searches for electronic resources and print resources.
The Catalan consortium determined that a system based on software-as-a-service (SaaS) technology would offer the features that the member libraries require. Eager to provide support for remote teaching and learning, a necessity in today’s environment, the consortium opted for the cloud-based Alma library services platform and Primo discovery solution. Tightly integrated, the two systems will accelerate the universities’ implementation of electronic access and improve the discoverability of online resources. With its robust analytics, the Alma platform will facilitate data-driven decision-making, particularly for collection management.
CSUC Libraries, Information and Documentation Director Ramon Ros commented, “We look forward to joining the many eminent consortia around the world that have adopted the Alma platform and Primo discovery tool. By increasing the efficiency of management workflows and streamlining the search process, the Ex Libris systems will play a central role in fulfilling our strategy of digitally transforming higher education in Catalonia.”
Ofer Mosseri, corporate vice president and general manager of Ex Libris EMEA, said, “Ex Libris welcomes the Consorci de Serveis Universitaris de Catalunya to our Alma and Primo communities. Today the ability to provide remote learning is imperative. With the Alma and Primo systems, the consortium will empower universities to not only integrate and enrich their library services but also expand their offerings in online learning and teaching.”
About Consorci de Serveis Universitaris de Catalunya
Located in Barcelona, the Consorci de Serveis Universitaris de Catalunya (CSUC) (Consortium of University Services in Catalonia) shares academic, scientific, library, knowledge transfer, and management services with associated entities in order to improve the effectiveness and efficiency of the university and research system by enhancing synergies and economies of scale. CSUC is integrated with ten universities—the University of Barcelona (UB), the Autonomous University of Barcelona (UAB), BarcelonaTech (UPC), Pompeu Fabra University (UPF), the University of Lleida (UdL), the University of Girona (UdG), Rovira i Virgili University (URV), the University of Vic – Central University of Catalonia (UVic-UCC), the Open University of Catalonia (UOC), Ramon Llull University (URL)—as well as the National Library of Catalonia (BC).
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)
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