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October 1999 Volume 1 Number 4 Page 2 |
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 FeatureSUNY Selects Ex Libris |
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Cover Story Features SUNYConnect Information Literacy Course Chosen SLN Students Access SUNYConnect Databases Link to the OLIS Committees List
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[Editor's note: I'm quite
excited about working with Ex Libris From Carey Hatch, Assistant Provost for Library and Information Services: Dr. Peter D. Salins, Provost and Executive Vice Chancellor for Academic Affairs has announced that the State University of New York will enter into contract negotiations with Ex Libris (USA) Inc. for the purchase of the ALEPH500 library management system (LMS). The SUNY Library Automation Migration Evaluation Team's enthusiastic and unanimous recommendation of the ALEPH500 system has been strongly endorsed by the SUNYConnect Advisory Council and the SUNY Council of Library Directors' Executive Board. Provost Salins has pledged his support for a successful implementation of ALEPH500 as the cornerstone of the SUNYConnect initiative. The recommendation is the result of a rigorous review process based on the requirements listed in the SUNY LMS Request for Proposal. The Ex Libris ALEPH500 system significantly surpasses those of the other finalists by demonstrating:
Ex Libris has a strong customer base of academic institutions that have implemented consortia-based capabilities that are central to the success of SUNYConnect. These functions include a union catalog, shared authority files across multiple databases, and universal borrowing capabilities. ALEPH is now in over 450 installations with more than 16,000 concurrent users in 40 countries. Ex Libris Ltd., the developer of the system, is a multi-national company with offices located around the world (http://www.aleph.co.il). Ex Libris USA, a wholly owned subsidiary of Ex Libris Ltd., has sales and support staff based in Chicago (http://www.exlibris-usa.com). I am pleased with the ALEPH500 selection and the capabilities the Ex Libris system brings to the development of new cooperative arrangements with libraries as part of the SUNYConnect LMS project. My sincere thanks go to the Evaluation Team and the SLAM Committee for their comprehensive investigation that has resulted in an exciting LMS recommendation. Upcoming announcements will offer schedules for statewide regional meetings open to all SUNY library staff. These regional meetings will present information on the LMS evaluation process, provide updates on planning activities underway, and allow for a question and answer session on both the LMS recommendation and the implementation process. I strongly encourage your attendance at the regional meetings as we move forward in the development of the SUNYConnect initiative. [Editor's note: the following is derived from Maureen Zajkowski's
"Recommendation for SUNYConnect Library Management System" Executive
Summary. Thanks Maureen!]
In particular, the Evaluation Team focused on software functions that:
The Evaluation Team represented all types of SUNY institutions and library functions. It also included representatives from the Office of Library and Information Services, Contract Development, and Business Affairs. The Team developed a formal comprehensive evaluation process prior to the bid opening, following New York State Procurement Guidelines. The Team then used that process to analyze the bid responses to the RFP from the library management system vendors. An independent consultant provided guidance in the development of a well-defined scoring mechanism based on the evaluation criteria and aided in the objective appraisal of the vendor review process. The Team:
In the final analysis, Ex Libris' ALEPH500 system received the highest scores across all four categories. Ex Libris has software installations in 40 countries and an extensive customer list of academic institutions and library consortia. The developer of the ALEPH500 system, is a multi-national company based in Israel with offices located around the world. Ex Libris USA, a wholly owned subsidiary of Ex Libris Ltd., has sales and support staff based in Chicago. Ex Libris USA has been expanding its presence in North America and has been focusing on the academic library market. The University of Notre Dame began production of the ALEPH500 system in January 1999. Recently, McGill University and the University of Iowa chose Ex Libris with implementation of their ALEPH500 systems planned within the upcoming year. Ex Libris has documented how they would incorporate the SUNYConnect Library Management System project into their current customer implementation and support activities. In addition, Ex Libris would commit to SUNY an experienced project manager as well as two Ex Libris staff members (technical support and systems librarian) throughout the entire five-year implementation period. These commitments, documented in writing, were unsolicited by SUNY and were made in response to questions raised about customer support. The SUNY Office of Library and Information Services extends its heartfelt thanks to the SLAM Committee and the Evaluation Team. |
and the ALEPH system. Some of you may recognize that I have a bit of a
literary bent - so a company name that means bookplate and a software name that is the
first letter in the Hebrew alphabet - well that resonates with me. (ALEPH also stands for
Automated Library / Expandable Program, but we'll save that for another issue.) What
follows is the announcement that went out to the SUNY community on October 26, 1999.
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