As part of its goal to ensure access to information and support scholarship, Northern Michigan University’s Lydia M. Olson Library is pleased to announce the selection of Ex Libris Alma library services platform and Primo VE discovery service as it upgrades its automated systems.
The new Alma services platform replaces the library’s long-standing management system, Voyager, which has been in use since 2001. The new Primo VE discovery service replaces the current discovery layer, Summon.
Olson Library will join more than 15 Michigan libraries implementing Alma, including the University of Michigan, Central Michigan University, and Michigan Technological University.
The new cloud-based platform will allow library staff to streamline workflows, increasing efficiencies from purchasing to inventory control. The upgrade will also offer intuitive ways to explore and retrieve content. Features include:
- the ability to virtually browse shelves by call number, title, or subject.
- the ability to place a hold on any NMU item, which will be retrieved and made available for users at the main desk.
- a single search box that will search all physical and electronic NMU materials.
- providing the groundwork for future enhancements such as a scanning service.
- analytics that will allow library staff to make better-informed, evidence-based decisions.
After May 11, current library catalog accounts will no longer be available. If patrons have any saved reading lists or searches that they wish to keep, they must be saved to an external location for later use. Between May 11 and the final launch date of May 13, an offline circulation tool will be used. We do not expect a disruption in service, but, as with any major system migration, unanticipated issues may arise.
For more information, please contact library staff at library@nmu.edu.
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, visit www.exlibrisgroup.com.