Library Systems Report : 2016

Breeding, M. (2016). Library systems report 2016. American Libraries. Retrieved from: https://americanlibrariesmagazine.org/2016/05/02/library-systems-report-2016/

• Ex Libris, an established powerhouse of technology for academic and national libraries, was acquired by ProQuest.
• Ex Libris had made costly investments in research and development, which meant less profitability in the short term. But this strategy ultimately established Ex Libris as the most valuable commercial entity in the library technology industry.
• ProQuest made two other strategic acquisitions in 2015. In early April, it bought SIPX, an application that provides more efficient and cost-effective ways to acquire, share, and manage copyright licensing for course materials.
• Opportunities abound for academic libraries to take the full plunge into comprehensive web-based platforms offered in the true software-as-a-service (SaaS) model. These products move data and workflows into cloud infrastructure, eliminate the need to worry about servers, and eliminate the need for software installed on staff computers.
• Public libraries have not yet seen the drastically reshaped technology products that have swept through the academic sector.
• Each of the ILS products of interest to public libraries is evolving toward more modern architectures and extending functionality to meet shifting requirements.
• The pre-K–12 school library sector has its own set of business and technology characteristics. The companies involved with school libraries tend to focus on a single country or geographic region. Follett dominates the school library sector in the US.
• the library technology industry has become more consolidated than ever and integrated into the agendas of the top-tier library services companies
• Librarians should be aware of the increasingly complex relationships involved with content, workflows, and discovery.