Documents, Databases, News, and Commentary

EBSCO Information Services Acquires Zepheira

Zepheira, a company that has played a prominent role in the promotion and implementation of linked data to libraries and related institutions, has been acquired by EBSCO Information Services.

(Smart Libraries Newsletter, April 2020)

Libary Perceptions 2020: Results of the 13th International Survey of Library Automation

The thirteenth edition of the International Survey of Library Automation presents the latest data
on how libraries perceive the effectiveness of the strategic technology systems upon which they
depend for their daily operations and to fulfill the expectations of their patrons.
This report presents and interprets survey responses gathered from November 2019 through February 2020.
Repeating the survey annually reveals interesting trends and insights into the companies and products involved.
The survey focuses primarily on integrated library systems and library services platforms as the applications
used to acquire, describe, manage, and provide access to their collections. It also assesses the
quality of support given from the respective vendor and probes interest in migrating to new
solutions and attitudes toward open source alternatives.

Several themes are evident in the last few editions of the perceptions survey.
Large libraries of all types have complex requirements and evaluate their systems on a much harsher
scale than smaller organizations.
Presenting results without regard to size categories would give misleading impressions.
Products designed for small libraries would not be sucessful among larger and more complex
institutions, despite superlative ratings by the small libraries that use them.

Conventional integrated library systems dominate public libraries,
with top scores going to proprietary products in the largest tier and to those based on
commercially supported open source software in the mid-size category. Small and very
small public libraries also favored proprietary ILS products.
In the academic library sector, survey results reveal notable patterns regarding
library services platforms. These products received strong marks in most categories
but are not rated as highly for managing print resources than legacy ILS products.
Small libraries give superlative scores–with little differentiation among question categories–to
products able to meet their basic requirements without complex features they don’t need.

(Library Technology Guides, March 5, 2020)

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Consolidation Takes a New Form: BiblioCommons Acquired by Constellation Software

BiblioCommons, a Toronto-based company providing a suite of applications and interfaces for public libraries, has been acquired by Volaris Group, one of six operating companies of Constellation Software, Inc. BiblioCommons has become established as a major force in the public library sector, and its products have been implemented by an impressive list of libraries and consortia in the United States, Canada, Australia, and New Zealand. This transaction marks a departure from its status as a founder-owned company. Though BiblioCommons will continue to operate independently, it now falls under the ownership of a large multinational technology firm managing a diverse portfolio of technology and software companies. But unlike general private equity firms, Constellation has never sold the companies it acquires.

(Smart Libraries Newsletter, March 2020)

OverDrive to Change Ownership

OverDrive, the largest commercial provider of e-books and other digital content to libraries, issued a Christmas Eve announcement of its pending change in ownership. The company’s current owner Rakuten has entered into a definitive agreement to sell OverDrive to KKR, a major US-based investment firm. As digital lending continues its steady rise, this news sparks interest and raises questions for the library community.

(Smart Libraries Newsletter, February 2020)

ProQuest to Acquire Innovative Interfaces

In a move that further consolidates the library technology industry, Ex Libris has entered into a definitive agreement to acquire Innovative Interfaces, Inc. from its private equity investors. Since December 2015, Ex Libris has been owned by ProQuest. In addition to its role as a major content provider to libraries, ProQuest is now responsible for a growing portfolio of library technology products, including major systems for resource management, content discovery, materials acquisition, reading list integration, and research services. While ProQuest faces major competition for each of its product categories, this move substantially strengthens its position in the sector and broadens its scope to include public libraries.

(Smart Libraries Newsletter, January 2020)

FOLIO Crosses New Thresholds

The initiative to develop FOLIO as an open source library services platform has been underway since 2016 and has continued to cross important milestones. The software has continued to advance in its functionality and completeness, leading to its first production migration, selections in formal procurement processes, with other libraries waiting in the wings for future implementation.

(Smart Libraries Newsletter, November 2019)

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