Author Archive: Marshall Breeding

EBSCO has contributed funding to a new open source library services platform aimed at academic libraries, with early versions expected to be ready by 2018.

EBSCO Supports New Open Source Project

By Marshall Breeding | April 22, 2016

If the yet-unnamed project sticks to its schedule and finds interest as lively as expected, it could open a new chapter in library technology at least as important as the advent of LSPs and the recent rounds of major company mergers and acquisitions. The initiative builds on the enthusiasm of academic and research libraries for … Continue reading EBSCO Supports New Open Source Project →

ProQuest to Acquire Ex Libris

By Marshall Breeding | October 6, 2015

Following the close, a new business group will be formed called Ex Libris, a ProQuest Company. This new entity will combine the portfolio of Ex Libris and the Workflow Solutions division of ProQuest and will be headed by current Ex Libris President and CEO Matti Shem Tov and a combined management team built from Ex … Continue reading ProQuest to Acquire Ex Libris →

SirsiDynix booth at ALA 2015 Annual Conference and Exhibition

A Look at Tech

By Marshall Breeding | July 23, 2015

One current trend in library technology aims to improve the engagement of patrons with libraries or to provide tools to help users work more effectively. In many respects, the technologies on display reinforced the theme of the “Library Systems Report 2015,” operationalizing the innovations brewing in recent years, including the increased adoption of Semantic Web technologies … Continue reading A Look at Tech →

Library Systems Report

By Marshall Breeding | May 1, 2015

Tied to the economy of libraries, the vendors that make up the library technology industry support a stable but highly constrained economic sector, with global opportunities. Library budgets may never recover to pre-recession levels, fueling interest in technology to improve their efficiency and the impact of collection resources. Products able to deliver efficiency, innovation, and … Continue reading Library Systems Report →

Supporting Print, Digital, and Mobile

By Marshall Breeding | August 5, 2014

The exhibit hall at the ALA Annual Conference in Las Vegas provided both a respite from the weather and a chance to learn about the latest developments in library technology. As the world’s largest exhibition of library products, the ALA Annual Conference continues to be a unique opportunity to assess current technologies from an almost … Continue reading Supporting Print, Digital, and Mobile →

Library Systems Report 2014

By Marshall Breeding | April 15, 2014

This phase of the industry offers many choices, including both proprietary and open source license options, some based on cloud technologies and others that continue to rely on local hardware. Though a new generation of library services platforms has entered a phase of early adoption, the integrated library system remains viable, especially when extended to … Continue reading Library Systems Report 2014 →

Web-Scale Discovery Services

By Marshall Breeding | January 14, 2014

Discovery services face complex challenges. For example, to accommodate the concerns of proprietary-content providers, discovery services must differentiate publicly available search results from content offered only to authenticated users. In addition, access to resources must be aligned with each library’s subscription and database selections. Discovery services only allow access to resources that a library is … Continue reading Web-Scale Discovery Services →

Enabling Access, Engagement, and Efficiency

By Marshall Breeding | July 30, 2013

Technology, as always, was on display at the ALA Annual Conference in Chicago. Consistent with the strong attendance figures, activity in the exhibit hall seemed especially brisk this year. As the largest exhibition of library-oriented technology and content products worldwide, ALA Annual offers librarians a unique opportunity to review the latest offerings from nearly every … Continue reading Enabling Access, Engagement, and Efficiency →

Vendors Showcase Their Wares in Anaheim

By Marshall Breeding | July 16, 2012

Interested buyers found tech products that press beyond established boundaries as well as those that enable bread-and-butter library activities in the Anaheim Convention Center during the 2012 ALA Annual Conference. Products ranged from discovery services that aim to deliver access to the universe of library collections to new library management systems bringing together print, electronic, … Continue reading Vendors Showcase Their Wares in Anaheim →

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Michael Schaub writes: “When a Massachusetts teenager sent a letter to author E. B. White 40 years ago, he likely wasn’t expecting a response. And White almost certainly had no idea that his young fan would grow up to be one of the country’s most beloved talk show hosts. Conan O’Brien, the host of the TBS show Conan, mentioned the 1980 letter he had written to White a few weeks ago on his podcast. That led employees of Cornell University’s library, which houses White’s archive, to track down O’Brien’s letter. O’Brien posted an image of the newly discovered note on Twitter.”

Kirkus Reviews, Dec. 6
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In a year jam-packed with fast-moving science news and groundbreaking research, books can provide a more slower-paced, reflective look at the world around us—and a precious chance to dive deep on big ideas. But how do you decide which scientific page-turner to pick up first? Science Friday staff pawed through the piles all year long. Ira Flatow, Valerie Thomspon, and Deborah Blum round up their picks in this annotated list.

Science Friday, Dec. 6
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ALA President Wanda Kay Brown and Executive Director Mary Ghikas announced on December 6 that ALA has sold its headquarters buildings at 50 E. Huron and 40 E. Huron Street in Chicago’s River North neighborhood. In spring 2020, ALA will move its Chicago-based office functions to Michigan Plaza at 225 N. Michigan Avenue. ALA staff will continue to occupy the buildings on Huron until the new office buildout, designed by architecture firm Nelson, is complete. The move will provide ALA with a modernized workspace, including enhanced meeting space.

AL: The Scoop, Dec 6
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Almost 800 libraries have closed in the UK since the Conservative government implemented austerity in 2010, new figures reveal. The Chartered Institute of Public Finance and Accountancy’s annual survey of British libraries, excluding Northern Ireland, shows there are 3,583 library branches still open in the UK—35 fewer than last year. Since 2010, a total of 773 have closed. The number of paid librarians has also plummeted—from 24,000 salaried staff in 2010 to 15,300 employees and more than 51,000 volunteers in 2019.

The Guardian (UK), Dec. 5
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Ex Libris, a ProQuest company, has signed an agreement to acquire Innovative, a provider of integrated library systems. Innovative will become a business unit within Ex Libris. The Innovative products will continue to be supported and enhanced. Ex Libris and Innovative have a long history of close collaboration with the user community and will continue to work with their user groups to receive input for the enhancement of services. The acquisition is expected to close in early 2020. Roger C. Schonfeld talks about the wider implications of the acquisition.

Ex Libris, Dec. 5
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Three foundations have committed more than $16 million for a bond-supported Flint (Mich.) Public Library renovation project set to begin in May. The Charles Stewart Mott Foundation, which made an initial grant of $1.2 million in August, now will grant an additional $13.8 million to the project. The Ruth Mott Foundation will grant $1 million, and the Community Foundation of Greater Flint will grant $50,000. The enhanced grant from the Charles Stewart Mott Foundation was secured after 68% of Flint voters said yes to a $12.6 million bond that will help fund a $27.6 million library renovation.

Flint (Mich.) Journal, Dec. 5
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Some residents of Laguna Niguel, California, are trying to save the city’s only library from being demolished as part of a proposed redevelopment project. The upcoming Laguna Niguel Town Center is in its preliminary development stages, with plans for retail, restaurants, office space, apartments, and outdoor community areas. A new library is also planned for it, but residents are skeptical that it will match the current facility in size and available programming. Julie and Bob Davey are spearheading the battle to preserve the current library, which has been there for over 30 years.

Orange County (Calif.) Daily Pilot, Dec. 5

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