Ex Libris and GreenData, the Ex Libris distributor in Spain, have announced that the Consejo Superior de Investigaciones Científicas (CSIC, or Spanish National Research Council) signed a contract in August 2004 for the combined MetaLib/SFX solution for federated searching and context-sensitive linking for its library network system.
The CSIC system administrators underwent training for MetaLib and SFX in September 2004; the SFX system is going live in November 2004, and MetaLib, in January 2005.
Agnès Ponsati, the director of the CSIS Library Network, explained, "We needed a tool in order to integrate the scientific research process in a very transparent way with a convenient environment for navigating among information resources. Our users were getting lost when approaching the different information facilities, such as OPAC, databases, and e-journals. MetaLib and SFX were there as a good consolidated solution. That's why we choose them."
"We are very pleased that the CSIC recognizes the value of MetaLib and SFX for enhancing their services to their patrons," commented Hugo Agud, general manager at GreenData. "This is a very important project for us, and we are particularly satisfied that we were able to help make it happen. We believe these tools will help the CSIC researchers to search and retrieve information easily and exploit the information resources to the maximum, improving their research and their projects. "
About the Consejo Superior de Investigaciones Científicas (CSIC):
The CSIC (www.csic.es) is a multisector, multidisciplinary public research entity attached to the Spanish Ministry of Education and Science. The CSIC consists of 100 institutes throughout Spain, with a specialized library that supports research. These institutes make up the CSIC Library Network (www.csic.es/cbic/cbic.htm), which is spread out over 21 cities and various universities. Together, these institutions form one of the largest systems of scientific information in the country. The Library Network's resources include more than 1,400,000 monographs and 44,400 journals, as well as other types of documents, such as maps, photographs, and manuscripts.
The Library Network uses the ALEPH 500 system to manage its services and catalogs, which constitute one of the largest automated union catalogs of scientific information in Spain (the Computerized Catalogues of the CSIC Library Network, or CIRBIC).
About GreenData:
GreenData is the Spanish distributor for Ex Libris products. Founded in 1994 as a database subscription agency for academic and research institutions, GreenData now regularly supplies information services to many institutions-corporate organizations, universities, library networks, business schools, pharmaceutical companies, professional schools, medical centers, and public and private hospitals. For more information on GreenData, see www.greendata.es.
About Ex Libris:
Ex Libris is a leading worldwide developer of high-performance applications for libraries, information centers, and researchers. A multinational company, Ex Libris has offices around the world. ALEPH, the Ex Libris integrated library system, has been installed at over 800 sites in 50 countries. MetaLib, the information portal for library collections, and SFX, the Ex Libris context-sensitive linking solution for heterogeneous electronic resources in the scholarly information environment, have already been licensed by more than 670 customers in 33 countries. The DigiTool solution for the construction of digital collections as components of an overall digital strategy rounds out the Ex Libris product suite. For more information on Ex Libris, see www.exlibrisgroup.com.
