Bristol, UK, September 12, 2008 – Infor, the exclusive distributor of AquaBrowser Library in Great Britain and Republic of Ireland, today announced that three UK universities have purchased the AquaBrowser search and discovery platform by Medialab Solutions BV. With AquaBrowser, the University of Sussex, Napier University and Aston University will offer their users the most effective tool to find and use all content in the institutions' libraries.
AquaBrowser is an extraordinary starting point for search and discovery in academic libraries. Through a single interface, users can easily and quickly find information of all types and formats. Visually represented and faceted search results allow users to search and discover information faster and more effectively.
"Lately we have seen a growing interest in AquaBrowser from academic libraries in particular, says Steve Barker, General Manager of Infor UK Libraries Division. "As AquaBrowser can be integrated with any library management system and federated search application, libraries can now easily offer users a dynamic tool to find any kind of information in the library's collections."
The University of Sussex will be integrating AquaBrowser with the Talis Alto library management system, Napier University will use AquaBrowser with the Ex Libris ALEPH system, and Aston University will integrate AquaBrowser with Innovative's Millennium LMS and Ex Libris' Metalib federated search tool.
Margaret Lobban, Deputy Director of Learning Information Services at Napier University, says: "AquaBrowser combines simplicity, relevance and serendipity to introduce a broad range of materials to searchers. The Google-type searching ensures simplicity while the refine option enables searchers to specify their requirements resulting in access to the most relevant materials held within the library. For those who are exploring new topics the word cloud facility introduces an element of an all important element of browsing and serendipity."
The University of Sussex will also be implementing My Discoveries, which gives the user space to contribute their own knowledge and opinions on library materials and services. Says Kitty Inglis, Librarian, at University of Sussex: "The University of Sussex Library is embarking on a period of major redevelopment to enable it to more effectively meet the changing needs of students and researchers. As part of this process, we were looking for a way of improving the presentation of our catalogue in a modern web search environment. The functionality offered by AquaBrowser presents the catalogue in a creative, stimulating, and accessible way. It offers exciting new features such as the word cloud's associative search and Web 2.0 functionality that we believe will appeal to our users and enable them to make more effective use of the library catalogue and resources."
About AquaBrowser
AquaBrowser's mission is to help the library play a central role in the provision and safeguarding of knowledge. AquaBrowser Library, the world leader in visual faceted searching, helps the library take centre stage by opening up all of its resources to the community. My Discoveries was created to take the next step: to give a role and a voice to the community, and to connect the people who create, organize and use the library's resources, inside and outside the library.
About Infor Library and Information Solutions
Infor Library and Information Solutions offers libraries and information centers a suite of automation products, including an information portal and federated search application (V-spaces), an Open URL Resolver (V-link), an Integrated Library System (Vubis Smart), and an Electronic Resources Management System (V-sources). Our organization has been at the forefront of library technology for three decades and has a rich history of providing innovative solutions to information centers and libraries worldwide. For more information about our products, visit vubis-smart.com