Jerusalem, Israel—November 19, 2014. Ex Libris Group, a world leader in the provision of library automation solutions, announced the release of version 9.1 of the Voyager integrated library system (ILS). Deployed by over 1300 institutions around the world, Voyager now provides faster, more efficient processes for librarians that will enable them to dedicate more of their time to user needs.
The new features in this release improve services to users, simplify staff workflows, increase system stability and performance, and fulfill customer enhancement requests. The release includes numerous enhancements requested by the Voyager customer community and refined through close collaboration between Ex Libris and its user groups. Highlights of Voyager 9.1 include:
- New authority record loader functionality
- Options to prioritize Resource Description and Access (RDA) records when importing
- Improved electronic data interchange (EDI) support for invoiced items
- Enhancements to notices sent to patrons
- Improvements in display options and printing records in Cataloging
- Numerous productivity enhancements throughout staff interfaces
- New Web services to strengthen the integration between Voyager and Primo
Tari Keller, systems librarian at the University of Kentucky and one of the field testers of the new functionality in Voyager version 9.1, commented: "This was a very good experience for us. The process worked well and I would recommend it to other Voyager libraries, particularly since the hosted environment allowed us to test the new version with our own records."
Julene Jones, head of database integrity department at the University of Kentucky, added: "Voyager 9.1 expands the already terrific Global Data Change (GDC) module into a highly-flexible yet precise authority loader, offering duplicate detection and match and merge capabilities!"
Field testers from the University of Kansas also welcomed the opportunity to try out the new version in advance of its release. "We were pleased that Voyager 9.1 enables users to bulk-load bibliographic records that have MARC holdings and item information encoded in them, to create holdings and item records for multiple volumes with the same copy number," noted Miloche Kottman, assistant head of cataloging at the University of Kansas.
The Colorado School of Mines also carried out field testing of the new version.
"The new version of Voyager supports the vibrant Voyager community in their shared objective of providing excellent library services to staff members and users," commented Bar Veinstein, vice president of resource management solutions at Ex Libris. "As ever we are proud of the close collaboration between the user community and Ex Libris to refine Voyager functionality and set priorities for the future. In keeping with our ongoing commitment to support and develop Voyager, development is already under way for version 9.2 and planning has started on version 10 and beyond."
About Ex Libris
Ex Libris is a leading provider of automation solutions for academic, national, and research libraries. Offering the only comprehensive product suite for electronic, digital, and print materials, Ex Libris provides efficient, user-friendly products that serve the needs of libraries today and will facilitate their transition into the future. Ex Libris maintains an impressive customer base consisting of thousands of sites in more than 90 countries on six continents.
Dedicated to developing creative solutions in close collaboration with customers, Ex Libris enables libraries to maximize productivity and efficiency and, at the same time, greatly enhance the user experience. By empowering users to discover and obtain the information they need, libraries ensure their position as the bridge to knowledge.