March 22, 2012 -- Emeryville, CA. University of the West of Scotland (UWS) and the Scottish Agricultural College (SAC) will join University of the Highlands and Islands (UHI) to share the Millennium ILS, resulting in a gain in functionality, cost effectiveness, and choice in managing library operations. The shared Millennium system will bring together collections that total over 700,000 physical items, while offering the full functionality of the integrated ERM system to all three partners. They are migrating from library system provided by Talis.
New Partners
In 2011, the heads of the library services of SAC and UWS approached UHI to discuss possibilities for shared library services among the three institutions, in keeping with the Scottish and UK Government requirement for higher education organizations to develop more shared services and reduce overall costs for the nation.
Says Head of Library Services at SAC Elaine Muir: "Academic libraries in Scotland have to be economical. The structure of both the agreement with Innovative and the structure of the system make this new initiative doubly attractive to us. SAC's academic portfolio has broadened into biosciences and disciplines such as sports science. For this reason, and because our researchers serve as consultants for all of Scotland, combining a system with two larger academic intuitions makes sense."
Sharing a system comes naturally to the staff at the libraries of UWS and SAC, who have recently opened a joint library at their shared Ayr campus. Says UWS University Librarian Gordon Hunt: "All three institutions can use slightly different functions in Millennium. With our previous systems we didn't have the same flexibility among our native libraries because they were not geared toward collaborative work."
Building on Success
Says Gillian Anderson, UHI Librarian: "We see this project as an extension of our strong partnerships among Scottish academic libraries, which have resulted in successful projects such as the Scottish Higher Education Digital Library (SHEDL). In our discussions, it became clear that all three institutions would benefit from UWS and SAC merging into the UHI library system. Sharing library systems and services is a great idea because the resources are being spent more efficiently. We are pleased that Innovative showed a willingness to help make this particular Scottish shared-service initiative succeed."
Supporting Scottish Libraries
"We are only too happy to support these libraries as they move to more efficient ways of serving users practically and economically," says Colin Carter, Sales Account Manager for the UK and Northern Europe. "From past experience in adding libraries to an existing Millennium system, Innovative is able to implement this solution simply, while keeping independent each library's workflows, circulation policies, e-journal licenses, and acquisitions practices."
About University of the West of Scotland
University of the West of Scotland (UWS) is Scotland's biggest modern university with campuses in Ayr, Dumfries, Hamilton, and Paisley. With almost 20,000 students and just under 2,000 staff, the University is unique in its geographical coverage across the West of Scotland. It provides a wide range of academic, social, and sporting facilities; extensive programs from degree and certificate level to MSc; and courses in business, computing, engineering and science, media, language and music, health, nursing & midwifery, social sciences, and education. The University's vision is to be a University of choice in all that it does. UWS will make a full contribution to the economic, social, and cultural development of the West of Scotland and beyond.
About Scottish Agricultural College
Scottish Agricultural College (SAC) is an innovative, knowledge-based organization that supports the development of land-based industries and communities through specialist research and development resources, education and training provision, and expert advisory and consultancy services. The College's work is wide ranging, but there is a particular emphasis on agriculture and related sciences, rural business development and management, food chain quality and safety, and rural resource and environmental management. Through its associate company, SAC Commercial Ltd, the College can provide a wide range of services to individuals, small and medium size enterprises, corporate clients, local and regional authorities, and government agencies and departments. The three main campuses are at Aberdeen, Ayr, and Edinburgh; and there are 23 local advisory offices, eight veterinary centers and five research farms.
About The University of the Highlands and Islands
University of the Highlands and Islands (UHI) is the only higher educational institution based in the Highlands & Islands of Scotland. It offers undergraduate and postgraduate degrees and research opportunities via UHI's 15 Academic Partners and an associated network of outreach learning centers. UHI has over 7,500 students studying on undergraduate or postgraduate courses or undertaking postgraduate research. For students living in the region, UHI provides local access to learning and research relevant to their needs and to those of local employers. For students from beyond the region, UHI offers distinctive courses in subject areas reflecting the characteristics, culture and heritage of the Highlands and Islands in campus locations in rural, island or urban communities, or by distance learning from home or work. UHI provides flexible access to studying through extensive use of information technologies, including online learning materials and teaching by video-conferencing. UHI offers: choice of campus locations in urban, rural and island communities; distinctive courses and subject areas reflecting the characteristics of the region and with relevance worldwide; extensive use of information technology, including online materials and video; conferencing; small class sizes with a focus on the needs of the individual learner; welcoming communities, rich in culture and located in an area of outstanding natural beauty; and a growing range of programs available by online distance learning.
About Innovative Interfaces
Innovative Interfaces creates cutting-edge products that allow libraries h3to succeed in a modern technology environment and the freedom to implement solutions that best meet their specific needs. The company's versatile and market-leading solutions include: the Sierra Services Platform, the Millennium ILS, the Encore Synergy discovery application, Electronic Resource Management, and INN-Reach resource sharing. An established company with a vision for the future, Innovative connects with thousands of libraries of all types in over 50 countries. Innovative's commitment to service is reflected by its 24/7/365 Help Desk, Innovative University, and the CSDirect Web support center. The company is located in Emeryville, California with offices around the world.
