Innovative Interface is a wholly owned business of ProQuest

Breeding, Marshall. Innovative’s New Business Strategy and Management Team. March 2017. Smart Libraries Newsletter. Innovative Interfaces, under the leadership of its new Chief Executive Officer James Tallman, has begun to execute major changes to strengthen its position in the library technology industry. Innovative has expanded its management team to include a new set of executives with proven abilities in other sectors to take the company forward. In its next phase, Innovative intends to make major investments to transform itself into an “enterprise class library solutions company,” adopting practices and methodologies that have proven successful in other technology-oriented business sectors. These investments will also support new product development initiatives.

Breeding, Marshall. Innovative Interfaces acquires VTLS. July 2014. Smart Libraries Newsletter. Innovative Interfaces has acquired Blacksburg, VA-based VTLS as part of its strategic expansion strategy. This move follows the acquisition of Polaris, announced in April 2014. Both acquisitions were conducted in parallel, with each transition closing on a different schedule. The acquisition of VTLS significantly expands Innovative's international reach and brings a number of new technology products under its corporate umbrella. VTLS had been the longest standing company remaining under the ownership and management of its founder in the library technology industry. VTLS has been active since 1974, first as a department of the Newman Library of Virginia Tech University and since 1985, as an independent company.

Breeding, Marshall. Innovative Interfaces acquires Polaris Library Systems. May 2014. Smart Libraries Newsletter. In a move that further consolidates the library automation industry, Innovative Interfaces, Inc. has purchased Polaris Library Systems. Innovative is one of the largest companies in the industry, with an international presence and customers from all types of libraries. The acquisition significantly strengthens its presence in the US public library arena because of Polaris’s success in winning the majority of municipal library procurements in recent years.

Breeding, Marshall. Innovative Interfaces Absorbs SkyRiver and Withdraws Lawsuit Against OCLC. April 2013. Smart Libraries Newsletter. In a major shift in strategy reflecting a more collaborative style of its new ownership and management, Innovative interfaces has withdrawn the lawsuit it filed against OCLC in July 2010. SkyRiver Technologies, the sister company and lead plaintiff of the suit, has been absorbed into Innovative Interfaces, which will integrate the SkyRiver cataloging service into its product offerings.

Breeding, Marshall. VTLS Moves to Open Skies. March 2013. Smart Libraries Newsletter. VTLS launched a new product suite, called VTLS Open Skies, positioned as a library services platform. A major step for VTLS, this new strategy takes the most successful components in the current arsenal of technologies and products and rebuilds them into a comprehensive platform for the management and access to library resources.

Breeding, Marshall. Innovative Interfaces Ownership Update. March 2013. Smart Libraries Newsletter. Smart Libraries Newsletter has previously reported on the majority acquisition of Innovative Interfaces, Inc. and SkyRiver Technologies by a pair of private equity firms, Huntsman Gay Global Capital and JMI Equity. In the initial transaction, company cofounder Jerry Kline sold the majority of the company, but retained a stake and served as the chairman of a newly constituted Board of Directors. In a subsequent transaction that closed the end of January 2013, Kline divested his remaining shares to the investment firms. Huntsman Gay and JI Equity now own 100 percent of Innovative Interfaces and SkyRiver. No information is publicly available regarding financial details such as the valuation of the company or the portion of shares retained by Kline following the initial transaction. Kline also has resigned from the company's board of directors, having divested his ownership and concluding his strategic and operational involvement.

Breeding, Marshall. New Executive Leadership at Innovative Interfaces. October 2012. Smart Libraries Newsletter. Innovative Interfaces, Inc. has appointed Kim Massana as its new Chief Executive Officer, effective upon the announcement on August 27, 2012. Jerry Kline continues as Chairman and Neil Block as President.

Breeding, Marshall. Innovative Interfaces Joins the Private Equity Club. April 2012. Smart Libraries Newsletter. Innovative Interfaces, one of the veteran companies of the library automation industry, has been one of the major holdouts in the wave of private equity investments that has reshaped the library automation industry over the last six years. The company has remained under the sole ownership of its co-founder Jerry Kline. That position now changes as a pair of private equity firms, Huntsman Gay Global Capital and JMI Equity have made strategic investments in Innovative Interfaces, Inc. and its sister company SkyRiver Technology Solutions. Following the transaction Kline retains partial equity in the company and will serve as the Chairman of the company's reconstituted Board of Directors and will continue involvement in the leadership of the company. Rich Lawson, co-founder and Managing Partner of Huntsman Gay serves as Vice Chairman and JMI Equity will hold a seat on the new Board. No changes in the executive management of Innovative or SkyRiver are planned.

. Library technology and services leader Innovative Interfaces announces strategic investment from Huntsman Gay Global Capital and JMI Equity. March 1, 2012. . Innovative Interfaces, Inc. announced that it has received a strategic investment from Huntsman Gay Global Capital, a leading middle market private equity firm, and JMI Equity, a leading growth equity firm focused on investing in growing software, internet, business services and healthcare IT companies. Innovative Founder and Chairman Jerry Kline will continue to be directly involved in the Company’s overall operation as Chairman of the Board and shareholder of the Company. SkyRiver Technology Solutions, a provider of library metadata, also owned by Kline, received investment on the same terms. Financial terms of the investment were not disclosed.

Breeding, Marshall. Innovative Interfaces: Sierra, Encore, and Electronic Resource Management. March 2012. Smart Libraries Newsletter. Innovative Interfaces continues to build interest in its new Sierra platform. The company also launched its new Decision Center product, and announced new releases of Encore and Content Pro.

Breeding, Marshall. New Management at Innovative Interfaces. October 2010. Smart Libraries Newsletter. Innovative Interfaces, Inc. has named a new President to lead the operations of he company. Effective August 2010, Neil Block, formerly Vice President for Worldwide Sales, advances to the role of President responsible for all divisions of he company. Jerry Kline, who co-founded Innovative Interfaces in 1978, owns the company and will continue to serve as its Chairman.Serials Solutions has also seen a major transition in its executive management. ProQuest announced that Michael Gersch had been appointed as the General Manager of Serials Solutions and as an Executive Vice President of ProQuest.

Breeding, Marshall. Encore Synergy Launched for Article Discovery—A New Search Model. May 3, 2010. . Following the January 2010 announcement by Innovative Interfaces (www.iii.com) that its Encore discovery platform would be enhanced to include new article integration capabilities (http://newsbreaks.infotoday.com/Digest/Encore-Discovery-Offers-New-Article-Integration-Capabilities-60723.asp), the company has launched Encore Synergy. This new enhanced version of Encore uses dynamic web services interoperability with content providers to layer access to articles into search results.

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November 7, 2020. Innovative development partners launch Vega Discover: launch marks the start of compelling new discovery experiences for library patrons. Innovative, a ProQuest company announced that three public library partners in the Innovative Vega Development Partner program have launched Vega as their discovery tool. The partners are: The Ferguson Library in Connecticut, MidPointe Library System in Ohio, and Jefferson County Library Cooperative in Alabama.

October 27, 2020. New research on public library usage during pandemic. Innovative, a ProQuest company and leading global provider of library software, today announced the presentation of new research on how people in the U.S. are using their public libraries. The research report, titled “Centuries of Resilience: Public Libraries Still Crucial During COVID-19,” presents how people have used public libraries in 2019 and 2020. The data includes how usage changed after most libraries closed their doors in March of this year and have since been slowly reopening.

October 8, 2020. Innovative Hosts Inaugural Public Library Leadership Council Event. Innovative, a ProQuest company and leading global provider of library software kicked off a new group, the new Public Library Leadership Council, with an inaugural meeting held virtually on October 7 and 8. The mission of the PLLC is to exchange ideas for the advancement and future of public libraries across the world.

August 31, 2020. New Developments for Innovative Vega Platform. Innovative, a ProQuest company and leading global provider of library software, announced today that Suffolk Cooperative Library System in New York has joined six other public libraries in the Innovative Development Partner program for Vega, a new patron engagement and discovery solution for public libraries. The Development Partner program advances Innovative's products through advisory discussions, usability testing, and beta testing. The public libraries participating for Vega represent millions of patrons and a combined annual circulation of over 10 million.

August 18, 2020. Polaris Release 6.6 adds Circulation and Serials Functionality to Leap Web application. Innovative has launched the Polaris Release 6.6 featuring print notices processing and serials check in for the Polaris Leap web application and a new, optional data privacy feature for the PowerPAC. In Polaris 6.6, library staff will now be able to generate and post circulation notices directly from Leap. Previously, circulation staff completed most of their daily workflows in Leap but still used the staff client to post notification details to patron accounts. Innovative added print notices in Leap based on customer feedback to enable circulation staff to work freely in Leap from anywhere without returning to the Polaris client to complete daily operations.

August 13, 2020. Innovative Announces Official Sponsorship of the Library Leadership Podcast. Innovative, a ProQuest company and leading global provider of library software, has announced its exclusive sponsorship of the Library Leadership Podcast.

July 29, 2020. Innovative successfully serves libraries with additional resources and support during global pandemic. Innovative, a ProQuest company and leading global provider of library software, has successfully worked with customers around the world to help them sustain and update operations during the global pandemic. Working with individual libraries, Innovative has offered free services and discounted subscriptions when needed. Globally, Innovative has also provided a significant amount of new resources and a comprehensive approach to customer support.

July 22, 2020. Six public libraries join Innovative in developing Vega Platform. Innovative, a ProQuest company and leading global provider of library software, announced that six public libraries joined the Development Partner program for Vega, a new patron engagement and discovery solution for public libraries. The partners include The Central Arkansas Library System, The Ferguson Library, Jefferson County Library Cooperative, Mid-Hudson Library System, MidPointe Library System, and Springfield-Greene Library System.

June 19, 2020. Innovative Hosts Polaris ILS Webinar for Libraries in Ireland, UK, Australia, and New Zealand. Innovative, a ProQuest company and leading global provider of library software, will host two webinar sessions June 23 & 24 featuring team members from Marigold Library System in Alberta, Canada to discuss the power of the Polaris integrated library system (ILS) for the 180 members of The Regional Automation Consortium (TRAC).

June 4, 2020. Innovative Announces Continuation of Free Quick Hits Webinar Series Based on Successful Attendee Turnout. Innovative announced today that the Quick Hits webinar series will continue through the month of June. Topics covered in the webinar series are short, helpful sessions of about 45 minutes for Sierra and Polaris customers, as well as broader topics applicable to all customers such as Product and Support updates.

Dec 04, 2019 ProQuest Acquires Innovative Interfaces
In a move that further consolidates the library technology industry, Ex Libris has entered into a definitive agreement to acquire Innovative Interfaces, Inc. from its private equity investors. Since December 2015, Ex Libris has been owned by ProQuest. In addition to its role as a major content provider to libraries, ProQuest is now responsible for a growing portfolio of library technology products, including major systems for resource management, content discovery, materials acquisition, reading list integration, and research services. While ProQuest faces major competition for each of its product categories, this move substantially strengthens its position in the sector and broadens its scope to include public libraries.

Jun 01, 2014 Innovative Interfaces acquires VTLS
Innovative Interfaces has acquired Blacksburg, VA-based VTLS as part of its strategic expansion strategy. This move follows the acquisition of Polaris, announced in April 2014. Both acquisitions were conducted in parallel, with each transition closing on a different schedule. The acquisition of VTLS significantly expands Innovative's international reach and brings a number of new technology products under its corporate umbrella. VTLS had been the longest standing company remaining under the ownership and management of its founder in the library technology industry. VTLS has been active since 1974, first as a department of the Newman Library of Virginia Tech University and since 1985, as an independent company.

Mar 31, 2014 Innovative Interfaces acquires Polaris Library Systems
Through a transaction that closed on March 31, 2014, ownership of Polaris changed hands from its Syracuse-based private investors to Innovative Interfaces, which is in turn owned by private equity investors, HGGC (formerly Huntsman Gay Global Capital) and JMI Equity.

Feb 01, 2013 Huntsman Gay Global Capital and JMI Equity purchase remaining shares of Innovative Interfaces
Huntsman Gay Global Capital and JMI Equity now fully own the Innovative Interfaces, Inc., having purchased the remaining shares from Innovative's founder, Jerry Kline. Kline also has resigned from Innovative's Board of Directors.

Aug 27, 2012 Kim Massana named as Chief Executive Officer
Innovative Interfaces announced that Mr. Kim Massana will join the executive ranks as Chief Executive Officer. In this role, Massana will be charged with expanding the Company's product and business development. The Lancer Group served as the executive search firm that recruited Massana to Innovative.

Aug 09, 2010 Neil Block becomes president of Innovative Interfaces, Inc.
The company today announced the promotion of Neil Block to the position of President of Innovative Interfaces. In his new role, Block will lead the day-to-day operations of the company including sales, marketing, product development, and customer service. As President, Block will report directly to Jerry Kline, Founder and Chairman of Innovative Interfaces. He began his new duties effective August 9th.

Oct 16, 2001 Jerry Kline purchases the outstanding shares of the company from co-founder Steve Silberstein
Innovative Interfaces announced that Jerry Kline, co-founder and CEO, has reached an agreement to purchase the outstanding shares of the company from co-founder Steve Silberstein. Upon closing of the transaction, which is expected by the end of the year, Kline will assume full ownership of the company.

Apr 30, 1997 Innovative acquires SLS
From Library Systems Newsletter: Innovative Interfaces, Inc., has purchased SLS Information Systems of Great Britain. SLS has over 700 installations in Europe, including more than 50 in academic libraries. Its primary product, known as "Libertas," runs on Digital AXP computers using OpenVMS as the operating system and FORTRAN and "C" as the programming languages. The DBMS is proprietary. SLS was owned by 16 UK universities. Innovative purchased all of the outstanding stock for cash. The deal includes subsidiaries in Scandinavia (Stockholm) and Spain (Madrid). SLS currently has a staff of 46 people.

Oct 15, 1992 Bob Walton Joins Innovative Interfaces Inc. as Executive Vice President
From Library Systems Newsletter: Bob Walton will join the management team of Innovative as Executive Vice President. As Executive Vice President, Walton will serve as Innovative's Chief Financial Officer, including responsibility for Marketing, Sales and Administration.

1978 Innovative Interfaces, Inc. founded by Jerry Kline and Steve Silberstein

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2019 Innovative Interfaces, Inc. Accomplishments Narrative

Innovative builds and delivers technology that empowers libraries to connect people with information all over the world. Innovative offers a comprehensive portfolio of library solutions for several types of libraries: academic, public, national, corporate, special libraries, and consortia. Headquartered in Emeryville, California, Innovative has a global presence—serving thousands of libraries in 66 countries and offices worldwide.

Continuing the Innovative Mission

Innovative was founded 40 years ago to solve library challenges with bold, new solutions. The opportunity today is on a different scale than in the past—libraries need solutions that are congruent with the digital world. In 2019, Innovative made significant strides in our commitment to enable libraries to innovate and thrive in a world fierce competition for people’s time and attention. We invested in people, technology, partnerships and services to create remarkable library experiences. The year 2019 closed with Innovative in a definitive agreement to be acquired by ProQuest.

While 64% of our surveyed customers already agree that Sierra is a leading Library Services Platform, and many customers rate Polaris 4 or 5 stars out of 5 (source: https://www.techvalidate.com/product-research/innovative-interfaces), here are additional highlights that demonstrate our proven success:

• Our customers are central to everything we do. Our plans for Innovative and our decision-making processes are centered around serving the best interests and needs of our customers and their stakeholders. This translates to a continued investment in our in-market products, while also working on future products to help libraries thrive. We also champion our incredibly unique and engaged user community. With opportunities like the Support forums, the Innovative Users Group, our developer community, and Idea Lab, to name a few, our customers can hear directly from us and your peers about our latest solutions, creative product uses, and best practices for library processes and tools.
• Trust is key. We like to ask customers and potential customers “What’s most important when choosing a technology partner: how many systems the vendor has sold in the last year, or if they have a vision that enables your library’s success?” As everyone knows, libraries change technologies for a wide variety of reasons, from budget constraints, to consortia consolidation, to leadership changes. That kind of information does not tell the exciting story of what’s happening in our industry. Although we added many new library customers last year and expanded relationships with hundreds of customers, we don’t measure our success on these statistics alone. When we ask customers why they stay with us or switch vendors to Innovative, the number one response is: because they feel we are listening, we care, and are trustworthy.
• We are raising our game. The goal is for our products and staff to offer unrivaled experiences, quality, and support. In 2019, we rolled out a new support team structure and launched a new website. These are just a few examples of our commitment to elevate support, increase engagement, and ultimately deliver remarkable library experiences.

Award-winning Products

Innovative’s existing products continue to delight library customers around the globe. Four Innovative products received platinum distinction, the highest level of distinction, from LibraryWorks’ fifth annual Modern Library Awards:

• Mobile Worklists
• MyLibrary!
• Polaris Web Application
• Resource Sharing

The Modern Library Awards is a review program designed to recognize elite products and services in the market which can help library management personnel enhance the quality-of-experience for the library user and increase the performance of their library systems. LibraryWorks created the MLAs to recognize the top products and services in the industry, evaluated on criteria including functionality, value, and customer service. This year, product submissions were sent to more than 80,000 librarians for scoring.

Sierra ILS

Customers still rate Sierra higher than the competition, when it comes to functionality and bang for the buck.

• 80% of surveyed customers chose an Innovative product so they can continue a long-term relationship with Innovative. (684 Sierra Users) https://www.techvalidate.com/product-research/innovative-interfaces/facts/A8F-633-613

• 84% of surveyed customers rate Sierra’s overall functionality as better compared to the competition. (592 Sierra Users) https://www.techvalidate.com/product-research/innovative-interfaces/facts/8D6-85C-AA5
• 84% of surveyed customers report that they received good value for the money spent on Sierra. (689 Sierra Users) https://www.techvalidate.com/tvid/E5C-370-E37
• 78% of surveyed Sierra customers are likely to purchase Innovative products again. (678 Sierra Users) https://www.techvalidate.com/tvid/29F-E53-337

Polaris ILS

Polaris continues to satisfy our customers’ need for a workhorse ILS that streamlines back office operations and seamlessly integrates content for patrons.

• 78% of surveyed customers said they were likely to recommend Polaris.(627 Polaris Users) https://www.techvalidate.com/product-research/innovative-interfaces/facts/1BB-52A-1C1
• 61% of surveyed Polaris customers are likely to purchase Innovative products again. (460 Polaris Users) https://www.techvalidate.com/product-research/innovative-interfaces/facts/465-F68-AC9
• “I would recommend Polaris. It’s stable, progressive, and good value for the money.” – Dawn Kiddel, CEO and Chief Librarian, Cornwall Public Library
• “We’ve always had good experiences with Polaris. It’s a very robust product and offers many options for customizing, so it works with your workflow, rather than having your workflow dictated by your ILS.” – Directo “Polaris is the backbone of how our organization handles patrons and circulation.” – Karen Knox, Director, Orion Township Public Library
• “The Polaris product is exceptional, from the acquisitions module to the circulation module, which allows for multiple windows and access. We’ve been very happy with the Polaris product.” – Heather Rainier, Director, Hooksett Public Library, GMILCS, Inc.
• “It’s a beautiful product. It works well, has tons of options for customizing, and the customer service is second to none.” – Director, State & Local Government

Winning New Opportunities

Some of the notable wins in 2019 include:

• Calcasieu Parish Public Library
• Clermont County Public Library
• Fairfax County Public Library
• Hutchinson Public Library
• Indian Trails Public library District
• Indianapolis Public Library
• Lafourche Parish Public Library
• Mississippi College
• Online Dakota Information Network (ODIN)
• Ouachita Parish Library
• Saline District Library
• San Diego Public Library
• Southwest Tennessee Community College
• Xavier University