As anyone who has waited more than six months to rent a digital book knows, libraries could do a better job sharing resources to meet demand.
To improve the exchange of resources across libraries and spread the wealth of knowledge, ExLibris welcomed RapidILL, a Fort Collins-based interlibrary loaning platform, into its fold. RapidILL will continue to operate its resource sharing platform out of Colorado as part of ExLibris.
Together, Ex Libris and RapidILL will be able to ... greatly expand the reach of RapidILL, to the holistic benefit of the library community.”
The move, which was announced Friday, enables RapidILL to reach a wider network of libraries, said Pat Burns, Dean of Libraries at Colorado State University, in a statement
“We are extremely proud of our success with RapidILL resource sharing and are very excited to join forces with Ex Libris,” he said. “Together, Ex Libris and RapidILL will be able to develop advanced resource-sharing solutions and greatly expand the reach of RapidILL, to the holistic benefit of the library community.”
Developed by a team at the Colorado State University Libraries system after a devastating flood wiped out their main library, RapidILL was designed to make it easier and faster for libraries to share resources and documents. The platform is built around groups of libraries, or pods, who support peer resource sharing. It then automates that processing, routing and load-leveling to ensure a smooth service.
RapidILL also has a tool that facilitates the exchange of books and other physical resources among participating libraries. RapidILL is used by 300 libraries across the U.S., Canada, Asia, Australia and New Zealand, according to the company.
For Ex Libris, the addition of RapidILL allows them to better serve libraries and boost collaboration, said Bar Veinstein, president of Ex Libris, in a statement.
Ex Libris, which is based in Jerusalem, Israel, provides cloud-based software that is designed to help improve library productivity and the research process. Its software serves more than 7,500 customers in 90 countries, according to the company.
“RapidILL’s solutions complement and enhance our resource-sharing capabilities, and will enable Ex Libris to bring librarians and libraries the world-class tools they need for collaborating, developing their library collections, and focusing on learning affordability and patron experience via better fulfillment,” said Veinstein.
