IPSWICH, Mass. — March 28, 2019 — EBSCO Information Services (EBSCO) and IBAI-SCANBIT Technology & Services have partnered to support libraries adopting the FOLIO Library Services Platform (LSP), by providing reliable hosting and support services.
This partnership establishes IBAI-SCANBIT’s commitment to providing FOLIO implementation and support services backed by EBSCO hosting technology and data services. IBAI-SCANBIT Technology & Services, located in Vitoria-Gasteiz, Spain, provides IT services specialized in technology and outsourcing services for cultural heritage and research institutions. It’s their mission to deliver professional services and the latest IT technology to institutions with continuous improvement.
IBAI-SCANBIT’s involvement with open source technology has involved translating the FOLIO interface into Spanish and contributed those translations back to the community. They have also worked together with the SOAS Library integrating VuFind and OLE Library System and provide consultancy services to improve the export of holdings from OLE. IBAI-SCANBIT Technology & Services CEO, Iñigo Lapitz says they will work with EBSCO to support libraries across Spain implementing FOLIO as their LSP. “This partnership with EBSCO is important for institutions. It allows libraries to focus their efforts on supporting patrons. Our role is to help libraries integrate FOLIO to their systems and save on technology costs.”
EBSCO Information Services Director of FOLIO Partnerships Mark Allcock says these agreements between EBSCO and open source providers, add value to the customer service offered by EBSCO during FOLIO implementations. “As we continue to create partnerships with providers like IBAI-SCANBIT Technology & Services, we increase our ability to support libraries around the world and enable libraries to benefit from modern open source resources and support.”
FOLIO has formed a community of librarians and developers that have joined special interest groups and are actively creating an open source LSP supporting traditional resource management functionality that can be extended into emerging areas. FOLIO is being designed to be flexible to allow librarians to select the applications that best align with their workflow needs. The applications are modular and allow multiple vendors or libraries to contribute applications. In January 2019, FOLIO kicked off a series of named releases that will begin to further define the features and functionality of the open source LSP. More information is available at www.folio.org.
About IBAI-SCANBIT Technology and Services
IBAI-SCANBIT, a 25-year company specialized in technology and outsourcing services for libraries and other cultural heritage and research institutions, is owned by a larger company called LKS Technological Consultancy. Currently, approximately 700 people work in this group and they are part of the Mondragon Corporation, the largest cooperative in the region of the Basque Country and one of the largest groups in Spain, formed by 239 companies and more than 75,000 people. IBAI-SCANBIT’s mission is to deliver professional services and the latest technology to libraries, archives, museums, walking together towards continuous improvement, innovation, progress and sustainable development of societies, bringing adding value to services and clients. The company contributes to different associations and communities of librarians, for example, the Spanish Federation of Societies of Archivist, Librarians, Documentalist and Museology (FESABID), and the KOHA, VuFind and FOLIO Communities.
About EBSCO Information Services
EBSCO Information Services (EBSCO) is the leading discovery service provider for libraries worldwide with more than 11,000 discovery customers in over 100 countries. EBSCO Discovery Service™ (EDS) provides each institution with a comprehensive, single search box for its entire collection, offering unparalleled relevance ranking quality and extensive customization. EBSCO is also the preeminent provider of online research content for libraries, including hundreds of research databases, historical archives, point-of-care medical reference, and corporate learning tools serving millions of end users at tens of thousands of institutions. EBSCO is the leading provider of electronic journals & books for libraries, with subscription management for more than 360,000 serials, including more than 57,000 e-journals, as well as online access to more than 1,000,000 e-books. For more information, visit the EBSCO website at: www.ebsco.com. EBSCO Information Services is a division of EBSCO Industries Inc., a family owned company since 1944.
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For more information, please contact:
Kathleen McEvoy
Vice President of Communications
(800) 653-2726 ext. 2594
kmcevoy@ebsco.com
