IPSWICH, Mass. — February 28, 2019 — EBSCO Information Services (EBSCO) and KnowledgeWare Technologies have expanded their relationship to ensure libraries adopting the FOLIO Library Services Platform (LSP) will be able to rely on hosting and services support.
The agreement demonstrates KnowledgeWare Technologies’ commitment to providing FOLIO implementation and support services backed by EBSCO hosting technology and data services. KnowledgeWare Technologies, located in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, is a pan-Arab systems integration and localization firm that specializes in bilingual (Arabic/English) Information Access Technology (IAT) and provides Open Source services to libraries in the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) and other countries throughout the Middle East.
KnowledgeWare Technologies owner Massoud M. AlShareef says the company will work with EBSCO to support libraries across GCC countries implementing FOLIO as their LSP. “This partnership will allow libraries to save on technology and put their efforts into customer support and service. By partnering with EBSCO, KnowledgeWare Technologies can provide expertise, combined with our services, to help libraries integrate FOLIO to their systems.”
AlShareef added “The FOLIO project is not just another library service platform; it is a true platform for innovations. I personally envision FOLIO as a true modern technology ecosystem, created to open so many doors for software companies that believe in the community-driven collaboration, including local OSS houses, to innovate new applications to manage library resources and expand library value worldwide. KnowledgeWare Technologies is certainly aiming to make a positive impact within this eruptive movement coming to the region and abroad.”
EBSCO Director of FOLIO Partnerships, Mark Allcock, says these agreements give EBSCO the opportunity to create a high level of customer service standards. “It’s important that service providers like EBSCO and KnowledgeWare Technologies work together on local support structures, including local language support, for Saudi Arabian and Middle Eastern libraries looking to implement FOLIO. Many libraries need strong partners to take full advantage of modern open source benefits. As we move into the next steps in the FOLIO development, we will continue creating partnerships with providers.”
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.
Extensibility is an essential element allowing FOLIO to integrate with internal and external systems including university enterprise systems, institutional repositories, research management and discovery services. Development supports Linked Open Data to allow libraries to expand their reach, and FOLIO provides scalability through multi-tenancy. The service will support all formats natively and is based on a central knowledge base. More information is available at www.folio.org.
About KnowledgeWare Technologies Est. (Kware)
Kware is a Saudi based software integration and localization company, serving the Arabic Libraries since 1999. Over the last 20 years, Kware has been dedicated for the installation, integration, customization, localization and support of popular OSS solutions for libraries and knowledge management centers. Today, Kware is the official translation and localization arm behind the vast deployment of popular Arabic/English OSS products in the Arabic region, including Arabic Koha, DSpace, VuFInd, SubjectsPlus, ORCID, and Drupal. Kware is working closely with Index Data and EBSCO to extend its software localization experience to bring the Arabic FOLIO LSP to the Arabic Libraries. For more information, please visit the Kware website at: www.kwareict.com
For more information, please contact:
Massoud AlShareef
Managing Director
+966 505 307 267
massoud@kwareict.com
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.
###
For more information, please contact:
Kathleen McEvoy
Vice President of Communications
(800) 653-2726 ext. 2594
kmcevoy@ebsco.com
