Ex Libris Group
Ex Libris Group is a prominent private library technology company headquartered in Jerusalem, Israel, founded in 1986. Initially established to support the library software of the Hebrew University of Jerusalem, Ex Libris has since grown into a global leader in library automation and management solutions. The company, now a subsidiary of ProQuest, offers a range of products that facilitate library management for academic, research, and national libraries, as well as museums and educational institutions.
Notable products include the ALEPH system, originally developed in the 1980s, and Voyager, which was integrated into Ex Libris following the acquisition of Endeavor Information Systems. In 2012, Ex Libris introduced Alma, a cloud-based library service platform that enhances collaboration and resource sharing among libraries. The company is recognized for its advanced cataloging tools such as Primo, which allows users to search multiple collections simultaneously. Over the years, Ex Libris Group has expanded through multiple acquisitions and partnerships, cementing its role as a key player in the library technology sector.
Ex Libris Group
Company information
- Date founded: 1986
- Industry: Library technology
- Corporate headquarters: Jerusalem, Israel
- Type: Private
Overview
Ex Libris Group is a library technology company that is owned by ProQuest, a technology company that provides data and analytics. Ex Libris Group was established in 1986 to support software used in the library of the Hebrew University of Jerusalem. The company improved the software and made it available for other libraries to purchase and use. The company expanded its presence around the world and was acquired multiple times in the 2000s and 2010s. Ex Libris Group’s growth and acquisitions made it one of the leading library technology companies in the world and a major partner of institutions in the library and archives industry. The company provides resources to academic, research, and national libraries. It also offers products that are used by museums and higher education institutions. Ex Libris Group has a number of products that help with library management, including tracking circulation and acquisitions. The company also has some software that helps users conduct research.
History
In 1980, the Hebrew University of Jerusalem created software called Automated Library Expandable Program (ALEPH). The software helped automate the library systems at the school. Three years later, the school created a company called Aleph Yissum to commercialize ALEPH. Aleph Yissum marketed and sold the software to libraries and academic institutions in Israel. In 1986, Ex Libris, Ltd. was formed to market and sell the software around the world. Aleph Yissum continued to focus on the software that was used inside Israel. In 1995, Aleph Yissum and Ex Libris, Ltd. merged into a single company. The company then reorganized in 1996 to become Ex Libris Group.
In the 1990s, the company wanted to increase its size and product offerings. Ex Libris Group decided to acquire Dabis, a German library technology company, in 1997. With the acquisition, Ex Libris Group also acquired the BIS library automation system and hundreds of customers that used the system. In 2003, Ehud Arad, the president and founder of the Ex Libris Group, stepped down from his position. The next year, Matti Shem Tov became the company’s president and chief executive officer (CEO). Shem Tov had the goal of expanding the company even further.
In 2006, an American private equity company called Francisco Partners acquired Ex Libris Group for $62 million. Francisco Partners hoped to make Ex Libris more profitable by increasing its product offerings and decreasing its competition. To that end, Francisco Partners also acquired Endeavor Information Systems from Elsevier. Endeavor Information Systems produced the product Voyager and was a direct competitor with Ex Libris Group. Endeavor Information Systems merged with Ex Libris Group, and Voyager became an important Ex Libris Group product.
In 2010, the company continued its global expansion, opening its Ex Libris Scandinavia office. To open the office, Ex Libris acquired Fujitsu Services A/S library division, which had been the entity distributing Ex Libris products in Denmark and Sweden. Another investment firm called Leeds Equity Partners acquired Ex Libris Group in 2008. Just four years later, Golden Gate Capital acquired the company from Leeds for $300 million.
In 2015, Ex Libris Group acquired oMbiel, a company that provided mobile software for higher education institutions. With that acquisition, Ex Libris acquired oMbiel’s flagship product campusM. Later that year, ProQuest, an information solutions and research company, acquired Ex Libris for $500 million. Ex Libris Group announced after the acquisition that it did not plan to eliminate any of the company’s products. In January 2021, ProQuest announced that Oded Scharfstein would become the new president of Ex Libris Group. In December of that same year, Clarivate acquired ProQuest and Ex Libris.
Impact
The company offers consumers different technology products that are meant to make libraries easier for patrons to use. It also aims to make systems easier for library professionals to manage. ALEPH was the company’s original system that was developed before the company was formed. ALEPH offers some of the same features as other Ex Libris products. The features of the system allow users to generate statistics, share resources, and track circulation.
Voyager is another product offered by Ex Libris. The company gained access to the product when it acquired Endeavor Information Systems in 2006, but it was first developed in the mid-1990s. The system has various modules that allow users to perform different tasks. Some of the tasks Voyager allows users to complete include tracking circulation, accessing reports, completing inter-library loans, cataloging, and tracking acquisitions.
Another system offered by Ex Libris is Primo, an online catalog that helps patrons search collections. This product helped change the way clients searched for materials in collections because it offered an advanced search system. Clients could search multiple collections at once and could access new types of digital library materials. In 2012, the company announced that HathiTrust would use Primo as its full-text search system. HathiTrust is a digital collection with hundreds of thousands of materials from around the Internet.
Alma is another product that the company offers. It was designed in 2012 after Aleph and Voyager had already been in use for years. Alma is a cloud-based library service platform. It manages print, electronic, and digital library material. The system also offers libraries the ability to collaborate and connect with each other. The system can connect various libraries so they can share material or acquire new material. The system also provides users with data and analytics so they can better understand how a library is used and how to improve library services. In 2010, Japan’s national library, the National Diet Library, became one of the largest libraries in the world to use Alma. The library used the system to manage a collection of roughly 40 million items. In 2016, Harvard University’s library system began using the Alma Next Generation library platform, which was followed by the University of Toronto in 2019, which boasts the largest library in Canada.
Bibliography
“Berkery Noyes Represents Leeds Equity in Its Purchase of Ex Libris Group, A Leading Library Solutions Provider.” Berkery Noyes, 7 Aug. 2008, berkerynoyes.com/pr‗leeds‗ex‗lubris/. Accessed 31 Jan. 2025.
Breeding, Marshall. “Major Changes at Ex Libris.” Library Technology Guides, Sept. 2008, librarytechnology.org/document/25173. Accessed 30 Jan. 2025.
Breeding, Marshall. “ProQuest to Acquire Ex Libris.” American Libraries Magazine, 6 Oct. 2015, americanlibrariesmagazine.org/blogs/the-scoop/proquest-to-acquire-ex-libris/. Accessed 30 Jan. 2025.
"Clarivate Successfully Completes Acquisition of ProQuest." Clarivate, 1 Dec. 2021, clarivate.com/news/clarivate-successfully-completes-acquisition-of-proquest/. Accessed 30 Jan. 2025.
“Combining the Rich Functionality of Primo and Voyager, VoyagerPlus Is Delivered as a Fully Managed Cloud-Based Service.” Ex Libris, 6 Jan. 2011, exlibrisgroup.com/press-release/ex-libris-continues-to-expand-its-cloud-based-offering-with-the-launch-of-voyagerplus/. Accessed 30 Jan. 2025.
“Ex Libris Continues to Expand Its Cloud-Based Offering with the Launch of VoyagerPlus.” Ex Libris, 6 Jan. 2011, exlibrisgroup.com/press-release/ex-libris-continues-to-expand-its-cloud-based-offering-with-the-launch-of-voyagerplus/. Accessed 30 Jan. 2025.
"Ex Libris Launches Library Open Workflows Development Partnership Program." Ex Libris, 14 Jan. 2025, exlibrisgroup.com/announcement/ex-libris-launches-library-open-workflows-development-partnership-program/. Accessed 30 Jan. 2025.
“Ex Libris.” Library Technology Guides, 2021, librarytechnology.org/vendor/exlibris/. Accessed 30 Jan. 2025.
“Harvard Library Selects the Ex Libris Alma Next Generation Library Platform.” Ex Libris, 14 Dec. 2016, exlibrisgroup.com/press-release/harvard-library-selects-the-ex-libris-alma-next-generation-library-platform. Accessed 30 Jan. 2025.
“ProQuest Completes Acquisition of Ex Libris.” Ex Libris, 15 Dec. 2015, exlibrisgroup.com/press-release/proquest-completes-acquisition-of-ex-libris/. Accessed 30 Jan. 2025.
"Update on Ex Libris Alma." Library Technology Guides, 21 Dec. 2019, librarytechnology.org/document/24779. Accessed 30 Jan. 2025.