NHS Education for Scotland purchases the ALEPH library management
system from Ex Libris in Scottish Health Libraries initiative.


Glasgow, UK - December 20, 2007 

NHS Education for Scotland (via the sponsoring department of the
Knowledge Services Group) has purchased the ALEPH® library management
system 
from Ex Libris in order to serve the needs of 42 library services
across Scotland. The scope of the implementation includes eight regional
Health Boards 
and six national services, plus two non-NHS partner services (the
Dementia Services Development Centre at the University of Stirling and
the Scottish 
Motor Neurone Disease Association in Glasgow). The servers are being
hosted by Atos Origin (Livingston) and the system is scheduled to go
live in early 2008.

“We are pleased and honoured to see the continuing expansion of our
customer base with the addition of NHS Education for Scotland,”
commented 
Julie Booth, managing director of Ex Libris UK, with great enthusiasm.
“We welcome the opportunity to work on a major national initiative and
appreciate 
the confidence in our products and strategy. The only library
automation vendor with a comprehensive library solution, Ex Libris
provides customers with 
all of the benefits associated with acquiring excellent products from a
single source.”

In addition to the ALEPH® integrated library system, NHS Education for
Scotland has also purchased the SFX® context-sensitive link resolver
which will 
function within the online catalogue and the eLibrary:
www.elib.scot.nhs.uk 

The online catalogue will be given the global branding of Shelcat
(Scottish Health Libraries Catalogue) and will provide access to over
200,000 items of library stock. 

“We are looking forward to realising the benefits of unifying the
automated library services of NHS Scotland and our partners in the
voluntary and education 
sectors,” said Andrew Jackson, Senior Information Manager, Knowledge
Services Group, NHS Education for Scotland. 

“This is a major step forward in developing the Scottish Health
Information Environment, and will have tangible benefits on patient care
and health improvement. 
We have the utmost confidence in Ex Libris as a company, and are
working with the same project team responsible for ALEPH® implementation
at the British Library. 
I would like to acknowledge the courage and vision of library staff who
have committed to this far-reaching project, and to the sterling work of
my colleague 
Judith Smart, Systems Librarian, who has taken on the burden of data
conversion management and a host of other technical issues. After two
years of preparatory 
work, tender evaluations and high-level discussions with the IT
security team at NSS, it is very satisfying to see the system being
rolled out to Boards and services.”


About NHS Education for Scotland:

NHS Education for Scotland (NES) helps to provide better patient care
by providing educational solutions for workforce development, by
designing, commissioning, 
quality assuring and, where appropriate, providing education for NHS
Scotland staff. 

The Knowledge Services Group within NES was formed in early 2003 with a
remit to develop and deliver a collaborative, service-wide network that
will enable 
equitable access to the knowledge required for effective patient care
and improvement of Scotland’s health. The Knowledge Services Group is
the sponsoring 
department for Aleph implementation, and is responsible for the
management and development of the NHS Scotland e-Library:
www.elib.scot.nhs.uk 

For additional information on NHS Education for Scotland, see
http://www.nes.scot.nhs.uk.  


About Ex Libris Group:

Ex Libris Group is a leading worldwide developer and provider of
high-performance applications for libraries, information centres, and
researchers, with installations 
around the globe. The Group’s flagship ALEPH 500 and Voyager
integrated library solutions are in use at over 3,000 sites worldwide.
Other products from the Ex Libris 
suite, deployed at more than 1,300 sites, focus on the digital library
and offer state-of-the-art, user-centric solutions for managing and
providing informed access 
to electronic resources and digital assets.

For additional information on Ex Libris Group, see
http://www.exlibrisgroup.com 







Andrew Jackson
Senior Information Manager
Knowledge Services Group
NHS Education for Scotland
Clifton House (1st Floor)
Clifton Place
Glasgow G3 7LD
 
e-mail:  [log in to unmask]
Tel:  0141 352 2917
Mobile: 07896 178366


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