As a member of the OhioLINK academic library consortium, CIA's Jessica R. Gund Memorial Library will be upgrading its library systems to Ex Libris Alma/Primo VE in the summer of 2025.
Important Dates:
May 23, 2025: ALL borrowing from OhioLINK and SearchOhio will be temporarily turned off. The library will also NOT be fulfilling ILL requests.
May 26, 2025: Library circulation (checking in & out items) will be paused for several weeks. Circulation is expected to resume by mid-June.
As a member of the OhioLINK library consortium, the Jessica R. Gund Memorial Library is pleased to announce that we will be upgrading our library system software to Ex Libris Alma and Primo VE, going live in June 2025. Alma/Primo VE is state of the art systems software, and the most-used library system in U.S. academic libraries.
This cloud-based, enterprise system software is the backbone of day-to-day library operations (acquisitions, cataloging, circulation, etc.), and generates the underlying data that drives library business decisions and reporting. The new system will provide user benefits to help students, faculty, and other library users find (and access) information critical to their learning, teaching, and research. Its user-friendly interactions will be more intuitive and similar to today’s consumer products. Primo VE, the new user interface replacing EBSCO Discovery Service (aka EDS or Quick Search), will streamline search functions and your access to local resources and scholarly research. It will offer new and improved features and benefits for our library users:
The library staff has been working on this migration for the past two years and will continue to work very hard to minimize any disruption to services. However, there will be disruptions, and we will attempt to communicate those with you in a variety of places. I highly recommend that you subscribe to the library's blog for updates about this project. You can easily read only the relevant blog posts by clicking the "Library Migration" link in the subjects list.
The cutover to the new system will impact acquisitions and requests for purchases, borrowing of print materials from OhioLINK, SearchOhio, and our local collection beginning May 23, 2025.
While we are unable to provide an exact date, we hope to resume circulation by mid-June. If you are enrolled in or teaching a summer class, we will work with you to ensure you have access to all library materials necessary for your course. If you are not enrolled in the summer semester, you will be able to check things out once we go-live in the new system and have ensured that everything is working properly.
Please see our FAQs page for more information on those impacts.
Training will be available to help you through the transition. Subscribe to the blog and watch both the library's website and CIA Weekly for more information. If you have questions, please contact the library.
The library staff is very excited about this migration, and we think you’ll be pleased with this upgrade.
We know you have a lot of questions about the library's migration to Alma and Primo VE. We will answer the most frequently asked questions here. We plan on updating this post as additional information becomes available to us. If you don't see the answer to your question here, please email the library and ask!
What is a library migration? What does that mean?
A library migration is the process of transferring data and functionality from one software to another. In this case, we are replacing an older and outdated library system with a newer product that offers improved security and features. This project has been “in the works” since the summer of 2022 and the library staff has been working very hard to ensure that the migration goes as smoothly as possible.
What is Alma / Primo?
Those are the products we will be using as of June 2025. The library, along with all of the other Ohiolink members, are moving to Ex Libris's Alma / Primo software.
Alma is a cloud-based, enterprise system software and is the backbone of our day-to-day operations (acquisitions, cataloging, circulation, etc.). It generates the underlying data that drives library business decisions and reporting.
Primo is the discovery interface that students, faculty and other researchers will use to find and access information in the library's collections. It will replace EBSCO's EDS or “quick search.” It's very user friendly and we think our patrons will love the new discovery interface.
In late 2025 through to early 2026, we will be rolling out other applications as part of this package, including one that links the library to Canvas to manage course reading lists!
When will the migration happen?
The scheduled go live is on track for June 2025.
Is the library collection changing?
No! The collection is not changing. We will still have all of the same resources that we currently have.
Alma/Primo will replace the current catalog that searches all of the resources. The interface will look different, but the collections included in the search will not change. We will have training when the time comes.
Is anything else changing?
Yes, after the migration, CIA will be an independent library. We will no longer share a catalog with Case or with CIM. However, all libraries are OhioLINK members and we will be able to borrow from those libraries just like we borrow from any OhioLINK member. You will be able to walk into Case's library and borrow materials, but you will also be able to have them delivered to you by courier. This is a big change, but will make accessing eresources much less confusing for our patrons.
What if I want to request new library materials?
Current CIA employees and students can continue to request new library materials using the normal Library Resource Request Form and library staff will continue purchase and process materials. However, after March 28th we will be unable to add new items to the catalog. We will let you know when your items are ready to check out. If you need new items for your SUMMER 2025 semester class, please request them before May 1st.
How will this affect the links in my syllabi, Canvas, class handouts, and course reserves?
This is very important! You will need to update all of your links to library resources in your syllabi, in Canvas, reading lists, course reserves, etc. The library will be developing communication to assist faculty teaching in the fall with any required adjustments to links for classes. Faculty who are planning to put items on reserves for SUMMER 2025 should contact the library before May 1st.
Will this impact borrowing from OhioLINK and SearchOhio?
Yes! ALL borrowing from OhioLINK and SearchOhio will be turned off on May 23rd. The library will NOT be fulfilling ILL requests in lieu of OhioLINK and SearchOhio pauses. Please ensure that you have requested any items prior to May 23, 2025. This will include both online and in-person borrowing of OhioLINK and SearchOhio items. If you have OhioLINK or SearchOhio items checked out, please feel free to keep them until they are due. Contact the library if you have any questions about OhioLINK.
Will circulation be paused?
The library will need to briefly pause circulation for a few weeks beginning May 26, 2025. We understand that there will be summer semester classes running during this time and we will do our best to accommodate your needs and to minimize the impact of a circulation pause. We hope to resume circulation by mid-June. You will be able to access and use our electronic resources without interruption throughout the whole process.
When can I see it?
The library will be creating self-paced trainings, LibGuides, and blog posts about the new system. We will also be offering a variety of in-person sessions for faculty and students. We will make sure that we communicate those trainings widely, but we do recommend that you subscribe to the blog and keep your eye on the “News + Events” section of the library's website.
As a member of the OhioLINK academic library consortium, CIA's Jessica R. Gund Memorial Library will be upgrading its library system to Ex Libris Alma/Primo VE in the summer of 2025. Alma is a state-of-the-art library systems software, and the most-used library system in U.S. academic libraries. More than 65% of Association of Research Libraries use Alma, including Harvard, Yale, Duke, and University of Texas.
This cloud-based, enterprise system software is the backbone of day-to-day library operations (acquisitions, cataloging, circulation, etc.), and generates the underlying data that drives library business decisions and reporting. Primo VE is the “discovery” interface that students, faculty, and other library patrons use to find (and access) information in the library’s collection. Its user-friendly interactions will be more intuitive and similar to today’s consumer products.
“The library staff is excited about this migration and we are looking forward to enhancing services for faculty and students,” said Laura M. Ponikvar, Library Director. “The software has a more intuitive interface to find print and electronic library materials, and a mobile app for using the library on the go.”
As we get closer to “go live” you will see more information about the new system and changes. Training will be available to help you through the transition. Subscribe to this blog and watch both the library's website and CIA Weekly for more information. If you have questions, please contact the library.
The library staff is very excited about this migration and we think you’ll be pleased with this upgrade. In late 2025 and early 2026, we will be rolling out other applications as part of the same system package, including one that links the library to Canvas to manage course reading lists!
New Library System is Live!
After more than two years of planning and preparation, the library’s new system is officially live! The library's website has been updated to reflect the changes, and we are working through the inevitable quirks that we expected would occur. Circulation has resumed and OhioLINK borrowing should be up and running by the end of the month.
If you have any questions or would like a demonstration, please stop by the library! We are planning on having lots of opportunities to learn all about Primo VE. We think you will love the new system.
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