Millennium, Encore, and eProducts to Drive New Campus Initiative

Singapore Management University (SMU) in the nation and city of Singapore has selected an entire suite of Millennium ILS and the Encore discovery services platform products from Innovative Interfaces to create an integrated Digital Library (DL) for the University’s Li Ka Shing Library.The DL will combine traditional Integrated Library Management System (ILS) applications with an institutional repository driven by Innovative’s Symposia product and new web services tools on campus. The Li Ka Shing Library has also purchased eProducts from Innovative: Research Pro federated search, Web Bridge LR link resolver, and Pathfinder Pro in-context resource suggestions. It will publish RSS feeds of new library materials and patron-specific messages about requests through Innovative’s Feed Builder and My Record Feeds respectively, an integrated feature of Millennium.

The Digital Library at SMU

As a 21^st century library, the Li Ka Shing Library emphasizes services and access to information rather than providing access only to large collections of hard materials. To accomplish this, the Library and the University’s Office of Communications and IT are implementing the DL to offer value-added e-services that facilitate research, teaching, and learning and support the University in generating a world-class, leading-edge research and learning organization. The DL at SMU will bring together digital and non-digital intellectual assets that benefit the University and its stakeholders using interactive, collaborative, personalized tools. The President and Provost of SMU are champions of the DL project. In addition the DL Taskforce received input from our key stakeholders, including senior management, faculty, administrators and students.

Innovative Solutions

Unlike other libraries that have implemented ILS and DL components over many years, SMU looked for a system that integrated traditional ILS functions with repository and web services functions that could be implemented all at one time, and with minimum staff development time. “Two years ago we recognized that we needed not only an ILS but also a total package that included the newest tools to make the users’ library experiences similar to their internet experiences,” says Ruth A Pagell, University Librarian at SMU. “During selection, we focused on DL capabilities and partnerships. We benchmarked and evaluated potential vendors based on conference reports, study visits with other libraries, and meeting these potential vendors with our users. Innovative eventually emerged as the clear choice.” SMU will also implement Encore as a simple discovery tool for the variety of sources the DL will integrate with Innovative’s technologies. Says Pagell: “Innovative provided us with this option and was keen to partner with us to push development of interfaces with internal existing knowledge tools, especially in developing a more robust institutional repository capability. We can also grow with Encore to keep the library’s web interface relevant for our users.

About Singapore Management University

Incorporated on 12 January 2000, Singapore Management University (SMU) aims to groom outstanding business leaders and creative entrepreneurs capable of excelling in a rapidly changing and dynamic world. Today, SMU is home to over 5,400 students and comprises six schools: Lee Kong Chian School of Business, School of Accountancy, School of Economics, School of Social Sciences, School of Information Systems and School of Law. SMU offers bachelor’s, master’s and PhD degree programmes in business and management-related areas, ranging from Accountancy, Economics, Finance, Wealth Management, Law, Information Systems and Social Science. It also has a dedicated Office of Research, a number of centres of excellence, and provides public and customised programmes through Executive Education. Collaborations with leading institutions, including the Wharton School, Carnegie Mellon, the University of Pennsylvania and the University of Chicago, allow SMU to draw on academic and research strengths across all major disciplines. The SMU campus is a state-of-the art facility located right in the heart of Singapore’s civic and business district. www.smu.edu.sg

About Li Ka Shing Library

The Li Ka Shing Library is the University’s intellectual and learning centre, providing academic and professional information resources and services that support the research and learning needs of the SMU community. Its goals and strategic initiatives are to enhance Research and Scholarship, Teaching and Learning, Community and Place, and Technology and Access. It meets its goals by integrating appropriate technologies with a broadly educated and experienced staff committed to customer service. The Library works closely with SMU’s Office of Communications and IT, which spearheads the development of an information technology-intensive environment to provide a rich computing experience and enable the University to achieve its vision of excellence and prominence in teaching and research through IT. The Library is named after Dr Li Ka-shing, Chairman of Li Ka Shing Foundation and Hutchison Whampoa Limited, a world renowned entrepreneur and philanthropist, following his generous $15million donation made in 2002, towards the endowment of the library. The Li Ka Shing Library had its official opening at SMU’s city campus in Bras Basah in February 2006. The Digital Library is its roadmap to the future. For more on the library, see: http://library.smu.edu.sg/aboutus/overview.asp and article in Access magazine: http://www.aardvarknet.info/access/number56/monthnews.cfm?monthnews=01