Prepress
Ex Libris Group Announces the Release of Aleph Version 19
Friday 11. January 2008 - Collaboration with Aleph customers ensures the delivery of user-driven functionality
Ex Libris Group today announced the general release of version 19 of the Companys Aleph integrated library system. In planning for and designing the functionality of this release, Ex Libris addressed over 100 feature requests by its more than 2200 customers worldwide. In particular, Ex Libris worked in close collaboration with focus groups from the Ex Libris Users of North America (ELUNA) organization and the International Group of Ex Libris Users (IGeLU) to define and prioritize enhancements focusing on course reserves support, staff permission management, and system administration utilitiesnew functionalities that further streamline library processes.
Prior to the release of version 19, representative Aleph customers from Germany, Israel, the United Kingdom, and the United States were invited to participate in collaborative testing at Ex Libris headquarters. “My experience working with the Ex Libris development staff in Jerusalem to conduct product testing for version 19 was wonderful. In testing the system, I was pleased to see the attention Ex Libris paid to many customer-requested enhancements across the product. I am particularly excited by the reorganization of staff privileges, enhancements to course reserves, and other new features that will make managing users and tasks in Aleph more efficient,” explained collaborative tester Daniel Cromwell, LMS field specialist for technical services at the Florida Center for Library Automation (FCLA).
“Working in close collaboration with our customers from the outset of the design process helps us ensure that product releases meet library requirements,” explained Dalia Mendelsson, Aleph product manager. “The combined knowledge and experience of the Aleph team and the customers who were chosen as collaborative testers constituted an important factor in assuring the quality of the version.”
Aleph version 20 is already under development with even more user-driven features. Looking ahead, the Aleph product working group has begun identifying and prioritizing customer requests for enhancements to be included in version 21 and beyond.
Ex Libris is pleased to note, as well, that version 7 of its Voyager integrated library system is on schedule for delivery in the second quarter of 2008. Planning efforts are also in progress for Voyager version 8 and beyond.