Germany’s WHU – Otto Beisheim School of Management Begins Transition to the FOLIO Library Services Platform

~ First Library in Germany to Utilize AT-CRIS and EBSCO Information Services for FOLIO Implementation and Hosting Services ~

IPSWICH, Mass. — June 3, 2021 — WHU – Otto Beisheim School of Management (WHU) is the first library in Germany to choose EBSCO services for transitioning to the full FOLIO Library Services Platform (LSP). WHU will be using the FOLIO LSP for the management of users and circulation operations as well as cataloging activities. The implementation project will be conducted and executed by local service partner AT-CRIS together with EBSCO Information Services (EBSCO) whilst EBSCO will offer infrastructure, integration and hosting services for FOLIO.

WHU’s Library Director Uwe Böttcher says that FOLIO is built on an innovative, open and flexible concept. “In an environment where rapid and constant change and development set the pace, I cannot think of a better foundation for keeping pace with our own offerings and services.” Mr. Böttcher also says he is looking forward to a smooth transition in collaboration with EBSCO, one of WHU’s enduring, competent and reliable partners, as well as with AT-CRIS, an implementation partner that impressed him with an adeptly structured project plan for implementation.

EBSCO’s Director of SaaS Innovation Roman Piontek says that EBSCO teams have worked with the WHU for numerous years. “WHU is one of the world's most renowned business schools endowed with an agile and excellently equipped library whose educational and research mission is firmly rooted in its institutional infrastructure. FOLIO's exceptionally solid foundation and highly innovative nature proved to be the main criteria for the selection of this open source platform. Therefore, when WHU staff were looking for a central, user-friendly and supply extensible system, the choice was easy.”

AT-CRIS Managing Director Andreas Engfer says that the goal of AT-CRIS is to help German libraries such as the WHU implement solutions to improve their library workflows. “This solution makes the library staff’s innovative ideas and visions a reality. The alliance with WHU and EBSCO marks a precedent-setting project: the first full AT-CRIS FOLIO implementation in the German-speaking region.”

FOLIO can easily integrate with existing EBSCO resources to refine library workflows and patron services including the EBSCO Knowledge Base, streamlining electronic resource management (ERM), and the EBSCO Discovery Service (EDS). WHU currently uses EDS as the library’s discovery solution. During this transition, WHU plans to leverage EBSCO’s integrated knowledge base for ERM workflows rooted in the FOLIO eHoldings app, in conjunction with Full Text Finder and EDS, including local catalogues and patron empowerment.

About EBSCO Information Services
EBSCO Information Services (EBSCO) is the preeminent provider of online research content and search technologies serving academic, school and public libraries; healthcare and medical institutions; corporations; and government agencies around the world. From research, acquisition management, subscription services and discovery to clinical decision support and patient care, learning, and research and development, EBSCO provides institutions with access to content and resources to serve the information and workflow needs of their users and organizations. EBSCO Information Services is a division of EBSCO Industries, Inc., a family owned company since 1944. For more information, visit the EBSCO website at: www.ebsco.com.

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For more information, please contact:
Kathleen McEvoy
Vice President of Communications
(800) 653-2726 ext. 2594
kmcevoy@ebsco.com

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