Germany's Common Bibliographic Data Zone Goes Live with University of Mannheim as the First Member Institution

HAMBURG, Germany, March 14, 2017 /PRNewswire/ -- Ex Libris^®, a ProQuest company, is pleased to announce that the University of Mannheim, a member of the Bibliotheksservice-Zentrum Baden-Württemberg (BSZ) consortium, has become the first university in Germany to be connected to the Common Bibliographic Data Zone (CBDZ). A collaboration between BSZ and two other major German consortia—Verbundzentrale des Gemeinsamen Bibliotheksverbunds (VZG) and Hochschulbibliothekszentrum des Landes Nordrhein-Westfalen (hbz)—the Common Bibliographic Data Zone uses the Ex Libris Alma^® resource management service, particularly the advanced Alma Network Zone capabilities, as the technology infrastructure.

The three consortia are working together to define, create, and maintain the Common Bibliographic Data Zone. They also provide the necessary technical and organizational infrastructure and have control over the data in the CBDZ. The databases of the three consortia will continue to act as the primary cataloging databases while also being synchronized with the CBDZ.

Member libraries can now access data in the CBDZ as well as contribute data to it. This arrangement saves the libraries time, keeps data consistent, and leverages Alma's advanced workflows to increase the libraries' operational efficiency.

Michaela Sieber, project manager of CDBZ, said, "The complex implementation required close collaboration and coordination between the staff of the three consortia, the University of Mannheim, and Ex Libris. Together we successfully delivered the first implementation and established a sound basis for future implementation projects."

Dr. Ralf Goebel, the head of BSZ, commented, "The Alma Network Zone will provide universities that are connected to the Common Bibliographic Data Zone with outstanding support for sophisticated collaboration, management of electronic resources, and access to Alma's open interfaces. With these features, the three collaborating consortia will have exciting opportunities for developing innovative best-of-breed services for our Alma member institutions."

"This is an important milestone in the reorganization of the national information infrastructure in Germany and is aligned with the recommendations of the German Council of Science and Humanities and the German Research Foundation (Deutsche Forschungsgemeinschaft, or DFG)," explained Reiner Diedrichs, the head of GBV (VZG). "Now that the first implementation with BSZ consortium data has been concluded, we can roll out the Common Bibliographic Data Zone to other members."

"This project demonstrates that the robust, open Alma platform supports diverse models of sharing," commented Matti Shem Tov, president of Ex Libris. "With the Common Bibliographic Data Zone implementation, we have successfully realized our vision of helping consortial members transition to a truly cooperative environment where the community benefits from its collective expertise." 

About Bibliotheksservice-Zentrum Baden-Württemberg (BSZ)
The Bibliotheksservice-Zentrum (Library Service Center) Baden-Württemberg (BSZ) is a German IT service provider for academic and public libraries, archives, and museums; it offers databases, portals, support, hosting, and other services.

Founded in 1996, the BSZ is an agency of the Ministry of Science, Research, and Art Baden-Württemberg and is responsible for operating a database (Südwestdeutscher Bibliotheksverbund Baden-Württemberg, Saarland, Sachsen, or SWB) that enables over 800 libraries in Germany and outside the country to catalog their media holdings. In addition, the BSZ administers various library management systems and supports all consortium members in electronic media and Internet-based services (discovery, web harvesting, long-term preservation, repositories, online interlibrary loan, and more).

For more information, see http://www.bsz-bw.de .

About Gemeinsamer Bibliotheksverbund and Verbundzentrale des GBV (VZG)
The Gemeinsamer Bibliotheksverbund (GBV) is the common cataloging and service-oriented network for scientific, research, and public libraries of the seven German federal states (Bremen, Hamburg, Mecklenburg-Western Pomerania, Lower Saxony, Saxony-Anhalt, Schleswig-Holstein, and Thuringia) and the Prussian Cultural Heritage Foundation. The head office of the GBV (Verbundzentrale des GBV, or VZG), situated in Göttingen, is responsible for library automation and the development of innovative library-specific services.

The fundamental tasks of the VZG are the provision of a shared cataloging service and support for the libraries in the operation of their library systems. The VZG is also responsible for online interlibrary loans and acts as a host for supraregional projects. These tasks are carried out in close cooperation with national and international partners.

For more information, see http://www.gbv.de.

About Hochschulbibliothekszentrum des Landes Nordrhein-Westfalen (hbz)
The Hochschulbibliothekszentrum des Landes Nordrhein-Westfalen (hbz), or University Library Service Center of North-Rhine Westphalia, is based in Cologne, Germany. The hbz functions as a central service and development body for university, college, and specialized libraries. The libraries and data processing centers that hbz serves are in North Rhine-Westphalia—Germany's largest state—and outside it.

The hbz offers a variety of products and services, the most important of which are the hbz-union catalog, DigiBib (the Digital Library), online interlibrary loans, regional and national consortial management of electronic content, German and Austrian library statistics, the Digital Peer Publishing (DiPP) initiative, digitization, linked open data, and long-term preservation services.

For more information, see https://www.hbz-nrw.de/ (in German).

About Ex Libris
Ex Libris, a ProQuest company, is a leading global provider of cloud-based solutions for higher education. Offering SaaS solutions for the management and discovery of the full spectrum of library materials, as well as mobile campus solutions for driving student engagement and success, Ex Libris serves thousands of customers in 90 countries.

For more information about Ex Libris, see our website, and join us on Facebook, YouTube, LinkedIn, and Twitter.

SOURCE Ex Libris