Harvard Library Posts Update About Implementation of Ex Libris Primo, Beta Scheduled To Launch Next Month

In April we pointed to a Harvard Library announcement that Ex Libris Primo had been selected by the library as their discovery/delivery layer.
Last week, the HUL posted an update about the implementation.
Here’s some of what it contains:

• The project remains on track for a beta launch in July.

• User interface design and usability testing is underway.

• Initial system configuration was specified, authentication is in place and more than 13 million bibliographic records were loaded into a test instance of the system.

• Multiple training sessions for the implementation team have occurred.

• Harvard Library is also working on the implementation of HOLLIS+.

• Consultation with peers and colleagues has continued, including assessment of other Primo sites, participation in the ELUNA 2014 meeting (Ex Libris Users of North America) and hosting a panel discussion with colleagues from Princeton, Columbia, the Five Colleges and BU on lessons learned from implementing new discovery systems. These findings inform initial design choices and will be tested with faculty and students, and library staff will have an opportunity to provide feedback when a test system is ready.

Read the Complete Update

Additional Resources

Direct to Primo Project Wiki (via Havard)
Includes some basic background. However, the actual documents/presentations listed on the wiki and the update linked above are restricted to members of the Harvard community.
See Also: An RFI For a Web-Scale Discovery Tool that Harvard Released on September 3, 2013 is publicly available.
See Also: On November 13, 2013 Harvard Library Held a “Discovery Day”
Materials from the event including a presentation by Marshall Breeding, reading list, and chart are also publicly accessible. 
Results of a Library User Survey by the Harvard Discovery Platform Investigation group were released on December 5, 2013 and are available here.

Filed under: Ex Libris, Libraries, News, Patrons and Users, Reports