Missouri State University Libraries Go Live with FOLIO Using EBSCO FOLIO Services
~ Missouri State University Libraries First Academic Institution in the United States to Fully Implement the FOLIO Open Source Library Services Platform ~

IPSWICH, Mass. — June 16, 2020 — Missouri State University (MSU) Libraries are now live with the FOLIO Library Services Platform, making MSU the first academic institution in the United States to fully implement FOLIO. Missouri State University Libraries implemented FOLIO by working with the EBSCO FOLIO migration team and are using EBSCO FOLIO Services for hosting and service.

Dean of Library Services at Missouri State University Libraries Tom Peters says the library staff set strict deadlines for implementation. “We went live with FOLIO’s ERM in January and then migrated to the full FOLIO LSP on June 8th beating our goal of being off our existing ILS by three weeks. We were able to exceed our implementation and migration goals thanks to our dedicated and thoughtful library employees, the amazing FOLIO Community and the talented EBSCO implementation team.”

EBSCO Information Services Executive Vice President of FOLIO and Research SaaS, Gar Sydnor, highlighted the implementation teams’ ability to deliver FOLIO ahead of schedule. “Migration plans can be complex, and this was a remarkably smooth effort. FOLIO’s modern design and open APIs enabled EBSCO and MSU staff to work together to ensure a reliable transition and a model instance of this new library services platform.”

In addition to FOLIO and ERM, Missouri State University Libraries have implemented EBSCO Discovery Service™ (EDS) and OpenAthens. EDS will be used as the primary interface for most of the libraries’ print and electronic resources. OpenAthens will allow for single sign-on — a simple, standards-based system that makes it easier for users to access digital resources via the library website.

EBSCO Information Services Manager of FOLIO Consulting Services Anya N. Arnold, MLIS says this was a group effort across multiple teams at MSU, FOLIO and EBSCO. “The MSU staff was well prepared and worked seamlessly with the migration team at EBSCO. The FOLIO product owners and developers did exceptional work to make sure FOLIO was ready for MSU. Since MSU implemented not only FOLIO’s ERM system and the LSP but also EBSCO Discovery Service and OpenAthens, those teams became part of the migration team. I have been a part of many system changes (back end and front end) and by far this was one of the calmest migrations I have ever had the privilege of working on."

MSU will add the Courses app later this year and will be able to take advantage of the apps, features, and functionality in the upcoming Goldenrod Release. The libraries were able to go live with features from Fameflower and previous named releases.

Missouri State University Libraries serve the research needs of nearly 30,000 students, faculty and researchers. The library has 1.6 million bibliographic records now being managed by FOLIO. Since MSU is the first university in the United States (and one of the first in the world) to go live with FOLIO, they call their implementation First FOLIO at Missouri State. Peters also told his staff that in being first in the country to go live with FOLIO they had “made library automation history.” Peters wrote about the implementation in Missouri State Library Notes calling it “a major project to upgrade [the libraries’] fundamental information systems.”

About EBSCO Information Services
EBSCO Information Services (EBSCO) is the leading discovery service provider for libraries worldwide with more than 11,000 discovery customers in over 100 countries. EBSCO Discovery Service™ (EDS) provides each institution with a comprehensive, single search box for its entire collection, offering unparalleled relevance ranking quality and extensive customization. EBSCO is also the preeminent provider of online research content for libraries, including hundreds of research databases, historical archives, and clinical decisions tools serving millions of end users at tens of thousands of institutions. EBSCO is the leading provider of electronic journals & books for libraries, with subscription management for more than 360,000 serials, including more than 57,000 e-journals, as well as online access to more than 1,500,000 e-books. For more information, visit the EBSCO website at: www.ebsco.com. EBSCO Information Services is a division of EBSCO Industries, Inc., a family owned company since 1944.
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