The University of Windsor libraries in partnership with 13 other Ontario university libraries will launch a new services platform and search tool in the new year.
Part of the Collaborative Futures project, the new Omni search tool gives users enhanced capabilities and streamlined access to valuable resources at the University of Windsor libraries and partner institutions. It will upgrade the current One Stop Search with a single tool that enables the search of multiple library collections and databases simultaneously and provides access to millions of new resources.
“Omni offers significant improvements for the discovery of academic resources,” said university librarian, Pascal Calarco. “In addition, it allows us to provide greater resources to our campus community by sharing collections and expertise with our partner institutions.”
While the new search function will launch at partnering universities on Dec. 12, the University of Windsor will launch the Omni search tool on Jan. 6.
“Because the platform selected to host Omni was implemented at the Leddy Library and Paul Martin Law Library in 2014, we had to take extra caution for our go live date,” said systems librarian, Grace Liu, who is co-leading the implementation along with electronic resources librarian, Cathy Maskell. “Launching Omni on Jan. 6 will ensure there are no disruptions to student resources during the exam period and will provide adequate time to prepare instructors for the Winter semester.”
The libraries are excited to be a part of a 14-member consortium of Ontario university libraries developing a robust collection of materials and resources.
Beyond the official launch at the University of Windsor on Jan. 6, Omni promises many updates to follow, says electronic resources librarian, Cathy Maskell.
“In January, users will be able to use Omni to search across all the print and electronic resources provided by the libraries at UWindsor and also broaden their search to see what other Collaborative Futures libraries have in their collections,” she said. “Later in the year, the system will allow users to borrow print materials directly from those libraries through the Omni interface.”
Learn more about Omni: leddy.uwindsor.ca/omni
Connect with your library