November 6, 2019 Facebook Twitter LinkedIn

Your access to library collections just increased by millions of items thanks to Omni, the new academic search tool that brings together the collections of 14 partner institutions.

Western Libraries, together with King’s and our affiliated college library partners at Brescia University College and Huron University College, is excited to introduce Omni, a search tool that will give you fast and easy access to a vast collection of diverse print and digital, high-quality, academic research resources. With Omni, you’ll be able to broaden the scope of your research projects and reach your research goals with ease and confidence.

Omni will be available from library websites starting on Dec. 10, 2019 and will replace the existing search interface and the Classic Catalogue. Announced on Oct. 30, Omni is an outcome of the Ontario Council of University Libraries (OCUL)’s Collaborative Futures initiative. The new search tool is powered by the skills and expertise of team members from Western, Western’s affiliated university colleges, and 13 other Ontario university libraries.

While we are making every effort to minimize service disruption during implementation, we will inform you of a few temporary changes to library services in the weeks leading up to the launch.

Why a new search tool?

Western and the affiliated college libraries’ current library catalogue is over 20 years old and was primarily designed for discovery and management of physical collections. Omni will make it easier to work with our large and diverse print and digital collections.

Why a shared system? 

By implementing Omni together with our affiliated university colleges and 13 Ontario partner institutions, we can offer broader access to resources for our communities. We’ll have the common infrastructure needed to work together in new ways, share expertise, and collaborate more efficiently in managing and preserving our collections. 

What does a new library services system mean for you?

Omni will provide broader and more streamlined access to resources both in our local collection as well as in those of our partners. You’ll gain access to millions of items currently available in the shared collections of the 13 participating universities. It will also introduce a modern search engine with powerful new features for both novice and advanced researchers to discover print and digital materials. 

Questions?

Contact KUCLIBREF@uwo.ca

 

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