NFRP-223-24-1346 - LIBRARY SERVICES PLATFORM

A library services platform (LSP) is the technology solution that will shape the library’s ability
to advance the learning, teaching, scholarly and creative endeavors of MacEwan University
students and faculty. As such, it is critical that the LSP is flexible, scalable, user centric, and
oriented to the future of learning, teaching, and scholarly ecosystems. A MacEwan University
LSP solution must effectively integrate with wider academic digital infrastructure and
processes yet be adaptive to work in concert with emerging information technologies such as
artificial intelligence.
A LSP enables libraries to acquire and manage their collections, spanning multiple formats of
content, including physical materials and electronic content. The solution will support
multiple procurement processes, including those related to items purchased for permanent
ownership, those made available through paid licenses and subscriptions, and those
selected from open-access sources. The LSP will offer a metadata management
environment offering multiple schemas as appropriate for each of the respective material
formats, including, at a minimum, the MARC family of metadata standards and Dublin Core
(DC). The LSP will include an integrated discovery service. The LSP will be offered through a
multi-tenant platform, providing all staff and patron functionality through browser-based
interfaces. Analytics and usage data are critical to effective decision-making. The LSP will
provide timely business intelligence information as well as knowledge bases that represent
the body of content extending beyond the library’s specific collection. MacEwan University
faculty and students must have seamless access to resources owned and leased by the
MacEwan Library as well as resources that extend beyond libraries in Edmonton, Alberta,
Canada, to resources in libraries around the world.