Migrate to a hosted e-resources access solution seamlessly and efficiently

Founded in 1875, Institut Catholique de Paris (ICP) is a prestigious private university renowned for their wide range of humanities programs. With five libraries housing over 700,000 items and catering to 10,000 students, it was crucial ICP had a reliable, secure, and efficient system to manage access to their e-resources, especially when they heard their previous solution was being discontinued.

Faced with the decision between a hosted or a local solution, ICP's Library and Information and Digital Systems departments researched the benefits of each e-resource access solutions. The choice quickly became clear: "The hosted EZproxy option offers substantial efficiency and reduces the need for specialized in-house training, resulting in significant time and resource savings," said Véronique Plaut, Library IT Project Manager at Institut Catholique de Paris.

Hosted EZproxy offers a single connection to all e-resources, protecting user confidentiality and ensuring ease of use, regardless of where or when users need access. That single connection also benefits library staff, students, faculty, and administrators, giving them more control over their resources.

Transition smoothly in six weeks

The OCLC implementation team has a standardized step-by-step migration process to ensure libraries can transition from a local solution to hosted EZproxy quickly and reliably. For ICP, this was no exception— everything was detailed, thorough, and considerate.

"The transition process went very smoothly and began with a detailed 21-question implementation questionnaire to understand our specific needs. This preparation allowed for a smooth implementation and customization process. The initial kick-off meeting and subsequent configuration were well organized and efficient. The entire setup, including configuration and testing, was completed in just six weeks," said Plaut.

While no two implementations are ever the same, the team at OCLC regularly delivers a set of targets for testing to institutions within four weeks of kick-off. Once testing begins, the library can then determine the speed and time it takes to reach completion.

"The implementation team makes sure they are always available to respond to and guide the library staff in all their inquiries. The OCLC team is very understanding and communicates effectively, making interactions smooth and minimizing language barriers," said Plaut.

Gain reliable access and enhanced efficiency

Since the smooth implementation, hosted EZproxy proved to be highly reliable, virtually eliminating service interruptions and user frustration. "This is very important for our students, teachers, and researchers, who, if something goes wrong, typically do drop out." Plaut said. "We are very pleased that there are no interruptions, which we believe leads to greater use of the databases because they are more reliable."

Location

• Paris, France

Library at a glance

• Consists of five libraries, some of them specializing in the Bible, Middle East, and Canon Law studies
• Serves a population of 10,000 students
• Holds 700,000+ resources