Ex Libris Alma vs. Polaris ILS

I think Ex Libris Alma is well suited to any library, including those with multiple locations, that is looking for a back-end collections management solution and a front-end discovery website for patrons (Ex Libris Primo) that will play together seamlessly and require little work to synchronize. It might not be the best fit for libraries that regularly evaluate their collections in depth using digital information that is not provided in Alma's own analytics package. I would recommend carefully evaluating what Alma's analytics can do vs. your library's needs before committing, but otherwise it does the job well!

Appropriate for public libraries but I don’t think a small school library would need it

• Integrates smoothly with other Ex Libris products (like Primo for patron-facing searching and Esploro for a research repository) and Springshare
• Works well across multiple connected library locations
• You can set many different levels of permissions for different users
• Easy to create and save fairly complicated advanced searches

• Integrates with other platforms
• User friendly
• Used by other libraries

• When you conduct an advanced search, there are some of the data points that simply won't export to a .csv, making external analytic work tedious or impossible
• UI is not the friendliest - there is a lot of clicking on subtabs to get the information you want

• In my opinion, poor customer service

It is user friendly to a degree but, in my experience, a lot you have to use online resources to figure out

I think Polaris ILS is more suited for larger libraries; in my opinion, Destiny is simple enough for a small school library.

• Ex Libris Alma was in use before I started working at the library, so I can't say for sure

• Helps us catalog quickly
• Helps us monitor patrons fines