Overview
hbz – the North Rhine-Westphalian Service Centre for Libraries – has completed a multi-year transformation of the scientific library network in North Rhine-Westphalia (NRW), Germany. Between 2019 and 2024, hbz led the migration of its Aleph Union Catalogue and more than 50 member libraries into a single Alma network. The libraries span a wide range of sizes and profiles, from small art academy libraries to major university systems with over 100 sub-institutional libraries.
The result is a shared platform that enables collaboration across the network while preserving local needs. As the project concluded, hbz captured the moment in a reflection that sums up the change in day-to-day reality for the consortium:
The consortium challenge in 2019
In 2019, the NRW library landscape was fragmented. Across the region, libraries operated on a patchwork of eight different library management systems, with a mix of discovery platforms and inconsistent workflows. Many systems were outdated, some hosted locally by universities, and processes for print and electronic resource management had grown complex over time without systematic re-evaluation.
At a network level, this environment made it difficult to standardize where it would help the consortium, to share data efficiently, or to manage electronic resources reliably. The need for a modern, cloud-based platform that could serve shared infrastructure as well as local variation was becoming urgent.
hbz’s role as network leader
hbz exists to provide forward-looking professional services for scientific libraries across NRW. Its mandate includes delivering modern solutions at scale and guiding the consortium toward technologies that can strengthen shared services over the long term.
With a cloud platform already on the network’s wish list for years, hbz took responsibility for designing and managing the Alma program. The scale was significant: hbz coordinated a succession of four implementation waves involving more than 50 institutions, while also migrating its own Aleph Union Catalogue into the Alma Network Zone.
To sustain the transition, hbz also established a new Alma first-level support operation for its libraries. A dedicated ticketing system and clear support processes were put in place, aligned closely with Ex Libris Tier 1 and Tier 2 support. This ensured continuity for libraries before, during, and after go-live.
Why Alma
Alma was chosen because it offered a single, fully integrated environment for managing print, electronic, and digital resources, combined with flexible workflows that could serve both a consortium model and local practices. For hbz and its members, several capabilities stood out:
- one shared system enabling collaboration across institutions
- workflows adaptable to a wide variety of library types
- built-in support for electronic resource management
- Alma Analytics for network-level and local data-driven decisions
As expected in a consortium of this size, concerns were raised early. Cloud security and data protection were carefully reviewed by a dedicated consortium workgroup before approval. Another recurring topic came from system librarians who were used to extensive local control in legacy systems, including direct SQL-based data manipulation. Over time, confidence in Alma and the benefits of shared infrastructure shifted attention from what was being relinquished to what could now be achieved together.
Implementing through complexity and disruption
Given the scale and diversity of the NRW consortium, the conceptual phase naturally included a period of alignment. hbz was mapping consortium requirements to Alma’s framework, while Ex Libris was gaining insight into the complexity of consolidating eight different legacy environments into a single network. Together, the teams worked in close collaboration, iterated on priorities, adapted plans where needed, and maintained momentum through transparent dialogue and shared commitment to the best achievable outcomes.
Shortly after the first wave started in February 2020, the Covid-19 pandemic forced libraries to prioritize remote services, new student support models, and rapid staff enablement for working from home. Even with these pressures, hbz and member libraries chose unanimously to hold to the implementation timeline. Remote collaboration turned into a strength: video conferencing enabled broader participation than traditional in-person workshops, and libraries were able to move into their Alma institution zones together with hbz in the Network Zone on schedule.
Results for the network
With the implementation complete, hbz sees the project as achieving its central aims for the consortium:
- sharing resources and metadata without duplication
- harmonising practices where alignment benefits the network, including common cataloguing rules
- enabling local differentiation where necessary, such as different discovery interfaces and third-party integrations
- using Alma Analytics to support decisions based on shared, reliable data
- creating a platform with further potential still to be explored
The work is ongoing, but now on a stable shared foundation. hbz and member libraries continue to refine processes, expand shared services, and explore new Alma capabilities in close collaboration with Ex Libris.
Alma as a foundation for a complex consortium
What makes hbz’s journey distinctive is the scale and diversity of the consortium it brought together. Coordinating four migration waves, replacing eight different legacy systems, and aligning more than 50 libraries of dramatically different sizes required a platform built for shared governance and flexible, multi-tenant collaboration.
Alma provided hbz with the structure to harmonize where alignment strengthens the network, while still supporting the individuality of each institution. For hbz and the NRW scientific libraries, Alma is not just a new system; it is the common language that transforms a complex consortium into a connected family.
