SAGE buys technology company Talis

SAGE has bought technology company Talis and Talis Aspire, its course resource list management system, for an undisclosed sum.

The acquisition is said to mark "an important step for SAGE as it moves SAGE's product portfolio beyond content-led resources into technology solutions that support teaching, learning and research in the higher education institution".

Talis will continue to be run as a separate business by its existing management, including m.d. David Errington, from its offices in Birmingham.

Karen Phillips, SAGE's s.v.o. of Global Learning Resources, described Talis as "a dynamic and talented group who have proven excellence offering Software as a Service alongside specialist knowledge of the academic library market." She added: "The addition of Talis and their specialist skills is a strategic shift for SAGE as we expand our offerings into software that supports learning and research. By delivering technology solutions Talis is breaking down barriers to student success, responding to the evolving needs of academic librarians, and overall improving access to resources in Higher Education.”

Talis Aspire connects faculty and students with key library resources and enables a librarian to use the reading lists to make efficient library purchasing decisions. It is currently used at over 100 universities across eight countries.

An announcement about the acquisition on the Talis site explained: "As librarians and faculty increasingly work to provide students with easy and immediate digital access to key content resources, often via their LMS (Learning Management System) the need for a Resource List Management Systems (RLMS) has become established in UK libraries, with growing interest outside of the UK. Adding Talis to the SAGE portfolio of Technologies for Learning and Research, SAGE will further expand its software and service solutions to support learning and research in higher education institutions. Talis fits this goal by responding to the evolving technological needs of academic librarians."  

SAGE will provide Talis with an enhanced global footprint to support further international growth, the announcement said.

The technology company also offered reassurance that Talis would retain its long-standing position of being publisher and content agnostic. "All reading list data and content belongs to each customer, not to Talis. There is no intention to leverage or promote SAGE content which would obviously undermine this position," it said.

Errington commented: “SAGE’s clear mission to build bridges to knowledge very much resonated with our own. SAGE’s investment in Talis will enable us to continue doing what we do and to grow faster, serving more students, faculty and librarians in the global Higher Education market. We see clear synergies between our shared missions to support effective teaching and learning by providing the resources that enable good student outcomes in a digital age.”