Technology from SAGE acquires Sciwheel library tool

Technology from SAGE has acquired Sciwheel, a tool which enables library users to read, annotate, write and share research. 

Sciwheel will be integrated with Technology from SAGE’s Lean Library to create “a comprehensive academic workflow tool”, the company said. The Sciwheel product and engineering team will join Technology from SAGE, which is a division of SAGE Publishing, 

Sciwheel includes a web-based application, browser extension, and add-ins for Google Docs and Microsoft Word. More than 200 institutions around the globe use its services.  

Martha Sedgwick, vice-president of product innovation at SAGE Publishing, said: “We have put librarians at the centre of our strategy for Technology from SAGE, as they are critical enablers of learning and research on campus. To support them, we’re handpicking innovative technologies that help libraries to solve student and faculty workflow problems and ultimately, make the process of learning and research easier. With Sciwheel, Tech from SAGE will add collecting, managing, annotating, and citing literature; writing the thesis or manuscript; and collaborating with others, to the support we offer – and all in one proven tool.” 

Matthew Hayes, managing director of Technology from SAGE companies Lean Library and Talis, added: “Sciwheel fits well alongside our Lean Library and Talis products, addressing a crucial part of the patron workflow for our library customers. We are particularly excited to integrate Sciwheel with Lean Library, offering librarians and their patrons a uniquely comprehensive workflow tool – one that improves patron productivity, brings actionable insights back to the library, and can take library services into key parts of the patron workflow without the need for a browser extension (harnessing Sciwheel’s Google Docs and Word plugins). We are confident that folding Sciwheel into Lean Library will offer current Sciwheel customers increased patron usage and value while giving current Lean Library customers greater choice in their provision of reference management tools.” 

Lean Library has grown significantly in the past two years with the shift to remote learning and research, doubling its customer base.  

Sciwheel founder Vitek Tracz commented: “Sciwheel has become a leading platform for individuals and organizations seeking an advanced reference management and authoring tool. We are delighted that it has found a long-term home within SAGE. I have been greatly impressed with SAGE’s approach to library software, always differentiating themselves by investing in innovation and risk over legacy. Their acquisition of Sciwheel and plans for the Sciwheel-Lean Library integration typify this, challenging the status quo in reference management and expanding patron workflow tools into new frontiers.”