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Introducing Technology from SAGE 

by Martha Sedgwick, VP Product Innovation, SAGE

I first met members of the team at Talis back in 2017.  We were discussing how to ensure SAGE’s content was discoverable in Talis Aspire and it was the first time I had the opportunity to really understand the product that almost all institutions in the UK use to manage their reading lists. I was wowed.  

What a transformation from the experience I had going into the library at the University of York – with my paper reading list, scouring the shelves across floors for journal articles and book chapters, often asking members of the library staff to help me figure out where something was. It was a stark contrast to the much easier experience for students (and librarians!) using Talis Aspire today.

In 2018, Talis joined the SAGE group as one of two SaaS acquisitions. It is my hope that you’ve hardly noticed the impact of the acquisition with no change to service levels, no degradation of the product, and no changes to the people at Talis who you have worked with in the years before the acquisition. I hope you have only seen evidence of the investment we are putting into the business to support their terrific team as they explore new ways that technology can enable teaching and learning on campus at a time of great pedagogical transformation.

The new division at SAGE that Talis sits within is called ‘Technology from SAGE’.  We all know that the right technology can remove barriers to knowledge, and we have created Technology from SAGE to make learning and research easier. Our aim is to help libraries amplify their value with a portfolio of pioneering digital services, all backed by a name you already trust.   

Independence is baked into SAGE’s DNA; our founder, Sara Miller-McCune, established the company back in 1965 and has pledged that after her lifetime, SAGE will retain its independence with her shares going to a range of universities and charitable trusts. We have taken a portfolio business approach to build this division because we believe that independence sustains entrepreneurial verve. We don’t want to buy businesses to sell them or dilute them, but to invest and grow them. We look for smaller businesses that, using a ‘startup spirit’, are doing great things to solve the biggest pain points for students and researchers today and passionate about how they might solve their problems tomorrow. 

Today Talis sits alongside Lean Library and Quartex from Adam Matthew in the Technology from SAGE division.  Here’s a little more about their exciting services:

  • Lean Library Access simplifies online access to library content and open access alternatives, with one easy-to-use browser extension. A comprehensive solution, Lean Library Access helps libraries drive usage, increase visibility, and save money.
  • Lean Library Futures embeds your services and collections into the patron workflow, whether they start on Google Scholar, PubMed, Wikipedia or beyond, putting the library at the center of the student and researcher experience.
  • Quartex allows librarians to manage and showcase your archival collections, making use of powerful search and presentation tools. Quartex can be used to create engaging websites and digital exhibitions that give patrons access to collections in new and innovative ways.

We know that when we use the right technology it makes our lives easier. Through this portfolio of individual businesses, we want to give you the freedom to choose from a selection of pioneering services that are responding to our transforming world to deliver technology that improves the quality and impact of education and research for the long-term.

Librarian feedback has driven much of our work developing Technology from SAGE. If you have thoughts or ideas, please feel free to send them to me: Martha.Sedgwick@sagepub.com.