Almost every year, however, at least some changes take place in the global library technology industry. Most of the business transactions in recent years have involved private equity companies investing, gaining ownership either from their original founders (such as the case with Innovative Interfaces) or from other private equity investors (as seen in Golden Gate Capital’s acquisition of Ex Libris Group from Leeds Equity Partners). The business transitions beginning in the 1990s have resulted in an industry significantly more consolidated than its previous state of fragmentation where a large number of companies with overlapping products competed within a relatively limited economic niche.