Library Technology Guides

Streamlining the Path to Remote Storage with Rialto Collection Development Workflows. Managing print collections is often a balancing act between limited shelf space and the commitment to preserve scholarly records. For many Alma users, Remote Storage is the solution, but the process of deciding which items to move has historically been exhausting, involving endless spreadsheets and manual data merging. With the latest Rialto Collection Development Workflows released this November, those data-heavy days are over. We have designed a system that makes optimizing your collection faster, more economical, and, most importantly, data-driven. [Full Announcement].

University of Helsinki expands partnership with Clarivate through Alma's Library Open Workflows. The University of Helsinki, Finland's largest and oldest university and a recognized AI-forward institution, has selected Alma's Library Open Workflows to further modernize library operations and deepen its long-standing collaboration with Clarivate. [Full Announcement].

hbz completes landmark Alma unification. The North Rhine-Westphalian Service Centre for Libraries (hbz) has successfully completed a five-year modernization initiative that unifies the scientific library network of North Rhine-Westphalia (NRW), Germany in a single Alma platform. The project, which began in 2019, consolidated eight different legacy library systems and migrated more than 50 member libraries—ranging from small art academies to large university networks—into one coordinated Alma Network Zone. [Full Announcement].

Ex Libris on demand webinar: How library consortia thrive with Alma. Ex Libris shared a new on-demand webinar designed to deepen your understanding of how collaboration can empower libraries and strengthen shared services. "Stronger Together: How Library Consortia Thrive with Alma" brings together leaders from around the world to discuss how consortia are using Alma to coordinate resources, streamline operations, and support their member libraries more effectively. [Full Announcement].

Flinders University Case Study. Ex Libris shared a new customer story highlighting how Flinders University transformed its teaching and learning experience with Leganto. Facing the need for a more intuitive, integrated, and copyright-compliant reading list solution, the university implemented Leganto to streamline processes for students, faculty, and library staff. What they found was a powerful, easy-to-use system that not only improved access to course materials but also supported deeper engagement, better planning, and a richer academic experience for all. [Full Announcement].

Understanding the Ex Libris community zone: Three important facts you might not know. The Ex Libris, from Clarivate, Community Zone is a vast, collaborative ecosystem that powers your daily library workflows. Behind every search result and activated portfolio is a continuous cycle of data matching, enrichment, and quality control. Since January 2025, Ex Libris has updated nearly 20 million portfolios and over 6 million bibliographic records, consolidating information from global providers and enhancing non-personal metadata for accuracy and discoverability. The CZ is also shaped by its users: librarians worldwide contribute to community-managed collections, improving Open Access records and strengthening shared metadata. Guiding this work is the Community Zone Management Group (CZMG), which helps define policies, best practices, and enrichment standards. Together, technology, community expertise, and ongoing innovation ensure the CZ remains a dynamic, reliable resource for libraries everywhere. [Full Announcement].

Bavarian State Library Transforms Collaboration with Alma's Library Open Workflows. The Bavarian State Library has redefined efficiency and collaboration through Alma's Library Open Workflows. After moving its operations to the cloud with Alma, BSB sought to empower staff across departments while reducing IT overhead. With LibOW, BSB introduced a flexible, cloud-based environment where both technical and non-technical staff can design and run workflows independently, freeing IT to focus on strategic initiatives. [Full Announcement].

Kortext joins Rialto: A new partnership. Ex Libris announced a new collaboration between Rialto and Kortext. Electronic content from Kortext will be available in Rialto, further enriching the Rialto Marketplace. It will be integrated into Rialto's new referral model, enabling seamless discovery and ordering. [Full Announcement].

Alma customers gain advanced automation and shared intelligence in November 2025 Feature release. With more than 2,400 libraries worldwide relying on Alma, the November 2025 Feature Release continues to advance our shared vision of smarter, more connected library services. Now available to all customers, this release delivers intelligent automation, richer analytics, and new collaborative tools that simplify day-to-day work and empower institutions to make data-driven decisions together. [Full Announcement].

The University of Tennessee at Martin selects Clarivate's Alma and Primo VE to modernize library services and support long-term growth. The University of Tennessee at Martin, a leading public institution within the University of Tennessee System, has selected Alma and Primo VE from Clarivate to modernize its library infrastructure and unify services under a single, cloud-based platform. [Full Announcement].

Celebrating a milestone: 120 institutions have joined Rialto collection-development workflow. Ex Libris, from Clarivate, announced that 120 institutions have already opted in for collection development with Rialto and counting. With real-time data visibility, seamless integration with Alma, Leganto, and Rapido, and millions of titles from top publishers, Rialto enables librarians to save time and collaborate more effectively across teams. [Full Announcement].

Library Open Workflows: automate library tasks without coding. Library teams often rely on IT support for even the simplest operational updates whether that's batch-editing records, sending patron notices, or moving data between Alma and campus systems. This dependence slows down progress and limits agility. Library Open Workflows addresses this challenge with a secure, low-/no-code solution built directly into Alma on the Clarivate Higher Education platform. It enables staff to automate and streamline everyday tasks without servers, custom scripts, or technical intervention while using Alma's existing APIs, webhooks, and Cloud Apps within a unified, hosted environment. [Full Announcement].

Make the most of the new search UX: mastering the new Alma search experience. The latest Alma Search User Experience is a major step forward in how library staff find, filter, and act on information. In a recent Clarivate webinar, Lili Daie, Product Manager for Alma, guided attendees through practical ways to make the most of the redesigned interface, demonstrating how small changes in search design can have a big impact on efficiency. [Full Announcement].

Make the most of the new search UX: mastering the new Alma search experience. The latest Alma Search User Experience is a major step forward in how library staff find, filter, and act on information. In a recent Clarivate webinar, Lili Daie, Product Manager for Alma, guided attendees through practical ways to make the most of the redesigned interface, demonstrating how small changes in search design can have a big impact on efficiency. [Full Announcement].

Tallinn University of Technology chooses Clarivate's Alma and Primo VE to drive innovation in library services. Clarivate announced that Tallinn University of Technology, Estonia, has selected Alma, the leading cloud-based library management platform, and Primo VE, Clarivate's next-generation discovery solution, to modernize and streamline its library operations. [Full Announcement].

Smarter discovery: Natural language search now available in Primo NDE UI. Clarivate has introduced a powerful enhancement to the Primo NDE UI: Natural Language Search. With this new capability, library users can now type search queries the way they think or speak—without needing advanced Boolean logic—and the system will interpret that language and deliver precise, relevant results. Users can now enter a query phrased in everyday language. The system automatically translates it into a structured Boolean query in the background. [Full Announcement].

University of Maine System joins Alma Specto Early Adopter Program. Ex Libris, from Clarivate, announced that the University of Maine System will become the first university system to deploy Alma Specto after joining the Alma Specto Early Adopter Program. [Full Announcement].

NDE UI is now available to All Primo VE customers. Ex Libris announced that the new Next Discovery Experience UI is now available to all Primo VE customers. The Next Discovery Experience UI delivers a modern, accessible, and user-friendly search and discovery environment that elevates the library experience for both patrons and staff. It seamlessly builds on your existing Primo VE data and configurations, ensuring a low-risk, smooth transition to the new interface. With enhanced analytics capabilities powered by tools like Mixpanel and expanded customization options, libraries can gain deeper insights and tailor the experience to their users' needs. Best of all, NDE UI offers complete flexibility and control, allowing institutions to adopt the new interface at their own pace and manage the transition on their schedule. [Full Announcement].

Introducing Rialto Collection Development: transforming how libraries build and manage collections. Ex Libris announced the launch of Rialto Collection Development, the newest enhancement to the Rialto, transforming how academic libraries build, evaluate, and sustain their collections. these workflows are part of the evolving Rialto roadmap and support smarter decision-making through project-based recommendations and consolidated actions from Alma. [Full Announcement].

Shaping Tomorrow: Introducing Alma's AI Vision: Chapter II. Not long ago, artificial intelligence felt like something far on the horizon, a promise for the future.Today, AI is already part of everyday library life. It assists librarians, suggesting and simplifying, so librarians can focus on what they do best: connecting people with knowledge. Within Alma, AI is a collaborative force, designed to enhance decision-making, streamline tasks, and uncover insights that help libraries thrive. It strengthens the librarian's role, freeing up their time from the mundane tasks. Here are five ways AI in Alma is driving smarter, more efficient workflows today. With new advancements on the way to make them even more effective. [Full Announcement].