Library Technology Guides

Clarivate to partner with San Diego Circuit to create a new consortial borrowing experience. Clarivate announced that San Diego Circuit, a dynamic consortium of academic and public libraries, has entered into a development partner agreement with Ex Libris, part of Clarivate, to develop a new consortial borrowing experience. For nearly thirty years, the Circuit has enabled all residents of San Diego county to make use of the collections of member libraries. By streamlining the user experience and simplifying staff workflows this collaboration is expected to enhance the benefits for San Diego county residents. [Full Announcement].

Ex Libris introduces ebook resource sharing with Rapido. Digital access is no longer a convenience – it's an expectation. With the growing demand for ebooks, libraries have been searching for a way to share these resources seamlessly. Starting January 2025, Ex Libris Rapido's new ebook resource sharing feature will allow libraries to lend ebooks within their networks, meeting the growing demand for digital content. Supporting both DRM-free and DRM-restricted models – depending on the content provider and publisher [Full Announcement].

Ex Libris launches Library Open Workflows Development Partnership Program. In late November Ex Libris marked a significant milestone with the launch of its Library Open Workflows solution development partnership program. This inaugural kick-off event brought together members from 12 development partner institutions spanning the USA, Europe, Great Britain, and Australia. [Full Announcement].

Ex Libris Showcases AI Innovations Shaping the Future of Libraries in 2025. Ex Libris, part of Clarivate, is kicking off 2025 by showcasing its AI service innovations on a new dedicated webpage. The resource highlights an initial set of AI-based tools, developed in close collaboration with the academic community, designed to enhance library operations and user experiences. These solutions demonstrate Ex Libris' commitment to delivering top-tier services that enhance research, improve student learning outcomes, and increase staff productivity. [Full Announcement].

Enhancing Library Management: UX Improvements in Alma. Alma has been a cornerstone in the library community since its launch. As the first SaaS cloud-based library services platform, it was designed to address the evolving needs of libraries by providing a comprehensive, integrated solution. Alma has continuously adapted to surpass customer expectations, offering consistent upgrades to meet the evolving needs of its growing and diverse customer base. [Full Announcement].

Shaping the Future of Content and Metadata Management. In the digital age, libraries face the challenge of managing vast amounts of content and metadata. This task is becoming increasingly important as digital resources grow and user expectations evolve. Without a quality content and metadata management strategy, both vendors and libraries risk significant inefficiencies. Effective management ensures users can easily find and access the information they need, supports academic and research activities, and enhances the overall user experience. [Full Announcement].

Ex Libris Users in Mexico gather together for XXVII Annual Meeting. The XXVII Annual Meeting of the Ex Libris Users Group in Mexico brought together library professionals and experts to discuss the latest advancements and future directions in library technology. More than 60 attendees from 15 libraries attended the event to gain insight into the importance of emerging technologies such as AI, the value of practical tools, and several strategic service implementations. [Full Announcement].

University of Central Florida becomes the 150th Rapido Library. The resource-sharing community has reached an important milestone: 150 libraries are now working together to make their collections more accessible and their services more efficient. The University of Central Florida joins as the 150th library, bringing its dedication to improving how users access the materials they need. [Full Announcement].

Artificial Intelligence Blog Series: Harnessing Academic AI Insights from Clarivate. academic landscape is evolving rapidly and artificial intelligence (AI) is at the forefront of this transformation. From enhancing search capabilities to streamlining cataloging processes and improving metadata management, AI is reshaping how libraries interact with and organize information. At Clarivate™, we are committed to harnessing the power of Academic AI to drive research excellence, boost library productivity and foster better learning outcomes. [Full Announcement].

UC Libraries renew Ex Libris contract for two years, launch collaborative improvement project. The SILS Leadership Group announces the successful renewal of our contract with Ex Libris Group for the Alma/Primo VE software suite and a new two-year collaborative improvement project. [Full Announcement].

Alma continues to deliver, flourish and grow. As 2024 winds down, Alma celebrates yet another year of success. To accomplish this feat, Ex Libris, part of Clarivate, continues to work in close collaboration with its customer community to ensure that Alma remains the most effective library services platform and helps libraries achieve greater efficiency. [Full Announcement].

Cutting-edge innovation and knowledge sharing highlights Ex Libris User Meeting in Chile. Library professionals and experts convened during the “Reunión de Usuarios de Ex Libris en Chile” to discuss the latest developments in libraries. Hosted at the Pontificia Universidad Católica de Chile, the day-long October event featured a series of presentations and discussions attended by 128 library staff, from 28 institutions, from five different countries. [Full Announcement].

The Student Voice: Enhancing the Higher Education App Experience. In today's digital-first world, crafting a higher education app that students truly love goes beyond good design or offering a range of services. It's about creating an experience tailored to meet the unique and evolving needs of your students. These needs can vary dramatically across institutions, cohorts, and even over time. [Full Announcement].

Enhancing library services at the National Kaohsiung University of Hospitality and Tourism, Taiwan. National Kaohsiung University of Hospitality and Tourism, Taiwan's first and only vocational university focused on hospitality and tourism, transformed its library services by transitioning from Aleph to the cloud-based Alma and Primo systems. Despite having a small staff of nine, the library successfully implemented these new platforms to streamline workflows and enhance services for its community of nearly 5,000 faculty and students. [Full Announcement].

St Mary's University and the University of Plymouth share their experience with campusM. St Mary's University in Twickenham, London and the University of Plymouth discuss how they enhanced attendance tracking and student engagement through campusM. [Full Announcement].

AI Metadata Assistant preview initiated for all Alma Customers. Ex Libris, part of Clarivate, announced that all Alma customers can now access and test the AI Metadata Assistant to aid library catalogers in their work and save them time. Available through the Alma November feature release, a preview of the AI tool is integrated into the Alma Metadata Editor and generates metadata suggestions helping catalogers in creating and enhancing bibliographic records. [Full Announcement].

Introducing the New Leganto Marketing Kit: Empowering Libraries to Promote Leganto with Ease. Ex Libris, part of Clarivate announced the launch of our newly designed Leganto Marketing Kit, created to assist libraries around the world in promoting Leganto effectively to their faculty, staff, and academic communities. [Full Announcement].

Alma Customers experience new efficiencies with November 2024 feature release. The community-driven release process for Alma continues to provide new and enhanced capabilities to almost 2700 libraries worldwide. The November 2024 Feature Release became available to customers on November 3 and contains several significant items, across several key areas of library resource management, that enables staff to save more time, work more effectively, and boost productivity. [Full Announcement].

Ex Libris enhances library records with AI-powered metadata management. Ex Libris is transforming library metadata management through an innovative artificial intelligence system designed to enhance bibliographic records in the Alma Community Zone. This advancement specifically addresses the persistent challenge of incomplete metadata in book bibliographic records, particularly those lacking comprehensive MARC data. By leveraging AI to analyze full-text content, the system automatically generates detailed metadata and populates crucial MARC fields that traditionally remain incomplete. [Full Announcement].

OverDrive and Ex Libris announce new integration for streamlined discovery of digital resources in Alma and Primo. OverDrive announced a new integration with Ex Libris, a ProQuest company, allowing academic institutions to seamlessly discover OverDrive ebooks and audiobooks within the Alma and Primo library services platforms. This integration, highly requested by academic institutions, simplifies access to OverDrive's extensive collection of digital content, offering a powerful solution to enhance discovery for students, faculty, and researchers. [Full Announcement].