Library Technology Guides

Shorelink Libraries select Polaris and Vega LX. Clarivate announces that Shorelink Libraries, a cooperative network of public libraries serving Sydney's Lower North Shore, has selected the Polaris Integrated Library System along with the Vega Library Experience (LX) suite to support services across its member councils. [Full Announcement].

Clarivate launches Web of Science Research Intelligence. Clarivate, a leading global provider of transformative intelligence, today announced the global launch of Web of Science Research Intelligence, an AI-native research intelligence platform designed to support decision-making across funding, strategy and impact for research institutions. Developed in close partnership with the global research community and shaped by more than 50 development partners and early adopters across 20 countries, Web of Science Research Intelligence is now available to institutions worldwide. The platform brings together trusted, curated Clarivate data with responsible academic AI to help research offices, library teams and researchers secure funding, strengthen collaboration, inform strategy and demonstrate real-world impact. [Full Announcement].

Polaris April 2026 release is now available. The Polaris April 2026 release brings practical updates to support staff efficiency, simplify holds management, and better accommodate consortia needs. Many of these improvements are aimed at everyday workflows, particularly in technical services and request handling, helping staff move through tasks more easily and stay in control. [Full Announcement].

Understanding the societal impact of research: From framework to practice. Measuring the societal impact of research is increasingly important. This article explains how the Clarivate Societal Impact Framework, developed by the Institute for Scientific Information and implemented in Web of Science Research Intelligence, supports more responsible, transparent analysis by combining structured categorization, diverse data sources and clear guidance on interpretation. The Institute for Scientific Information developed the Societal Impact Framework in 2024 to address these challenges. Our latest report, Clarivate Societal Impact Framework: A guide to responsible impact measurement, explains how this structured yet flexible Framework organizes diverse signals of societal impact, supports consistent but adaptable categorization, and embeds guidance on interpretation to reduce the risk of over‑simplification or misuse. [Full Announcement].

Winner announced in Clarivate Library Innovation Awards, ELUNA category. Clarivate revealed the winner of the inaugural Clarivate Library Innovation Awards, recognizing library teams whose work demonstrates exceptional innovation, measurable impact, and meaningful service to their communities. The winner in ELUNA member library category is the University of Nebraska-Lincoln, for their project "Initiative to scale and automate the identification, acquisition and delivery of low or no cost course materials" . [Full Announcement].

Clarivate Introduces Nexus Connect, the first institutional AI Gateway to trusted research and learning. Clarivate, a leading global provider of transformative intelligence, announced Nexus Connect, an AI gateway to universities' academic resources and services. Nexus Connect is designed to meet users wherever they work — as a connector inside leading general-purpose AI chat agents, such as ChatGPT or Claude. AI chat agents increasingly serve as the main workspace for students and researchers. In recent months, Model Context Protocol — an open standard that lets AI chat agents connect directly to external data sources, tools and services — has emerged as a powerful way to bring academic resources directly into these environments and ground AI responses in trusted content. But as vendors across the academic ecosystem release product-specific MCP services, libraries are left out of the picture — with no visibility, control, or certainty that their licensed resources and services are surfaced. [Full Announcement].

ELUNA 2026 begins in Los Angeles. The ELUNA 2026 Conference kicked off in Los Angeles, bringing together the Ex Libris user community, Clarivate teams, product experts, and library professionals for a full week of learning, discussion, and collaboration. Hosted at the Westin Bonaventure Hotel in downtown Los Angeles, this year's conference runs from April 27 until May 1. This year's theme is “Libraries Always Changing.” [Full Announcement].

Account Portal: New patron experience in Vega Discover. Account Portal rolled out globally in February 2026, followed by the Account Linking feature becoming available in March 2026, delivering a more intuitive, powerful, and secure account management experience for patrons. This release marks a major step forward in simplifying how users access and interact with their library information, whether they're managing their own activity or overseeing linked accounts within their household. With a streamlined interface and a centralized dashboard, patrons will find it simpler and safer than ever to stay fully in control of their library activity. [Full Announcement].

Rapido reaches new scale as global adoption accelerates. In 2025, Rapido reached a new level of scale, connecting users to resources across a rapidly expanding global community of libraries. What was once an emerging approach to resource sharing is now a proven, high-performance network delivering fast, reliable access to materials at scale. Across the Ex Libris resource sharing ecosystem, including Rapido, RapidILL, and Alma, more than 5.5 million requests were processed over the course of the year. [Full Announcement].

Announcing the winner of the IUG Category Clarivate Library Innovation Awards 2026. This year's awards brought forward an inspiring collection of submissions from libraries around the world, each one reflecting the creativity, dedication, and impact that define today's library community. Rochester Hills Public Library was recognized as the winner of the IUG Category Clarivate Library Innovation Awards 2026. [Full Announcement].

Right titles, right patrons: Smarter Hoopla access in Vega Discover. Innovative, from Clarivate, continues to evolve the modern library experience by bringing together powerful integrations, mobile-first access, and smarter discovery across collections, ensuring libraries can better serve both their communities and their staff. As part of this ongoing innovation, Clarivate and Hoopla are continuously enhancing how digital content is discovered and accessed. Building on this commitment, Innovative has introduced a significant enhancement for consortia libraries using Vega Discover: more precise control over Hoopla content visibility. With a simple backend setting, consortia can suppress Hoopla records from the main shared catalog site, ensuring that Hoopla titles are only accessible to patrons of member libraries with Hoopla. [Full Announcement].

A flexible approach to BIBFRAME cataloging with the Linked Open Data Editor now available in Alma. Clarivate announced the General Availability of the Linked Open Data Editor in Alma. The new editor enables libraries to create and manage BIBFRAME Works and Instances directly within Alma using a flexible, ontology-guided, form-based interface. Fully integrated into Alma workflows and repository searches, the editor guides catalogers through metadata creation based on the BIBFRAME ontology, while supporting the creation and management of templates that promote consistent metadata practices and improve interoperability with linked data standards. [Full Announcement].

A more transparent, connected experience in Web of Science Research Assistant. The latest Web of Science Research Assistant update introduces a unified entry point, greater AI transparency, and new author and visualization tools that enhance the user experience. AI features are now widely embedded across academic research tools, promising efficiency and speed. As AI adoption grows, librarians are focused on ensuring that transparency and agency aren't lost in the process. The 2025 Pulse of the Library report found that 67% of libraries are moving toward AI. At the same time, librarians identified evaluating AI-generated content as their top literacy need. A clear expectation has developed: AI tools must show how they arrive at their answers to earn trust. [Full Announcement].

IUG 2026: Fresh ideas, stronger connections. Eleanor Crumblehulme wraps up her year as chairperson of the IUG Steering Committee, and approaches the coming to IUG 2026 with a slightly different perspective than previously on the conference and all the other services provided by the users group. [Full Announcement].

Register for Knowledge Days at ELUNA. Clarivate is hosting library professionals from across the community in Los Angeles, California, for Knowledge Days at ELUNA 2026, a two-day immersive learning event designed to enhance skills, streamline workflows, and foster collaboration. [Full Announcement].

Why IUG remains a highlight every year. Stephanie Ruhe, IUG Vice Chair/Chair Elect states: Attending the IUG conference is always one of the biggest highlights of any given year for me, and it's truly unlike any other professional conference I've ever experienced. It's not just about the presentations and organized sessions, though those are always of incredible value. Whether hearing directly from support experts, leaders in product development, and executive leadership at Clarivate or seeing the phenomenal ways the user base is innovating and putting the tools we all use into practice, I always come away with lessons learned and fresh ideas. [Full Announcement].

Making the most of IUG 2026. UG 2026 brings together library professionals from around the world for a week of learning, collaboration, and practical insight. Alongside sessions and discussions, this year's event offers several opportunities to connect, recharge, and engage directly with Clarivate teams. Here are a few key moments to plan for during the conference. [Full Announcement].

Advancing Accessibility at Scale with Leganto. Accessibility requirements are accelerating and institutions are under pressure to keep up. With global regulations such as the Americans with Disabilities Act in the U.S. and the European Accessibility Act, higher education institutions must ensure that all course materials are accessible to every student. [Full Announcement].

A safer way to shape your library app. Every library wants its mobile app to feel just right – intuitive, engaging, and tailored to its community. Until now, making updates often meant changing your app live in production, without being able to test it first.That's about to change. Clarivate has introduced the Vega Mobile sandbox environment, a new sandbox environment gives your library a dedicated space to experiment, refine, and build, without impacting your live app. [Full Announcement].

Smarter insights ahead: Vega Reports launching soon. Innovative, from Clarivate, announced that Vega Reports will soon be available to all Vega Discover customers. Vega Reports is a powerful reporting platform designed to help libraries better understand and serve their patrons by making informed decisions. When rolled out, this decision system will be a unified solution for both consortia and non-consortia libraries. [Full Announcement].