Library Technology Guides

Navigating the first months of University with campusM. University life: a thrilling adventure filled with endless possibilities. But let's face it, those first few weeks can be a whirlwind of emotions and challenges. From navigating a new environment to building a support network, it's a lot to take in. That's where the Ex Libris campusM mobile app can help. [Full Announcement].

Ex Libris refreshes its two-year Alma roadmap. Ex Libris, part of Clarivate, has updated its extensive two-year product development plan for the unified Alma library management system for the rest of 2024 and throughout 2025. The community-driven roadmap is refreshed on a semi-annual basis to ensure that libraries are taking advantage of state-of-the-art technology, such as advancements in Linked Open Data and artificial intelligence, to best manage their resources today and address future needs. [Full Announcement].

Introducing the AI Metadata Assistant in the Alma Metadata Editor. With help from its user community, Ex Libris, part of Clarivate, is developing a solution to help catalogers accelerate their efforts and impact by suggesting metadata they can use when cataloging a resource. This AI-powered solution aims to save staff time and reduce the work needed to research and search for information, freeing catalogers' time to tackle more complex tasks. [Full Announcement].

Wayne State University adopts Alma to modernize e-resource management. Ex Libris, part of Clarivate, announced that Wayne State University in Detroit, Michigan, has launched and is now using Alma to manage its broad range of electronic resources. The collaborative implementation and upgrade enables Wayne State library staff to take advantage of Alma's advanced electronic resource management (ERM) capabilities and to enhance user satisfaction. [Full Announcement].

National Library of Spain Now Live with Alma and Primo. The National Library of Spain is now using the unified, cloud-based Alma digital resource management and Primo discovery platform from Ex Libris, part of Clarivate. Both solutions were launched as a transformative technology upgrade to improve staff efficiency and enhance the user experience. [Full Announcement].

Artificial Intelligence Blog Series: The Ex Libris Open Library Platform. Ex Libris, a part of Clarivate, is committed to designing and applying Artificial Intelligence services and tools to better serve our community – driving academic integrity, advancing student learning outcomes, and increasing institutional & staff productivity. Leveraging AI helps us deliver on our mission to advance the success of people and organizations through transformative intelligence and trusted partnership. The use and development of AI at Ex Libris, in trusted partnership with its customers and industry partners, empowers them to achieve great outcomes. Enhancing the Ex Libris Open Library Platform with AI capabilities is just one of the ways the company is harnessing this technology to help libraries maximize their impact. [Full Announcement].

NISO announces Judith Fraenkel of Ex Libris as New DEIA Committee Chair. The Diversity, Equity, Inclusion, and Accessibility Committee of the National Information Standards Organization announced earlier this month that Judith Fraenkel, Senior Director of Product Management at Ex Libris, part of Clarivate, is becoming its new Committee Chair. This appointment extends Fraenkel's volunteer work as a committee member, which started in January 2024, and follows her extensive experience and efforts leading the library solutions DEIA initiatives at Ex Libris. [Full Announcement].

The critical first year: Understanding and mitigating student dropout risks . The transition to higher education marks a significant milestone in a student's life, brimming with excitement and new opportunities. However, it also presents challenges, particularly during the crucial first year. Research consistently shows that this period is pivotal for student retention, with the highest risk of dropout occurring within these initial months.  [Full Announcement].

Duke University Libraries upgrades core library systems by going live with Alma. Ex Libris, part of Clarivate, announced that the Duke University Libraries have successfully upgraded their resource management capabilities by adopting the Alma library management system and integrating it with multiple technology platforms. The selection and use of Alma enables Duke Libraries to execute their long-term strategic technology vision to address and best meet library, patron, and university needs. Duke and Ex Libris, trusted and long-term partners, collaborated on a swift implementation of Alma in under a year. Alma is streamlining the everyday work of Duke library staff, by aligning processes and simplifying the management of the 7.5 million physical and electronic resources that comprise the Libraries' collections. Specifically, it is enhancing core functions for the Libraries' operations—including selection, licensing, metadata management and circulation—while also integrating systems for interoperability and accessibility. [Full Announcement].

Navigating Declining Attendance: Challenges and Strategies in Higher Education. In recent times, declining attendance rates have emerged as a pressing concern across higher education institutions globally. According to Jack Grove, a reporter from Times Higher Education, post-COVID attendance dips have been exacerbated by financial strains, compelling many students to prioritize work over classes.  Can campus mobile apps enhance attendance rates? Absolutely. By utilizing Attendance capture features, institutions can manage classroom logistics efficiently and support administrative tasks like visa extensions and financial aid processing. These apps also enable personalized engagement through notifications and integrated service access, enhancing student satisfaction and retention.  Ex Libris offers the campusM app, a mobile app designed to transform the student experience. With intuitive design and comprehensive features, including Attendance capture and personalized notifications, campusM promotes student engagement and academic success.   [Full Announcement].

Universidad San Sebastian joins expanding Alma Community in Latin America. Ex Libris, part of Clarivate announced that the Library Network at Universidad San Sebastian is modernizing its library technology by adopting Alma as its next library management system and will also benefit from advanced library discovery service, Primo. This unified resource management and discovery platform upgrade prepares the university to best meet the current and future needs of both the academic and research community. [Full Announcement].

National Library of Australia selects Rapido. The National Library of Australia has chosen Rapido, an interlibrary loan system developed by Ex Libris, part of Clarivate, to support its resource-sharing services. [Full Announcement].

Celebrating a sharing community: 5 years since the RapidILL acquisition by Ex Libris. RapidILL is an interlibrary-loan system tailored for book chapters and articles. It integrates with the library's ILL system to automate the lending and borrowing mediation process. Built around a community of reciprocal users, RapidILL has a request fulfillment rate of 96% and an average delivery time of less than 10 hours. Colorado State University developed RapidILL following a massive flood in 1997 to borrow missing resources. This service, RapidILL, eventually grew into a system for easily sharing materials among libraries. Ex Libris acquired RapidILL in 2019. [Full Announcement].

An exciting newly designed Summon webpage is on the Ex Libris website. Ex Libris, part of Clarivate, is proud to unveil its redesigned webpage for Summon discovery services, marking a significant milestone in our long-term brand migration strategy and unwavering dedication to our Think forward ethos. [Full Announcement].

University of Science and Technology of China selects Alma for e-resource Management. Ex Libris, part of Clarivate, announced that the University of Science and Technology of China will upgrade its e-resource management capabilities through Alma. The use of Alma Starter will better suit the expanding set of vast e-resources available at USTC, strengthen resource discovery through its seamless integration with Primo, and enable the library to take advantage of new artificial intelligence technologies in development across both services. [Full Announcement].

University System of Maryland and Affiliated Institutions Library Consortium launches Alma and Primo. Ex Libris, part of Clarivate, announced that University System of Maryland and Affiliated Institutions Library Consortium and its member libraries have successfully launched the Alma library management system and Primo discovery service. USMAI becomes the forty-seventh collaborative network to modernize its lib [Full Announcement].

Ex Libris launches a beta program of generative AI-powered Primo Research Assistant. Ex Libris, part of Clarivate, is proud to announce that we have started the beta program for the Primo Research Assistant and Summon Research Assistant. As part of the ongoing collaboration with our community, we have been working with our user community to develop a generative AI-powered library discovery solution to better engage patrons and empowering them to intuitively search, explore and take maximum advantage of trusted library materials. Based on a RAG (Retrieval Augmented Generation) architecture and grounded in the extensive Ex Libris Central Discovery Index, Primo Research Assistant and Summon Research Assistant provide a starting point to users for their research, including source referencing and appropriate attribution for the authors. [Full Announcement].

Meet Primo Research Assistant. Ex Libris, part of Clarivate, has been working with its user community to develop a library discovery solution that incorporates the intuitive execution of generative AI to engage patrons to search, explore, and take maximum advantage of trusted library materials. [Full Announcement].

Librarians discuss insights from Clarivate 2023 student research projects. With the increase in availability of online services, students and faculty expect lectures to be on-demand. Even if classes are in person, students still expect to use online tools,” revealed Stephen Kemsley, Manager, User Experience Design, Clarivate, in our latest webinar. As librarians and professionals in the field of education, it's crucial to stay on top of the ever-evolving landscape of student dynamics. On May 21, six webinar panelists gathered to discuss findings from the latest Clarivate interviews and surveys, which uncovered new student challenges and expectations. [Full Announcement].

Librarians gathered in London for a full-day DAM Workshop. On May 30, 2024, digital collection librarians from institutions such as Oxford University, Kings College London, and the London School of Economics and Political Science gathered in London to participate in developing the next-generation DAM system that will ensure the longevity of special collections while making them easily discoverable. [Full Announcement].