Alma May 2026 Release Notes

Improved Language Support in AI Metadata Assistant, Using Optical Character Recognition

May 2026 Artificial Intelligence AI documentation logo no background.

The AI Metadata Assistant enables catalogers to easily extract metadata from images and files to streamline the cataloging process. The text is extracted from images by the AI LLM model used in the assistant, as part of the metadata generation process. However, for some languages, scripts, and resource types, lower LLM optical character recognition accuracy may result in lower metadata quality. It is now possible to apply a dedicated OCR tool to improve results for those resources — the LLM then generates metadata based on the text extracted by the OCR tool, rather than directly from the image, leading to improved support for more languages and resource types. Catalogers can select their preferred text extraction method for the specific resource being cataloged:

• AI Metadata Assistant — text processed by the LLM as part of the metadata generation (as today).

• Azure Document Intelligence — an advanced, AI-based OCR service with extensive language support.

• Tesseract — a seasoned, robust OCR tool for extracting text from images and files.

This is especially beneficial for libraries cataloging resources in languages and scripts with lower LLM OCR capabilities (e.g., non-Latin scripts).

For more information, see Enriching a Brief Record.

 

Enrich Bibliographic Records in Bulk Using a Streamlined Copy — Cataloging Process and AI Title Matching

A new job, Enrich Bibliographic Records,enables the library to enrich a set of up to 1000 records, streamlining the search for matching records in its existing search profiles and copy-cataloging partners, filtering and assessing the results, and providing copy-cataloging recommendations to the cataloger.

This is especially useful for libraries enriching their bibliographic records from copy-cataloging partners, making the process easier, faster, and more efficient.

For more information, see Working with the Enrich Bibliographic Records Job.

Alma AI Assistant for Acquisitions Funds and Ledgers: Now Supports Actions! (and additional improvements)

The Alma AI Assistant for Acquisitions Funds and Ledgers was introduced in the February 2026 release in preview mode (beta). After an additional phase of feedback and improvements, it is now available for general availability and can be enabled in Configuration Menu > Acquisitions >AI Features > AI Features Management.

The Alma AI Assistant enhances the user experience by enabling users to interact with Alma through a chat-based interface. Instead of navigating multiple screens and workflows, staff users can ask questions naturally and receive clear, relevant responses directly within Alma.

Supported Actions

It is now possible to perform actions directly from the Assistant chat interface.

Supported actions include:

• Allocate money to a specific fund
• Transfer money from fund to fund

Similar to the assistant's follow-up questions, it might also suggest actions to take, depending on the conversation's context. For example:

You can use the assistant suggestions for actions, or alternatively start a conversation with your desired action, for example, "I want to..."

Before taking action, the assistant checks that all necessary information has been supplied and requests confirmation.

The action is performed using the Alma APIs (which the assistant uses as a tool). Similarly to cloud apps, which utilize APIs, the user who is kept as the modifier is the connected user.

Additional Improvements

• The Alma Assistant now identifies funds regardless of the case. For example, questions on fund "data" are answered even when the fund name in Alma database is DATA.
• Questions on fund transactions are answered with information on the transaction's related PO line or invoice. Until now, the ID was returned, which is not useful. Now, the response includes the PO line number or invoice number with the line number. Staff users can use the information and continue their work in Alma.
• The assistant now supports special characters in fund names, e.g. "Art & History fund".

For more information on enabling the feature, how it works, and our planned enhancements, refer to the Alma AI Assistant – Acquisitions Funds and Ledgersdocumentation. Also see Artificial Intelligence in Alma.

New Setting for Community-Linked Electronic Services to Keep Portfolios Active When Removed from the Community

May 2026 Resource Management idea exchangeIdea Exchange

Services of collections activated from the Community Zone now include a new configuration option that controls whether portfolios deleted from the Community Zone and localized in the institution are deactivated or kept active. The new setting (Automatically deactivate portfolios removed from service?) is relevant when the service is configured as non–auto-delete (meaning portfolios are localized rather than deleted when removed from the Community Zone). The setting determines how localized portfolios behave after they are removed from the Community, giving customers more granular control over Community Zone linked resources.

• Deactivate — This is the default. It preserves the current behavior. Portfolios are unlinked from the Community Zone and set to Not Available in the institution.

• Keep all active — Portfolios are unlinked from the Community Zone but remain Available in the institution.

• Keep perpetual access portfolios active — Portfolios are unlinked from the Community Zone and handled based on their access type:

  • Portfolios with perpetual or current and perpetual access remain available.

  • Portfolios with current access are deactivated.

    If the portfolio does not have an access type defined, the collection’s access type will be used.

The new setting can be updated manually in the service editor or in bulk using the Change Electronic Collection Information job, E-Collection Quick Update cloud app or via the API.

As before, linked portfolios that were deleted from the Community Zone will be reported on the Community Zone Updates Task List, but with a new dedicated report type for portfolios that were kept active in the institution.

The new setting will be available for reporting in Analytics, allowing users to create reports based on resource configurations. For more information, view the data dictionary for the e-inventory subject area (see E-Inventory).

For more information on this feature, see Activating Electronic Resources from the Community Zone and Managing Electronic Resources.

The following fields were also added to the Additional info section to include all information that might be needed to fix the issue.

• Indication if the collection is an autoholding and if the autoholding profile is defined

• Provider collection ID and name

• DBID

• Portfolio ID (local Portfolio ID i.e., IZ id and global Portfolio ID i.e., CZ id)

The Additional info now consistently displays the relevant information, even when updating the CRM category.

For more information, see Configuring CRM Contacts.

A Streamlined Rialto Experience for Non-Rialto Institutions

May 2026 Resource Management

To strengthen integration between Rialto and Alma and better support collection development activities, a streamlined marketplace experience called Rialto Search is now available for institutions without Rialto. Activation of Rialto Search happens automatically; no opt-in is required.

Rialto Search provides a lightweight marketplace discovery experience within Alma. Users at institutions without Rialto can now access the Collection Development > Market section to:

• Perform basic and advanced searches in the Rialto marketplace for title availability and pricing

• View real-time calls for holdings, course materials (if Leganto is enabled), and books available through resource sharing (if Rapido is enabled)

• Explore curated lists featuring high-quality titles across a range of subjects

• Export marketplace results for further review and analysis

Market searches perform real-time calls to Alma for local and network holdings to provide accurate visibility into owned access. From the search results, Rialto Search users can email marketplace offers to other Alma users within their institution. They can also create purchase requests for selected items, if they have the appropriate Alma role.

This update expands access to Rialto capabilities across a broader user base, enabling more staff to participate in resource discovery and selection workflows. For more information, see Rialto Search.

Advanced Tools Added to the Collection Development Menu

May 2026 Resource Management

To ensure all tools relevant to collection development are available in one central location, selected advanced tools are now also accessible from the Collection Development menu. These tools remain available in their original location (Resources > Advanced Tools) and function identically from both menus.

The following tools have been added to Collection Development > Advanced Tools:

• Overlap and Collection Analysis — Comparison of collections and title lists to identify overlapping and unique content, which enables data-driven decisions for purchases, renewals, and cancellations.

• Duplicate Title Analysis — Identification and grouping of potential duplicate bibliographic records, which supports metadata cleanup and reduces overall redundancy.

• Merge Records and Combine Inventory — Consolidation of duplicate records into a single preferred record, which leads to cleaner and more accurate catalogs.

To access and use these tools, a user must have the Collection Development Manager role plus the specific operational role required for each tool:

• Overlap and Collection Analysis — Purchasing Operator, Purchasing Manager, Repository Manager, or Electronic Inventory Operator

• Duplicate Title Analysis — Repository Manager

• Merge Records and Combine Inventory — Catalog Administrator, Catalog Manager, or General System Administrator

This update improves visibility of key collection development tools, helping users discover and use functionalities that may have previously been overlooked. For details, see Advanced Tools.

Support for Barcodes When Creating Projects from a File

May 2026 Resource Management

Previously, creating collection development projects from a file required the uploaded file to include a column with item IDs. With this update, you can now also create projects from a file that contains a column of barcodes.

Once a file with barcodes is uploaded, the rest of the project creation process works exactly as it does when using a file that contains item IDs.

This enhancement makes project creation more intuitive by enabling staff to use barcodes—the identifiers they most likely work with daily—rather than system-generated item IDs, reducing extra steps and making file creation more intuitive.

Deeper Insight into External Holdings

May 2026 Resource Management

To support deeper cross-institution analysis, Rialto now offers expanded bibliographic details in the Compare To section when inspecting individual recommendations in projects with external comparisons.

While the Compare To section itself remains unchanged in the main view, the sliding panel under View full list and additional information now displays expanded metadata for matching holdings. Newly added fields include:

• Library

• Publication Place

• Edition

• Material Type

• Language

• OCLC

These additional data points provide deeper insight into external holdings, enabling more informed retention and deselection decisions when comparing your collection to other institutions.

Country-Based Selection in the Compare To Section

May 2026 Resource Management

The Compare To section for retention and deselection projects that include comparisons with external institutions has been enhanced to provide a more structured, country-based selection experience.

When creating a new project or editing an existing one, users can now browse comparison institutions using a country tree view. First, select a country to display all available institutions within it. You can then choose specific institutions individually, or select the checkbox next to the country name to automatically include all institutions within that nation.

This enhancement simplifies the process of selecting comparison institutions and makes it easier to locate relevant libraries without having to navigate a long alphabetical list.

Enhanced Sorting for Collection Development Recommendations

May 2026 Resource Management

Rialto now provides more flexible sorting options when viewing recommendations in retention and deselection projects. In addition to sorting by Title and Publication Date, you can now also arrange recommendations by:

• Library / Location

• Call Number

You can also apply a secondary sort to further refine the results' order. The secondary sort uses the same set of fields—Title, Publication Date, Library / Location, and Call Number—and enables additional ordering when multiple recommendations share the same primary sort value.

These enhancements make it easier to review, compare, and organize recommendations, especially when working with large result sets that include many items from the same library or publication period.

New Fields in Change Electronic Portfolio Information Job for Expanded Batch Updates

May 2026 Resource Management Idea Exchange

New fields were added to the Change Electronic Portfolio Information job to support expanded batch updates:

• Set coverage statement to be applied — A new dropdown (Only local, Global and local, Global or local, Only global) that updates the Which coverage statement will be applied? value in the Portfolio Editor. Note that this does not update standalone portfolios.

• Set access type – A new dropdown (Current, Perpetual, Current and perpetual, Empty) with condition options (If field empty, If field not empty, Unconditionally – default). It updates the portfolio Access Type field.

• Remove URL/parser override — A new option that clears all URL/parser override fields in the portfolio Linking tab (Parser parameters override, Dynamic URL override, Static URL override).

• Electronic Material Type — A new empty option – The existing dropdown now includes an empty value that clears the field, aligning with the Portfolio Editor UI. Note that if the portfolio is linked to the Community Zone (CZ), and the linked portfolio in the CZ has an Electronic Material Type, then when selecting an empty value, the job will overwrite this field with the value in the CZ. For example, if the value in the CZ is Journal, and you select the empty value, then after saving, the field in the local portfolio is updated to Journal.

  

  For more information, see Manual Jobs.

Easier Organization for Description Templates

May 2026 Resource Management idea exchangeIdea Exchange

The description templates configuration page (Configuration > Resources > Description Templates) has been enhanced to allow easier rule reordering via drag-and-drop.

For more information, see Configuring Item Description Templates.

Upcoming Electronic Collections

May 2026 Resource Management

Providers can now send Ex Libris information about collections that do not yet have title lists, provided the collection name is already available.

In these cases, a new “placeholder” collection containing the collection name, provider collection ID, provider name, and expected due date will be created in the CZ, with no option to activate it. The expected due date indicates when the title list is expected to be delivered to Ex Libris, with an additional one-month buffer.

The upcoming collection feature will support better advanced planning for e-resource management by making it possible to see which collections are awaiting title lists and by increasing the overall transparency of the Community Zone.

Once a collection is populated with a title list, activation will be available, as well as other functionality such as acquisition and CDI descriptive fields. Once the collection is populated, we will notify the community in the standard Content Knowledge Base Release Notes, where we announce new collections.

In the Community Zone tab, an upcoming collection will appear with a pre-release indication and a pre-release note, with information from the provider on the planned release of the title list.

We will gradually roll out this development with Adam Matthew. As additional providers include an indication of upcoming collections with a release date, we will be able to extend this solution to other providers as well, as long as they support fully automated metadata delivery.

For more information, see Activating Electronic Resources from the Community Zone.

Prioritizing Online Services in Discovery Based on Current Year Access

May 2026 Resource Management CERV CERV Enhancement (ID#36385)

The Additional Settings section on the Online Services Order configuration page (Configuration Menu > Fulfillment > Discovery Interface Display Logic > Online Services Order) now includes a new configuration option: Prefer services with current year access. This enables institutions to prioritize services with coverage dates within the current calendar year. By default this setting is turned off. When enabled, Alma pushes the current year access resources (according to the portfolio's coverage and embargo definitions in the current year) to the top of the list. This takes priority over all the other criteria.

For more information, see ViewIt.

Suppress Bibliographic Records Localized When Ordering Electronic Collections from Community Zone

May 2026 Resource ManagementURM-321113

The suppress_bib_upon_cz_ordering parameter was added to Configuration > Resources > Other Settings. When set to true, any newly localized bibliographic record created as part of Community Zone collection ordering is automatically suppressed in the Institution Zone. Bibliographic records that already exist in the Institution Zone, such as when re‑ordering a collection that was previously activated, are not suppressed. The default for this parameter is false.

For more information, see Configuring Other Settings (Resource Management) and Activating Electronic Resources.

4th and 5th Reporting Codes Supported in Invoice Lines API and Export Payment

May 2026 Acquisitions

The 4th and 5th reporting codes can now be retrieved and updated by the invoice lines API. Additionally, these codes will now be part of the Export Invoices For Payment job (which can be configured in Configuration Menu > General > Integration Profiles > Editing a Finance profile > Actions).

For more information, see Invoices and Invoice Payment in the Developer Network.

Invoice Creation from PDF/Image by AI (Early Access)

May 2026 Acquisitions AI documentation logo no background.

A new early access capability is now available: creating an Alma invoice directly from a PDF or image file upload.

Watch a quick demo here: Create invoice from PDF - DEMO

This feature is offered as part of an early access program to gather feedback from a broad range of real-world use cases.

Powered by AI, the process combines OCR (Optical Character Recognition) to extract data from the file with Gen-AI, which transforms this information into a structured invoice, helping streamline and accelerate invoice creation.

Like other AI-based capabilities, this feature is opt-in and must be enabled by an administrator via the AI Features Management configuration page.

Once enabled, a new option will appear under Acquisitions > Create Invoice > From File.

The feature supports PDF uploads of up to 20 pages. Generated invoices are placed in review and clearly marked as AI-created.

Legal Deposit Acquisition Methods in PO Lines

May 2026 Acquisitions

The Legal Deposit workflow in Alma includes two letters that are sent:

• Legal Deposit Order Letter

• Legal Deposit Receipt Letter

Until now, when selecting the Legal Deposit Acquisition Method in the PO line, both letters were sent. When selecting Legal Deposit - Without Letter, neither of these two letters were sent. Now, two Acquisition methods were added for cases in which only one of the letters should be sent for the PO line:

• Legal Deposit - Order Letter — Only the order letter is sent

• Legal Deposit - Receipt Letter — Only the receipt letter is sent

For example, when the item has already arrived at the library, upon creating the PO line, the Legal Deposit - Receipt Letter acquisition method can be selected, as there is no need to ask the provider to supply the item.

For more information, see Manually Creating a PO Line, Configuring Acquisition Methods and Creating Legal Deposit PO Lines.

Hide Configuration links from 'Old' Menu (Partner Account Allowances, Partner Sectors, Partner Organization Type)

May 2026 Collaborative Networks Consortia

After adding the Partner Account Allowances, Partner Sectors and Partner Organization Type configurations to the Consortia Central Configuration dashboard in the February release, they have now been removed from the 'old' Alma and Primo VE configuration menus of the Network Zone. Network Zone administrators, while operating at the Network Zone institution, now access those configurations directly through the Central Configuration Dashboard.

The removed configurations from the Alma and Primo VE configuration menus at Network Zone Level are:

• Partner Account Allowances

• Partner Sectors

• Partner Organization Type

For more information on related configurations, see Consortia Central Configuration Dashboard.

Feature Rollout Preferences Page is Available in Consortia Central Configuration Dashboard for Management Purposes

May 2026 Collaborative Networks Consortia

It is now possible for Network Zone operators to manage the Feature Rollout Preferences page via the Consortia Central Configuration Dashboard. This improves efficiency and supports central offices in their efforts to manage information across the Network Zone.

For more information, see Sections and Configuration Options.

AI Features Management Page Now Available in Consortia Central Configuration Dashboard for Management Purposes

May 2026 Collaborative Networks Consortia

It is now possible for Network Zone operators to manage the AI Features Management page via the Consortia Central Configuration Dashboard. This new page centralizes all AI features, and replaces, in their respective locations, the AI Usage Profile configurations available in the Consortia Central Configuration under the Acquisitions, Resources and General sections today. This improves efficiency and supports central offices in their efforts to manage information across the Network Zone.

This feature is relevant only for consortia operating with a Network Zone setup.

For more information, see Sections and Configuration Options.

Protection of Shared Rules in a Consortia

May 2026 Collaborative Networks Consortia

It is now possible for Network Zone operators and Institution Zone operators to protect their shared rules (Normalization, Merge, Authority Headings, Brief Level and Indication) from being edited or deleted by other Institution Zone users, when the Protection of Shared Rules feature is enabled (Configuration > Resources > General > Other Settings > enable_shared_rules_protection set to True).

Shared rules can now be marked as Protected and will remain fully visible and executable by Institution Zone users, but cannot be modified or removed. Only Network Zone users with appropriate permissions or the Member institution Zone users who created these shared rules can edit or unprotect them. This ensures that only the Network Zone and the creator at the Institution Zone can make changes, thus preventing accidental changes or deletions of shared rules that impact multiple member institutions.

For more information, see Working with Rules.

Enhancements in New UX for Table-View Navigation in Lists

May 2026 User Experience, Accessibility & Infrastructure

The table view was redesigned for improved accessibility and usability. Opening the details pane is now done only through the Title field or the view icon in the Actions column - the entire row is no longer clickable. This enables the user to easily copy text from the table cells without opening the right panel.

This behavior applies to all pages that use a table view.

Now, when the right panel is open in split view, the table displays two columns and the Actions column with the view icon/s. Showing two columns instead of one when the right-panel is open, makes more information easily visible, and switching to the desired row much easier.

In addition, navigation using the Up/Down arrow keys was added.

When the focus is on the title in split view, and the user navigates using the Up/Down arrow keys, the focus on the title is kept, and the right panel is auto-refreshed to display the details of the current record in focus. When focused on any field other than the title and navigating with the Up/Down arrow keys, the focus moves to the next/previous item in the table, but the right panel does not refresh.

This provides users with more precise control when opening records in table view, avoiding unintended row clicks and using clear entry points via the Title or the view icon, which reduces unintended right-panel openings when navigating the table.

For more information, see New Layout.

Rebranding of Ex Libris/Clarivate Logos

May 2026 User Experience, Accessibility & Infrastructure

The Ex Libris/Clarivate logos were rebranded, and the new logos now appear throughout, for example, in the Alma UX, Customer Support Portal, Developer Network, Current Status page, etc.

FrenchSupport for "Fuzzy Search" in Alma Menu Search Bar

May 2026 User Experience, Accessibility & Infrastructure

We have expanded the functionality of the Alma search menu to include "smart" search capabilities in French (FR). Historically, this feature has supported English, Hebrew and German. However, beginning in May 2026, it has also been extended to the French interface. The search functionality offers suggestions for synonyms, interchangeable terms, and even assists with simple spelling errors. This enhances user navigation, simplifying the process of locating items within the Alma search menu.

For a video demonstrating this functionality in English, see Improved Search Menu.

For more information, see Alma User Interface.

Supportfor Create Itemized Set and Add to Itemized Set Actions When Using Select All

May 2026 User Experience, Accessibility & Infrastructure

For the lists that support the Select All option and for users with roles that support creating sets, the Select All functionality was enhanced to support two additional bulk actions: Create Itemized Set and Add to Itemized Set. In addition, when users select all results, only supported actions are displayed. The actions run in the background, and users receive completion notifications through the Real-Time Notifications panel (see Real-Time Notifications).

For more information, see Managing Search Queries and Sets.

Search by Set ID in Manage Sets

May 2026 User Experience, Accessibility & Infrastructure

A new 'Set ID' search option was added to the Manage Sets screen. The search by ID is an exact match search and requires the full ID number. This gives users an additional search option to support their search workflows, allowing them to find sets directly by ID. Accessibility operations remain unchanged, so users relying on keyboards and screen readers can continue using the Search option as before.

Set ID

For more information, see Managing Search Queries and Sets.

Centralized AI Features Management Page

May 2026 User Experience, Accessibility & Infrastructure AI documentation logo no background.

A new institution-level configuration page, AI Features Management, was introduced in Alma. This page consolidates the enablement and configuration of all AI-based features (that will be added to this page gradually, starting with the AI Metadata Assistant, AI Insights, AI Knowledge Assistant, Alma AI Assistant and AI Title Matching). This page includes feature descriptions, enable/disable toggles, and role-based visibility of the relevant AI features. This centralized page streamlines the management and configuration (when available) of AI features, enhances clarity and control, and enables institutions to turn AI capabilities on or off according to their institutional preferences.

Users with the General System Administrator role can access the page at Configuration > General > AI Features > AI Features Management. Users with admin roles for their area can access the page via their specific area in the menu. For example, a Repository Administrator can access the Metadata Assistant from the Resources menu, which leads to the AI Features Management page. Each feature on the page is visible only to its specific role/s. For example, an Acquisitions Administrator will see Alma AI Assistant on this page.

For more information, see AI Features Management.

Number of Lending Requests Added to Consortial Analytics Filters

May 2026 Analytics and Insights

Consortial Analytics now supports incorporating ILL lending requests into the Book Deselection Analysis report filters. This enhancement enables members to account for lending activity across the consortium, along with local loan metrics, when analyzing title usage. Members gain a more complete view of item usage, ensuring that materials frequently requested by other institutions are properly considered in deselection decisions.

For more information, see Consortial Analytics.