The scope of cataloging is quickly expanding and evolving. Library staff and catalogers will increasingly depend on solutions that harness advanced technologies to ensure better data and discoverability. Cataloging is already challenging and time intensive, but with the continued expansion of resources and a limited staff supply to catalog them, can artificial intelligence be the answer?
With help from our 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.
Introducing the AI Metadata Assistant in the Alma™ Metadata Editor
The AI Metadata Assistant in the Alma™ Metadata Editor will help and support catalogers by suggesting metadata they can use when cataloging a resource. This innovative tool makes record creation and enrichment easier, while keeping libraries and catalogers in full control of the data in their catalog.
Our vision for the AI Metadata Assistant is to empower library staff to easily create a new bibliographic record or enrich an existing brief record using the resource’s metadata (such as title, author, content note, etc.) and/or images (such as a book’s back cover or title page). After receiving the suggested metadata from the AI Metadata Assistant, generated from the provided information, they will be able to accept, correct or discard the suggested changes, as well as add metadata of their own as needed.
At Clarivate, the use and development of technology, including AI, is always done to solve the real challenges of real users, librarians and libraries. We respect the need for privacy and intellectual property considerations, and above all, we understand the importance of trusted content and data.
Looking ahead: How you can get involved
We’re excited to share more details about the AI Metadata Assistant as development progresses. In the coming months, we’ll provide updates on its capabilities, features and timelines. We invite you to stay engaged and informed as we continue to refine this innovative tool.
We are already collaborating closely with catalogers on testing and enhancing the first phase of the AI Metadata Assistant and working to build the right groups for prioritizing and working on the next phases. The AI Metadata Assistant is a critical part of our forward-looking roadmap plans for Alma. If you are a current Alma customer, we’ll continue to keep you informed with details about its development progress and welcome you to be in touch if you would like to become actively involved in the process. If you are not currently a user of Alma and want to learn more, please contact us.
Learn more about our ongoing AI developments on the Ex Libris Blog:
