Insights from the Alma Specto Webinar
Special collections are often libraries’ hidden gems, unique resources that reflect that library identities and community. Moving these collection from “hidden” to showcased can be a challenge.
That was the topic of a recent Library Journal webinar titled “Academic AI Meets Special Collections:Real Stories, Real Impact.” Christina Silvani, Cataloging coordinator, from Bocconi University Library and Wolfgang Mayer, Head of Content & Data, from the University of Vienna shared how their special collections are leveraged to engage more users, strengthen institutional visibility and create new opportunities for library impact. Silvani and Mayer are development partners for Alma Specto, a new solution from Ex Libris, from Clarivate, responsibly developed Academic AI, AI in academic libraries, to make special collections easier to find and support collection management that helps with storytelling, accessibility and meeting institutional requirements.
The Alma Specto development program
Both Bocconi University and the University of Vienna became early development partners for Alma Specto. Silvani explained that their library project to digitize theses and archives revealed a “major issue.” Without a proper digital repository and enriched metadata, valuable materials remained difficult to catalog or discover. By joining the Alma Specto development program, her team gained a chance to shape a solution capable of managing all aspects of digital collection management, from ingestion to exhibition. Mayer faced similar challenges in Vienna: many faculty-contributed collections arrived with minimal metadata, like folders of numbered images with little description. Becoming an Alma Specto development partner was an opportunity to influence a solution that would make these image-heavy collections more discoverable.
How Academic AI enhances discoverability
A highlight of the webinar was how Alma Specto leverages AI to tackle the metadata bottleneck and surface special collections to users. The speakers noted that traditional cataloging can’t keep up with growing digital archives, especially for non-text items like photographs or manuscripts. Alma Specto’s Academic AI features automate and enrich metadata creation, making previously “invisible” materials easier to find for the users. The AI-assisted approach amplifies librarian expertise: routine tagging is accelerated, while librarians remain in control to validate and curate the AI’s suggestions. The result is richer metadata and better discovery of special collections content, without overwhelming staff resources.
Special collections as storytelling assets
The conversation also revealed how digitized special collections can actively contribute to a university’s mission beyond just preservation. Alma Specto, digital collection management, offers built-in tools (like its digital exhibition builder) to transform archives into engaging online stories. By curating exhibits from rare collections, libraries can showcase their heritage and achievements in compelling ways that resonate with students, faculty, alumni and even the public. Mayer noted that an easy-to-use exhibition tool allows libraries to present collections to non-academic audiences which can be useful for community outreach and even attracting funding for projects. Silvani emphasized that expanding access to Bocconi’s heritage collections isn’t just about institutional pride; it’s also about fulfilling a broader social mission. When unique knowledge and historical materials are made available to all, libraries uphold their values of accessibility and intellectual responsibility. Moreover, digitizing and properly describing these assets helps ensure compliance with preservation and accessibility standards that many academic institutions strive to meet. In essence, special collections managed with Alma Specto become dynamic assets for storytelling, promoting inclusivity and reinforcing the library’s role in safeguarding cultural memory.
Real-world insights
Christina Silvani and Wolfgang Mayer illustrate the tangible benefits of embracing new solutions for digital collections. We encourage you to watch the webinar recording
(click here to watch it now or bookmark it for later) to hear their full story and discover how academic AI and tools like Alma Specto can help your library unlock its most distinctive collections for greater impact.
