Turning hidden gems into strategic assets
As digital collections expand in both scale and complexity, the challenge of managing, showcasing and preserving these resources grows ever more urgent. The latest whitepaper from Clarivate, “Turning Hidden Gems into Strategic Assets,” explores how forward-thinking librarians are leveraging academic AI to enhance their digital special collections that drive research, teaching and institutional identity.
The Evolving Role of Digital Collections
Digital collections are no longer just about preservation. They are central to a university’s mission, supporting scholarship, teaching and community engagement. Yet, as Wolfgang Mayer of Vienna University Library notes, traditional workflows often struggle to keep pace with the demands of modern digitization projects.
“It’s not only about metadata creation, but also metadata correction. There were thousands and thousands of hours spent by cataloguers during the last decades to either correct false data or to adopt rules that have changed. These things could be made so much easier with AI if AI is trained by the correct guidebooks.” Wolfgang Mayer, Head of Content & Data, Vienna University Library
Cataloging, metadata enrichment and exhibition building require significant expertise and time, resources that are increasingly stretched in today’s academic environment.
Introducing Alma Specto: Academic AI-Driven Innovation
Developed in close partnership with leading libraries such as Vienna University Library and Bocconi University Library, Alma Specto is an innovative solution designed to address the unique challenges of managing digital special collections. It leverages AI in academic libraries to automate and enhance metadata creation, making collections more discoverable, accessible and valuable to researchers, students, and the broader academic community.
Alma Specto supports libraries to:
- Improve cataloging and enhance discovery: AI-driven workflows improve cataloging of digital materials, making collections easier to find and use.
- Improve the workflow: Alma Specto covers the entire lifecycle of digital document management, from ingestion and cataloging to exhibition building.
- Build exhibition to showcase the collections: Libraries can curate and present digital collections in engaging ways, supporting both academic and public outreach.
- Increase Visibility and Engagement with Next Discovery Experience (NDE): The platform integrates with existing discovery systems and supports linked and open data, expanding the reach of digital collections.
- Offer flexible access: Tailored discovery experiences for researchers, students and the public ensure broad engagement.
Real-World Impact: Customer Voices
The new whitepaper brings to life the experiences of librarians who have shaped and benefited from Alma Specto. At Vienna University Library, for example, AI-powered metadata enrichment has helped improved efficiency, especially for image-heavy collections. Like Wolfgang Mayer, Head of Content & Data, Vienna University Library explains:
“The exhibition tool of Alma Specto provides an easy smooth way — even for non-experts — to exhibit collections for special exhibitions, presentations of new collections or museum acquisitions. It’s an interesting way to say, ‘This is the thing we need some funding to create,’ and it’s easy to understand for the non-academic public as well.”
Shaping the Future of Academic Libraries
Importantly, Alma Specto keeps librarians in control. Academic AI acts as a collaborative assistant, generating metadata suggestions while professionals retain oversight, validation and strategic direction. This ensures that automation enhances, rather than replaces, the expertise of library staff.
As digital collections become vital for research, teaching and institutional reputation, Alma Specto serves as a key enabler. The platform empowers libraries to connect with their communities, support academic missions and fulfil a broader social purpose: expanding access to cultural and academic heritage. purpose: expanding access to cultural and academic heritage. and fulfill a broader social purpose: expanding access to cultural and academic heritage.
Download this free whitepaper here and learn how you can also turn your hidden gems into strategic assets for your academic community.
