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THE SYSTEMS LIBRARIAN
Anticipating Trends for 2026 and Beyond
by Marshall Breeding
| Especially in an environment where almost all libraries have reasonably sophisticated library management systems, vendors with the strongest solutions for improving patron experience and engagement will find the best opportunities. |
Libraries experienced quite a tumultuous year in 2025, with the major challenges of direct and indirect censorship, book banning, and other efforts to constrain their ability to provide information resources and services to all members of their communities. Besides political struggles, it’s been a period of technical attacks, via cyberattacks as well as through unprecedented levels of bombardment of resources and repositories by swarms of bots, mostly related to the insatiable appetite of AI services for data. At the same time, libraries are now able to incorporate generative AI (gen AI) as a powerful new technology to strengthen services for their patrons. These factors and others lead to assessing ongoing trends and anticipating what changes may be in store for the next few years. Continued Emphasis on AI-Based Services
OpenAI’s ChatGPT launched in November 2022, setting in motion a new phase of consumer and business technologies exploiting gen AI. New and enhanced services have been created for almost all business sectors at an unprecedented pace. Following a couple of years of experimentation and testing, library technology vendors have devoted substantial efforts to the development of new capabilities in their products based on gen AI technologies. Many of these services have been launched in the last 2 years, either as provisional options for testing and evaluation or as production products. Some examples include AI-enhanced search capabilities within Clarivate offerings such as Primo and Summon as well as the Web of Science AI Research Assistant. EBSCO Information Services introduced Natural Language Search mode for EBSCO Discovery Service and EBSCOhost databases. Providers of scholarly resources have created AI search enhancements, including Elsevier’s Scopus and ScienceDirect. OCLC introduced a set of AI tools to assist catalogers with assigning classification numbers and subject headings. Ex Libris announced Alma Specto, a digital collections platform with the capability of automatically generating metadata through AI technologies. LibraryThing launched Talpa Search as an experimental service in 2023. It has been integrated into other library catalogs and interfaces, including Aspen Discovery. Each of these products represents important efforts to harness AI to strengthen library services and improve productivity.
Looking forward, we can expect that features based on AI technologies will be more deeply integrated into library management systems and discovery services. Such capabilities will become more widespread to include products and services from vendors beyond the initial set of early adopters. As AI-based search becomes more ingrained into the way that individuals experience the web, it seems inevitable that these expectations will drive increased adoption within a broader set of library catalogs and patron interfaces. Library outreach processes (such as patron engagement, messaging, and marketing) will increasingly rely on AI technologies as mechanisms to extend their range and impact.
Not all libraries are interested in new AI-powered capabilities, at least not until they are more reliable and trustworthy beyond what has been seen in the initial offerings. It will be important for libraries to insist on the ability to control the extent to which AI-based functions are enabled within the services deployed to their patrons and to their staff members. Vendors will need to provide transparency regarding the underlying components employed and the methods used to formulate results and responses.
We can also expect that some AI-based features will come as premium options with added cost. Many of these services are based on underlying services from third-party providers that charge subscription or transaction fees. Although these fees may be absorbed by the library vendors in the introductory phase, it seems reasonable to think that these costs will eventually become part of the pricing model. Such premium services must demonstrate meaningful value to the library and its patrons.
Focus on Patron-Facing Interfaces
For at least the last decade, there has been an emphasis on interfaces and services that improve the experience of patrons as they interact with library-provided resources and services. Libraries express high expectations for excellence in usability, with more attractive and intuitive patron-facing interfaces. This focus on enhanced patron experiences will drive future strategies for library management and discovery systems. Especially among public libraries, new procurements will increasingly include enhanced interfaces rather than the default catalog interface of an ILS. BiblioCommons continues as a major provider of enhanced patron interfaces for public libraries. Other notable examples include bundles such as Vega Discover with Polaris or Sierra for those opting for new solutions from Clarivate or Aspen Discovery for libraries choosing open source products such as Koha or Evergreen as well as for proprietary ILS products. In the same vein, many libraries will opt to implement new discovery interfaces even when they prefer to keep their existing ILS.
Especially in an environment where almost all libraries have reasonably sophisticated library management systems, vendors with the strongest solutions for improving patron experience and engagement will find the best opportunities. I anticipate that these dynamics will drive a new phase of development focused on even stronger solutions within this genre of products.
Renewed Focus on Security
Several high-profile ransomware attacks, such as those at the British Library, Toronto Public Library, and Seattle Public Library, have heightened concerns regarding cybersecurity. Libraries must increase their efforts to strengthen their security strategies, lest they become the next victim. As shown in these successful attacks, apart from universal enforcement of stringent authentication methods, one of the greatest vulnerabilities lies in the ongoing use of legacy systems based on outdated security frameworks. Seen in this context, libraries must rapidly deploy modern and secure technologies to manage their operations and deliver their services. Unfortunately, many libraries continue to rely on legacy ILS products. Some examples of legacy systems include Virtua, originally developed by VTLS and acquired by Innovative in 2014, and Aleph, the original product developed by Ex Libris. Legacy systems are those that are no longer under active development, although the vendor will continue to provide support for existing installations. This differs from products such as Clarivate’s Sierra and SirsiDynix’s Horizon, which are not actively marketed to new library customers but continue to see ongoing development of features and strengthened security.
Budget limitations and reluctance to disrupt long-standing workflows can inhibit libraries from moving to newer products, even when their incumbent systems have become outdated. While the number of installations of legacy systems has been declining for many years, security concerns and requirements for modernized workflows and interfaces will accelerate the movement toward current-generation technologies. Vendors wisely avoid sunsetting products that remain in use, even when they offer modern alternatives. Libraries will be increasingly motivated to finally move away from legacy products to not only better support their operational needs, but also to lessen vulnerability to cyberattacks.
Another security factor involves hosting arrangements for major systems and services. The strongest level of security can be achieved through systems housed in industrial-strength data centers that provide multiple levels of firewalls, monitoring, and dedicated security personnel. Vendors that provide hosting services or that offer their products through a true cloud-based architecture deploy them through these types of facilities. Libraries that host their major systems on-premises may lack the resources to provide comparable levels of security protection.
Going forward, we can anticipate that fewer libraries and consortia will host their major systems and services locally. Only the largest libraries have the resources to support highly secure data centers and employ highly trained security professionals. Shrinking library workforces further diminish the capacity of libraries to responsibly manage the servers and network equipment supporting critical business systems. Shifting to externally provided hosting services can reduce security vulnerabilities, but it can also enable the library to focus its efforts on other priorities.
What to Expect
These are only a few of the technology trends that may impact libraries in the next year or so. The advent of gen AI has compressed the cycles of change quite dramatically. The accelerated movements of technology and abrupt turns in society mean that libraries need to be attentive and responsive to these changes. New tools and technologies are emerging with the potential to help libraries address the challenges and strengthen their position in society. |
