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Bursary Application Process – EPUG UKI and IGeLU Conference Attendance 2027

Following the announcement at the EPUG UKI Autumn Gathering (Online) we are pleased to offer an outline of the application process for the two bursary opportunities to support members in attending upcoming events.

Firstly, to support in-person attendance at the hybrid Spring event, EPUG UKI will be offering reimbursement for travel and accommodation costs for up to three delegates. The reimbursement will cover expenses for 1-2 nights at a Premier Inn standard hotel. To apply, simply submit your name and contact details into the ballot (a form will be created for this process), and the recipients will be selected at random.

Once the recipients of the bursaries are selected we would ask that you make the necessary travel and accommodation bookings in advance, keep your receipts, and submit itemised expenses to the EPUG UKI treasurer, who will reimburse you after the event.

Secondly, EPUG UKI will be providing funding to support attendance at the IGeLU conference in Liege 2027. This includes funding for one committee member and one member of the community to attend the conference. In return, the community member who receives the bursary will be expected to deliver a feedback presentation at the next EPUG-UKI Autumn conference.

These bursaries demonstrate EPUG UKI’s commitment to supporting its members in accessing valuable networking and learning opportunities. If you’re interested in applying for either of these bursaries, keep an eye on the EPUG UKI website and mailing lists for further information and application details.

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EPUG UKI Autumn Conference, 2-3 November 2026: Registration and Programme

EPUG UKI’s Autumn Conference will take place online via Zoom on Monday 2 November from 13:30-16:30 and Tuesday 3 November, 9:30-12:30. Please register using this link: Webinar Registration – Zoom. Attendance is free of charge.

Please submit any questions you would like Ex Libris & Clarivate colleagues to address by Thursday 29 October 2026 by emailing epuguki.secretary@gmail.com or during the registration process.

The programme can be found below (please note the time and programme change on day 2):

autumn-2026-epug-programmeDownload
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Autumn 2026 Online Conference Save the date and Call for Papers

Please save the date for the EPUG UKI Autumn conference, which will take place on 2-3 November 2026. We plan to hold the conference online via Zoom with an afternoon session on 2 November and a morning session on 3 November. A sign up link will be available soon.

Would you like to contribute to the conference? We would love to hear about how you are using Ex Libris products at your institution. Ideas for contributions include but are not limited to:

  • Using Library Open Workflows, Specto, or Mixpanel? Please share what have you made of them and your plans for the future. Talks could be 20 to 60 minutes, depending on the size of your projects and plans.
  • Have you implemented Research Assistant? We are looking for members who are using Primo’s Research Assistant to report back on implementation and initial response from their communities as well as usage. This would be a 5-10 minute lightning talk from each member with time for a general Q&A from the audience.
  • Attending IGeLU? We’re looking for a few members to share their impressions and takeaways and to take questions.
  • Working in Acquisitions? How are things going after changes in Rialto? Do you have new or changed API / EDI integrations or purchasing workflows with different providers? Any new or improved integrations between Alma and institutional finance systems? Talks could be 20 to 60 minutes.

Other ideas gladly considered!

If you would like to contribute, please email epuguki.secretary@gmail.com with your idea for consideration by 5pm on Friday 18 September 2026. Contributors will be confirmed by 1 October 2026.

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Alma cost per use dashboards workshop

13 EPUG UKI members joined in a workshop on how to create cost-per-use dashboards in Clarivate Ex Libris’ Alma Data Visualization (DV) at the University of Sunderland on Friday 10 July 2026. Participants braved some unusually warm weather to spend the day together in the classroom learning first how identify and clean the correct usage and financial data and then to pull it together into a single dashboard.

A classroom of workshop participants seated in a horseshoe shape in front of a screen with an instructor pointing
Michelle Halpin teaching an Alma DV workshop

The workshop was a combination of background, demonstrations and hands-on exercises. Each participant was able to work in their own Alma instance to create a visually appealing dashboard that would work with their financial and COUNTER usage data to display crucial information to library stakeholders: namely how much is the content from a subscription being used compared to its price?

The workshop was led by the University of Sunderland’s Michelle Halpin, who was assisted by her Sunderland colleagues Ian Frost and Leah Emary. For a taste of what participants created, you could watch Michelle’s recent presentation at the EPUG UKI Spring Event.

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EPUG-UKI AGM & Spring Conference, 11 May 2026 session recordings

The recordings from this year’s Sping Conference, held at the British Library, are available below and via YouTube.

EPUG-UKI Welcome and AGM Business plus IGeLU update

Lee Houghton starting the day with an update on EPUG UKI’s state of play and a finance update on behalf of Laurence Lockton, treasurer. Followed by an IGeLU update on behalf of James Dodd, IGeLU Steering Committee

Primo working group update and using Google’s AI products by Paul Harding

Primo working group update and using Google’s AI products to support and develop Ex Libris products by Paul Harding, University of York

NDE implementation at Nottingham Trent University by Richard Cross, Nottingham Trent University

NDE implementation at Nottingham Trent University by Richard Cross, Nottingham Trent University

Customer Service Update – Martin Buescher, Ex Libris

Customer service update

Leganto Course rollover: Testing for success Laura MacNeil, University of Edinburgh

Leganto Course rollover: Testing for success by Laura MacNeil, University of Edinburgh

Developing a new Inventory Control client by Sara Burnell & Ben Gable, Bodleian Libraries

Developing a new Inventory Control client at Oxford by Sara Burnell & Ben Gable, Bodleian Libraries

Ex Libris Update – Alan Oliver, Ex Libris

Ex Libris Update from Alan Oliver, Ex Libris for the EPUG UKI Spring Conference 2026

Connected Cost and Usage Data Workflows in Alma DV Michelle Halpin, University of Sunderland

Connected Cost and Usage Data Workflows in Alma Data Visualization, session by Michelle Halpin from University of Sunderland

Q&A / Discussion

Hosted by Martin Buescher & Allan Oliver from Clarivate Ex Libris

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Alma DV workshop 10 July 2026 at the University of Sunderland

Creating and connecting datasets to visualise cost, use and cost-per-use in an Alma DV Dashboard

EPUG-UKI Workshop led by Michelle Halpin & Ian Frost, University of Sunderland
Date: 10th July 2026, 11:00-3:30pm
Venue: University of Sunderland, St Peter’s Campus

Register

This workshop is for Alma Analytics users who want to create automated cost-per-use collection dashboards within Alma Data Visualisation. The workshop will share tips for clean and tidy data preparation and offer you step-by-step activities to create, connect and visualise cost-per-use data insights.

Part 1 – workshop starts at 11am

1.5 hours of workshop: demo and supported practice activities

Break for one hour lunch at 12:30pm

Part 2 – workshop resumes at 1:30pm

1.5 hours of workshop: focus more on people working to make their own workflows / dashboards with trainer / peer support

Workshop ends at 3:30pm

To take part in the workshop, you’ll need to bring your own laptop device and have Alma Analytics access permissions.

Participation is free of cost and will include drinks and a light lunch.

Address:  University of Sunderland, Sir Tom Cowie Campus at St Peter’s, St Peter’s Way, Sunderland, SR6 0DD (How to get to the University of Sunderland).

There is ample car parking at the St Peter’s campus or you can take the train to Sunderland and then walk 20 minutes or take the bus to the St Peter’s campus. You could also take the train to Newcastle and then take the Metro (30 minutes) to the St Peter’s stop, and walk for 10 minutes to the Reg Vardy building.

The University is located on the River Wear, and within walking distance to the Roker seaside. So participants might consider combining this with a weekend to explore the North East.

Overhead view of the British Library St Pancras
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Spring Conference wrap-up

60 of you joined us in person and a fluctuating cast of 120-odd joined us online at the Spring Event on Monday 11 May, 2026. We covered a lot of ground on the day, starting with NDE and then moving on to topics including a bespoke tool for stock check, Leganto rollover, Alma DV, customer care and what’s coming next with Clarivate products. Surprising no one, we heard quite a lot about the role of AI throughout.

We also had a chance to chat to fellow members during the breaks and a few folks stopped into the pub before travelling onwards at the end of the day.

Thanks to everyone for making it a great day.

Following up:

  • We’ll be sending a feedback form aimed at attendees and non-attendees to find out what types of events are going to work for the community in future. Please watch your email and take a few minutes to provide your thoughts.
  • Recordings of the presentations will be available shortly via our YouTube channel. Watch the listserv and blog for an announcement of those going live.
  • The next EPUG-UKI event will likely be an in-person analytics workshop at the University of Sunderland in July. We’ll let you know when there are more details.
  • Our Autumn event will be online-only; more details forthcoming. Start brainstorming your presentations now.

Do you have an idea for another themed event, either online or in-person? Want to host something for other members in your region or nation or with a subset of Alma users in the UK & Ireland? Send an email to epuguki.secretary@gmail.com to let us know, or chat it through with colleagues on one of our monthly calls.

Aerial view of the British Library in London
Patche99z [CC BY-SA (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/3.0)%5D
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EPUG-UKI AGM & Spring Conference, 11 May 2026

Dear EPUG-UKI colleagues,

This year’s AGM & Spring conference event will be on Monday 11 May 2026 (9:30-4:30 GMT), and will take place in person at the British Library Knowledge Centre in London. Hybrid attendance will take place via Zoom.

Registration is now closed. Attendance is free of charge and a light lunch and hot drinks will be provided. You may register to attend via Zoom up until Friday 8 May.

There is an opportunity to submit questions for Ex Libris & Clarivate colleagues. Please do this by Friday 1 May 2026 either as part of your registration or by emailing epuguki.secretary@gmail.com.

Joining details for hybrid attendees will be mailed out nearer the conference date. The event will also be recorded and made available shortly afterwards.

EPUG-UKI Spring Event Programme, Monday 11 May 2026 (subject to change)

9:30 – 10:00Arrival and registration
10:00 – 10:30EPUG-UKI Welcome and AGM Business
Lee Houghton – EPUG UKI&I Chair
Laurence Lockton – EPUG UKI&I Treasurer

IGeLU Update
James Dodd, IGeLU Steering Committee
10:30 – 11:30Session 1: NDE

Primo working group update and using Google’s AI products to support and develop Ex Libris products
Paul Harding, University of York

NDE implementation at Nottingham Trent University
Richard Cross, Nottingham Trent University
11:30 – 12:00Session 2: Customer Service Update
Martin Buescher, Ex Libris
12:00 – 13:00Lunch  
13:00 – 14:00Session 3: Project updates

Leganto Course rollover: Testing for success
Laura MacNeil, University of Edinburgh

Developing a new Inventory Control client at Oxford Sara Burnell & Ben Gable, Bodleian Libraries
14:00 – 14:30Session 4: Ex Libris Update
Alan Oliver, Ex Libris  
14:30-14:45Short break  
14:45 – 15:45Session 5: Connected Cost and Usage Data Workflows in Alma Data Visualization
Michelle Halpin, University of Sunderland
15:45-16:15Session 6: Ex Libris Q&A / Discussion
Martin Buescher & Allan Oliver, Ex Libris
16:15 – 16:30Close
Lee Houghton – EPUG UK&I Chair
EPUG UKI May 2026 event programmeDownload

Leah Emary
EPUG-UKI Secretary, on behalf of the Committee

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Spring Event – call for participation

We will be holding our Spring conference this year on Monday 11 May 2026 from 10:00AM – 4:30 PM at the British Library Knowledge Centre in St Pancras, London. All sessions will be streamed live via Zoom.

Member feedback on the question of in-person vs online attendance remains mixed, particularly as budgets continue to be strained. Going forward, we intend to offer at least one in-person event per year and one online-only. We plan to offer regional get-togethers and other themed days, like the recent eResources day in Salford.

Call for speakers

We are also looking for speakers from our members! Please get in touch with epuguki.secretary@gmail.com by 5pm on Monday 2 March 2026 if you’d like to present in May. This can be on any aspect of Ex Libris products or systems such as:

  • Alma, Primo (NDE/VE/BO), Leganto, Rialto, Rapido, Rapid ILL
  • Recent system implementations, migrations, or integrations with external systems
  • Projects reviewing workflows within the Ex Libris systems
  • New features you’ve recently enabled or tested
  • User engagement/UX studies
  • Innovative use of systems, features, or data e.g. analytics, Linked Open Data, AI

Presentations can be between 20-45 mins in length (please specify the preferred length of your presentation) and new/first-time presenters are welcome. Creative suggestions for networking, social events, workshops, or other ideas are also welcome.

Speakers’ travel to and from London from locations in the UK and Ireland as well as accommodation can be reimbursed by EPUG-UKI.

We hope to open registration with a draft programme at the beginning of March.