A Library Discovery Service to Facilitate Groundbreaking Discovery

Scholarly success depends on intuitive discovery of ground-breaking insights and information across your library’s collections. The Primo library discovery service offers revolutionary technologies like conversational search to optimize outcomes for library users and staff.

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Primo

Next Discovery Experience User Interface
Primo Research Assistant
Smart Discovery
Coverage and Access
Efficiency and Effectiveness
Library Integration

Optimize discovery and collection usage

Designed in close collaboration with the library community through a dedicated UX focus group, the new user interface is intuitive and streamlined. This Primo library discovery service is tailored to the specific needs of academic libraries and their users, offering a richer and modern discovery experience.

The new user interface is a key element of the Next Discovery Experience (NDE), which places users at its core and aims to enhance research efficiency, enhance the way academic research is conducted. Designed to highlight library collections, the Next Discovery Experience ensures a seamless transition from resource management to discovery.

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A generative AI-powered library discovery service designed to enhance patron engagement

A generative AI-powered library discovery service enhances patron engagement by enabling intuitive searches and exploration. It helps library users make the most of trusted library resources through a more natural and efficient discovery experience.

Powered by a RAG (Retrieval Augmented Generation) architecture and grounded in the extensive Ex Libris CDI (Central Discovery Index), the Primo Research Assistant provides users a reliable starting point for their academic research. It supports proper source referencing and ensures accurate attribution to original authors.

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The Discovery Experience Users Expect

Did you know that more than 85%* of college students are using AI in their studies? This shift is changing the expectations of library technology, with students demanding faster and more personalized results. It’s especially true with discovery systems which is the entry point to your library’s collection. Give your library users access to a wealth of trusted scholarly materials and the most relevant resources related to their research. This library discovery service includes smart recommendations in a single search interface, anytime, and from any device.

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Maximize the Usage of Your Library Resources

Using an open API, any library can integrate the Primo library discovery service into their existing systems and provide an academic AI powered research experience for their users. Expose a wealth of content and resources to your patrons via the Central Discovery Index. Increase the use of unique library content via showcases and special collections. Promote the visibility and accessibility of your library services via QuickLinks and other features. Demonstrate value to decision-makers through advanced analytics.

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The stars are aligned, and we are actively working towards the Next Discovery Experience, including development of:

New UX for Primo Pages
Linked Data Experience
User Engagement Analytics
Taking Advantage of New AI Technology

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Support the Art of Librarianship

Primo empowers libraries by helping them operate more effectively and efficiently. It offers a wide range of user interface customizations, open APIs, and seamless integrations with Alma and other library solutions. Libraries can take advantage of advanced harvesting and normalization tools, adjust how collections are displayed and fine-tune search result rankings to meet local needs. The library discovery service also connects discovery with broader academic research systems and enhances productivity through robust analytics and end-to-end workflows. Designed for both individual institutions and consortia, Primo empowers libraries to improve the user experience and focus more strategically on high-impact services.

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Embedding discovery in the academic ecosystem

Connect your discovery platform with Alma’s library management system research solutions, teaching and learning platforms, student mobile devices and apps and other tools, with Primo’s out-of-the-box product integrations and open APIs.

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Primo

Next Discovery Experience User Interface

Optimize discovery and collection usage

Primo Research Assistant

A generative AI-powered library discovery service designed to enhance patron engagement

Smart Discovery

The Discovery Experience Users Expect

Coverage and Access

Maximize the Usage of Your Library Resources

Expand >

The stars are aligned, and we are actively working towards the Next Discovery Experience, including development of:

New UX for Primo Pages
Linked Data Experience
User Engagement Analytics
Taking Advantage of New AI Technology

Read Less

Efficiency and Effectiveness

Support the Art of Librarianship

Library Integration

Embedding discovery in the academic ecosystem

Primo’s Latest News & Blog

State Library Victoria – Unlocking 4.5 Million Titles Through Patron-First Transformation

NDE UI Adoption Continues to Grow Across the Primo VE Community

LOUIS Signs Agreement to Implement Alma and Primo VE from Clarivate to Modernize Library Services Across Louisiana

National Library of Thailand Selects Alma and Primo to Power its Next Chapter of Digital Transformation

A New Chapter for the British Library: Seamless Services with Alma and Primo

The University of Tennessee at Martin Selects Clarivate’s Alma and Primo VE to Modernize Library Services and Support Long-Term Growth

New Customer Story: University of Rochester Pioneers Discovery with the NDE UI

Tallinn University of Technology Chooses Clarivate’s Alma and Primo VE to Drive Innovation in Library Services

NDE UI is Now Available to All Primo VE Customers

Smarter discovery: Natural Language Search now available in Primo NDE UI

Universidad de las Américas Puebla Selects Alma, Alma Digital, Primo, and Leganto

University of Coimbra Adopts Alma and Primo to Advance Library Services and Academic Excellence

Clarivate partners with the University of Melbourne to deliver next-generation library solutions

Exciting News: Two Customers Go Live with the New Primo NDE UI!

Fresenius University of Applied Sciences Transforms Library Services with Alma and Primo

OhioLINK Completes Migration to Alma, Primo, and Rapido Platforms

Customization, Collaboration, and Growth – The Digital Theological Library Chooses Alma and Primo

Ex Libris Releases Primo Next Discovery Experience User Interface

Learn More, Explore More – The Ex Libris Demo Center Just Got an Upgrade!

Sabancı University Information Center – Revolutionizing Access to Knowledge

Transforming Library Services at the University of Tasmania with Ex Libris Alma and Primo

A successful completion of our Early Adopters Program for Mixpanel integration with Primo VE!

Hungarian Academy of Sciences Chooses Alma and Primo from Clarivate to Modernize Library Infrastructure

Five German private university libraries improve their library services with Alma and Primo

Clarivate Selected by the National and University Library in Zagreb to Create a Unified National Library Platform

The British Library Selects Clarivate to Provide Library Services and Discovery Platforms

Ex Libris Showcases AI Innovations Shaping the Future of Libraries in 2025

Enhancing Library Services at the National Kaohsiung University of Hospitality and Tourism, Taiwan

Upcoming Webinar Investigates How AI Enhances Library Services for Users and Staff

‘Kubikat’ Libraries Choose Library Management and Discovery Solutions from Clarivate

Ex Libris Customers Convene and Share Knowledge in the Philippines

Bayerische Staatsbibliothek Libraries Move Systems Forward with Alma and Primo

Randolph College Strengthens Library with Successful Alma and Primo Implementation

Ex Libris is excited to announce UC Davis as the first institution to go live with BIBFRAME

Covenant University is First West African Institution to Go Live with Alma and Primo

Ex Libris Users Connect and Learn in Latin America

Ex Libris Primo Research Assistant is now available for Primo institutions

National Library of Spain Now Live with Alma and Primo

University System of Maryland and Affiliated Institutions Library Consortium Launches Alma and Primo

University of Science and Technology of China Selects Alma for E-Resource Management

Ex Libris Launches a Beta Program of Generative AI Powered Primo Research Assistant

Ex Libris Joins Forces with PressReader to Empower Libraries with Seamless Access to Breaking News and Magazines

Linked Open Data Implementations in Ex Libris Primo and Alma

Ex Libris to Highlight Innovations at ELUNA 2024 Annual Meeting in Minneapolis

New Showcase Carousel on Ex Libris Primo

University of the Free State Selects Alma and Primo

The University of North Carolina Selects Ex Libris Library Solutions

New Dedicated Ex Libris Content Section Available on Knowledge Center

Ex Libris Announces Development and Ongoing Release of Next Discovery Experience Click here to learn more about the Ex Libris Next Discovery Experience and its four continuous and evolving pillars:\ \ – New UX for Primo pages\ \ – Linked Data experience\ \ – User engagement analytics\ \ – Creating new experiences with AI discovery assistance

Our customer stories

Primo at City University of New York: Higher Usage of Electronic Resources and Better Indexing

Allie Verbovetskaya

Web and Mobile Systems Librarian, City University of New York

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How Saint Mary’s College, The New School, and Florida Virtual Campus position their libraries on campus

State Library Victoria

Putting students first: How MacEwan University modernized resource sharing with Rapido

University of Rochester - Pioneering Discovery with the NDE UI

“By staying true to these values, we created a search and discovery experience that balances usability, flexibility, and innovation.”

Early adopter

Clarivate

“When I learned that there was an API available for our university's library, I thought, ‘Fantastic!   This gives my research team the ability to create experimental search interfaces using real data.”

Dr. Orland Hoeber

University of Regina

"the implementation discussions with the Ex Libris team, we engaged in direct conversations about how to adapt existing tasks to the new system and streamline our workflows"

Library Staff

National Kaohsiung University of Hospitality and Tourism

"The number of registered users since the launch of Alma and Primo has increased by almost 20,000 - it's great!"

Jaroslav Sivák

Charles University

“Sourcing and filling each request in Rapido takes few steps compared to the multiple steps involved with our old system”

Roshan Thapa

Charles Sturt University

"Having an open solution is important because it allows us to connect all of our systems to other systems across campus."

Eduardo Prieto

University of Miami

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"The last Alma release is very exciting. It's a major milestone for Ex Libris in the Linked Data development."

Xiaoli Li

University of California, Davis

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“[Rapido] makes the process as seamless as accessing items in the library’s own collection.”

Jennifer Young

East Tennessee State University

“We were looking for certain requirements and Alma met all those criteria.”

Van Duong

Royal Melbourne Hospital

“With all the change we have seen … you can’t wait too long to adapt. Every five years, at least, you have to put everything on the table and rethink, from scratch.”

François Renaville

University of Liège

“Primo was the one place where we could integrate all the different resources that we have and give differentiated access to the different user groups.”

Knut Bøckman

Royal Danish Library

"I don't think we would have been able to do a lot of the things that we've done without that type of customization framework."

Allen Jones

The New School Library and Archives

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Explore how SBART improves user experience and increases visibility using Alma & Primo

SBART

Watch video

"When you take a look at Alma and what Alma can do and how that can be restructured that can open your mind to new possibilities."

Julie Kane

Washington & Lee University

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"We've been able to do a lot of streamlined workflows with the same amount of staff, and we really appreciated working with the tools."

Pascal Calarco

University of Windsor

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“Find out why an academic library at a specialist college transformed its services and operations through Alma, Primo and Leganto."

Laura Pilsel

Harper Adams University

Supporting the Imperial College Library Mission with Ex Libris Higher-Ed Cloud Solutions

Katherine Rose, Katharine Thompson, James Garry

Imperial College, London

Demonstrating and Deepening the Library's Value with Ex Libris Higher-Ed Solutions

Helen Woolfries

Kingston University London

Alma & Primo at Vanderbilt University

Dale Poulter

Vanderbilt University

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Primo at KU Leuven: The New Primo UI and the Primo Community

Mehmet Celik

Senior Business Consultant, KU Leuven

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Primo at City University of New York: Higher Usage of Electronic Resources and Better Indexing

Allie Verbovetskaya

Web and Mobile Systems Librarian, City University of New York

Watch video

How Saint Mary’s College, The New School, and Florida Virtual Campus position their libraries on campus

State Library Victoria

Putting students first: How MacEwan University modernized resource sharing with Rapido

University of Rochester - Pioneering Discovery with the NDE UI

“By staying true to these values, we created a search and discovery experience that balances usability, flexibility, and innovation.”

Early adopter

Clarivate

Dr. Orland Hoeber

University of Regina

Library Staff

National Kaohsiung University of Hospitality and Tourism

"The number of registered users since the launch of Alma and Primo has increased by almost 20,000 - it's great!"

Jaroslav Sivák

Charles University

“Sourcing and filling each request in Rapido takes few steps compared to the multiple steps involved with our old system”

Roshan Thapa

Charles Sturt University

"Having an open solution is important because it allows us to connect all of our systems to other systems across campus."

Eduardo Prieto

University of Miami

Watch video

"The last Alma release is very exciting. It's a major milestone for Ex Libris in the Linked Data development."

Xiaoli Li

University of California, Davis

Watch video

“[Rapido] makes the process as seamless as accessing items in the library’s own collection.”

Jennifer Young

East Tennessee State University

“We were looking for certain requirements and Alma met all those criteria.”

Van Duong

Royal Melbourne Hospital

François Renaville

University of Liège

“Primo was the one place where we could integrate all the different resources that we have and give differentiated access to the different user groups.”

Knut Bøckman

Royal Danish Library

"I don't think we would have been able to do a lot of the things that we've done without that type of customization framework."

Allen Jones

The New School Library and Archives

Watch video

Explore how SBART improves user experience and increases visibility using Alma & Primo

SBART

Watch video

"When you take a look at Alma and what Alma can do and how that can be restructured that can open your mind to new possibilities."

Julie Kane

Washington & Lee University

Watch video

"We've been able to do a lot of streamlined workflows with the same amount of staff, and we really appreciated working with the tools."

Pascal Calarco

University of Windsor

Watch video

“Find out why an academic library at a specialist college transformed its services and operations through Alma, Primo and Leganto."

Laura Pilsel

Harper Adams University

Supporting the Imperial College Library Mission with Ex Libris Higher-Ed Cloud Solutions

Katherine Rose, Katharine Thompson, James Garry

Imperial College, London

Demonstrating and Deepening the Library's Value with Ex Libris Higher-Ed Solutions

Helen Woolfries

Kingston University London

Alma & Primo at Vanderbilt University

Dale Poulter

Vanderbilt University

Watch video

Primo at KU Leuven: The New Primo UI and the Primo Community

Mehmet Celik

Senior Business Consultant, KU Leuven

Watch video

Primo at City University of New York: Higher Usage of Electronic Resources and Better Indexing

Allie Verbovetskaya

Web and Mobile Systems Librarian, City University of New York

Watch video

For all customer stories

Our team of experts looks forward to hearing from you

We play nice with

Check out the wealth of content offered by Primo

Records in the Central Discovery Index (CDI)
Searches weekly
Content neutral

The new search interface is full of new capabilities and ways to save time and effort come learn how to make the most of the new search.

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04 Jun 2026

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The Linked Open Data Editor for BIBFRAME – recent deve...

In a previous webinar on March 5, we showed the Linked Open Data Editor with all its capabilities as of the March 2026 release. Since then, because of an aggressive and comprehensi...

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AI in Practice: How Academic Libraries Are Transforming Core...

Discussion about artificial intelligence in libraries is widespread. What is less visible is how AI is showing up in day‑to‑day academic library work. Join our upcoming webinar to ...

A new index allowing for the staff user to search entities via an "X days ago" relative date index has already been added (Nov. 2025) to the various 'Titles" searches.

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Academic AI in Action: Enhancing Library Services with Alma

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Make the Most of the New Search UX

The new search interface is full of new capabilities and ways to save time and effort come learn how to make the most of the new search.

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We continuously grow and innovate our content services to support discovery and provide easy access to relevant information, optimizing every aspect of the research and learning experience.

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FAQ

What is a library discovery service?

A library discovery service is a powerful search tool provided by libraries to enable users, such as students, faculty, and researchers, to search and discover a wide range of library resources from a single interface. These resources can include books, e-books, journals, articles, databases, multimedia items, and more.

What are examples of library discovery tools?

Library discovery tools assist users in finding and accessing various resources available within library collections. These tools encompass a range of platforms and systems designed to streamline the search process. For instance, library catalogs serve as comprehensive databases with information about books, journals, and other materials. Discovery layers and relevancy ranking offers a unified interface for searching across multiple library resources, including catalogs, databases, and digital repositories. Interlibrary loan systems facilitate the borrowing and lending of materials between libraries.

How does Primo library discovery service impact student success?

Primo streamlines access to library resources through a single, always-updated discovery solutions interface for all types, formats and providers. The library discovery service also supports information literacy with contextually related recommendations alongside search results and the option to explore collections managed in Alma. In addition, a virtual Patron Library Card can display holds, requests, fines and messages.

How does Primo impact research and researchers?

Researchers benefit from comprehensive library resource discovery solutions, with search results including contextually related recommendations for further research. Such relations can be created through a citation trail, book and article recommendation services, book reviews and interlinked book chapters. Patrons can also navigate library collections independently, with a virtual browse functionality, to find associated items through online catalogs and other digital resources.

How does Primo discovery service impact the library?

The integration of Primo with Alma library management system simplifies backend processes for academic library discovery, reducing the time needed for setup, configuration, data updates, and more. Libraries can boost productivity and shift focus to strategic services, including increasing library outreach through a customized discovery experience and maximizing resource investments. Library holdings can also be easily exposed to the web through an SEO-ready metadata structure.

What resources does a Primo library discovery system access?

5.2B records in the Central Discovery Index of scholarly and academic resources of all kinds – journals, articles, books, videos, music, and more; local library catalogs and repositories, including electronic and print journals; Open Access content; commercial resources; and all ProQuest content. The Primo library discovery service platform includes a link resolver for electronic, digital and physical holdings, and the capability to search within journals for specific articles.

Will Primo library discovery service work with our current systems?

Yes. First, as a solution on the Ex Libris Higher Ed Platform, Primo is tightly integrated with Alma. Second, Primo offers a rich set of APIs for seamless integration with institutional and third-party systems. Primo meets faculty, researchers and students where they are, with branded discovery services, adaptable interfaces, and customization options (with Primo Studio Extend) that improve the user experience.

How does Primo link to other Clarivate products?

Primo library discovery service tightly integrates with Alma and other Ex Libris library systems and management, teaching and learning, resource sharing, and student engagement services. Integrations with other ProQuest and Clarivate services – such as Web of Science, RefWorks, EndNote, Syndetics Unbound, etc. – are also available. Primo discovery searches include access to ProQuest content by default and the Primo solution automatically updates in response to developments in Alma.

Is there a Primo user community?

Yes. Collaboration takes place through established channels such as the Product Working Groups, NERS and Idea Exchange, as well as through focus groups and ad-hoc discussions. Input from the community is a key driver of development, while users share innovations through the Primo Studio Extend forum.

Does Primo support collaborative networks?

Yes. Libraries sharing management of metadata, acquisitions, resources, and other services can easily allow patrons to search across their network, offering an accessible user experience. How patrons search other institutions, what holdings they see, and how requests are handled can be defined by members of the network. For example, patrons might be allowed to request materials directly from other libraries while signed into their own local Primo site.

What about online security?

Primo library discovery service lives on the Ex Libris Higher Ed Platform, where it enjoys all the data security and privacy measures of the Alma environment and other Ex Libris products. For example, unique content is protected by the Amazon S3 cloud storage service, file integrity is continually verified, and any checksum discrepancies are automatically corrected. These safeguards are integral to Alma, relieving the library of all set-up and maintenance worries.

Is Primo library discovery service hard to onboard?

Absolutely not! Primo’s easy-to-use, intuitive end-user interface can be branded and seamlessly embedded in your institution’s learning management system. Librarians manage course materials, basic functions, and administer the Primo library discovery service through Alma, the system that they use every day.  Further, implementation support and customer service is provided to all libraries, and additional resources to support the process, such as tutorials, guides and how-to documents are available as well.

Does Primo discovery service support Open Educational Resources (OER)?

Certainly. The Ex Libris Central Discovery Index (CDI) includes multiple Open Access and OER collections – such as Open SUNY, OpenStax, and Open Textbook Library – which are fully discoverable in Primo.

How does Primo impact operational efficiency?

Records are updated in Primo in real time, without the need for export processes or reliance on OAI or FTP. Inventory changes are immediately integrated, and newly cataloged items are visible to patrons within minutes. Similarly, conditions for searches on a defined subset can be set and local metadata fields can be defined for display and search without the need for re-indexing before release to patrons.

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