IGeLU 2026 Conference and Developers Day, 19-22 October 2026

Conference

As libraries increasingly rely on Ex Libris Alma for fulfillment and patron services, the patron dashboard has become a highly visible and influential user touchpoint. At Yale Library, this dashboard is a locally developed application—branded as My Account at Yale —that integrates with Alma via APIs to provide a streamlined, self‑service interface for viewing loans, requests, fines, renewals, and proxy activity. While Alma configurations and policies are often driven by operational needs, patrons experience those decisions through this dashboard, where complexity can lead to confusion or frustration. Using Yale as a case study, this session examines how system design, policy decisions, and governance structures shape the patron experience. It highlights common pain points, clarifies the dashboard’s role within the Alma ecosystem, and discusses strategies for aligning staff workflows, system ownership, and decision‑making with patron expectations—balancing operational requirements with usability and incremental improvement.

User Experience / Discovery

Alma