Jenniifer Mo from the Toronto Metropolitan Universities Library reflects on her time at the ELUNA 2025 conference. The Sherrie Kristin Memorial Scholarship, an award which honors Sherrie Kristin’s many contributions to the ELUNA community. Jennifer was presented with the award at the ELUNA 2025 Annual Meeting, and contributed the following report on her ELUNA conference experience.
Jennifer Mo is accepting the Sherrie Kristin Memorial Scholarship
I was honored to receive the ELUNA 2025 Sherrie Kristin Scholarship and attend the ELUNA Developers Day+ and Annual Meeting for the first time this year. As my institution just passed our one-year anniversary with Alma and Primo VE, this opportunity couldn’t have come at a better time. It offered an excellent chance to learn and connect.
The breakout sessions were a definite highlight. I appreciated how they didn’t just focus on success stories, but also tackled the messy parts of working with Ex Libris systems. One session that especially resonated with me was “Adapting and Advancing With Alma Releases, Regardless of Library Size.” It was reassuring to hear that institutions of all sizes face similar challenges in keeping up with monthly releases. There wasn’t a one-size-fits-all solution, but the presenters shared diverse approaches that gave me plenty to think about.
Another session that really stood out was “Understanding Alma Analytics’ Error Messages.” As someone who regularly works with Alma Analytics and explores customization with SQL, I found this session full of helpful tips. Instead of staring at mysterious error codes and Googling in frustration, I now have concrete tips to troubleshoot smarter, not harder.
My only complaint? There were too many good sessions at the same time! Having to limit my choice to one session per time slot wasn’t easy.
Beyond the sessions, the conference offered a preview of the direction Ex Libris is heading. It was great to hear about new developments like the NDE (Next Discovery Experience), the LibOW (Library Open Workflows), and AI-powered tools. While some of these are still in progress, it was helpful to understand the broader vision behind them and start thinking about how these changes could shape the future of our systems and services.
I also took the chance to learn more about products that might be a good fit for my institution. Leganto has been on our wish list for a while, and hearing how the University of Central Florida used it to help students save on course materials was both impressive and inspiring. It’s always great to see real-world examples of how library systems can directly support teaching and learning.
Another highlight was attending the first ELUNA meeting for CANRUG (Canadian Regional User Group). It was wonderful to see Canadian libraries coming together to build a stronger national network. As Canadian institutions operating in similar policy and technical environments, we have a lot to gain from sharing knowledge and working together more closely. This group has real potential to strengthen collaboration across the country. I’m looking forward to seeing it grow.
Throughout the conference, what stood out the most for me was the strong sense of community. Whether in sessions, hallway chats, or casual conversations over lunch, it was clear that we’re all figuring things out together and learning from one another along the way.
I left the conference with new perspectives and renewed energy. More importantly, I left with a reminder that we’re not alone in this work. We’re part of a supportive community of librarians, developers, and system folks. I’m already looking forward to continuing the conversations and hopefully attending again in the future.
Jennifer Mo, Systems Librarian