Introduction
The University of Rochester, one of the nation’s leading private research universities and a proud member of the Association of American Universities (AAU), is renowned for its dedication to innovation and academic excellence. The institution’s Sibley Music Library—the largest music library affiliated with any U.S. college or university—recently became one of the first early adopters of the Next Discovery Experience (NDE UI) for Primo VE.
At the forefront of this initiative was Ken Wierzbowski, Discovery Services Librarian, who led the university’s transition in collaboration with Ex Libris, part of Clarivate.
The University’s library system is a complex ecosystem, encompassing River Campus Libraries, Miner Medical Libraries, and the Sibley Music Library at the Eastman School of Music. Historically, all libraries shared a single Primo VE view—a unified system that, while efficient, didn’t fully serve the specialized research needs of the music-focused Sibley community.
Recognizing this gap, Wierzbowski and the Discovery Functional Oversight Group (DFOG) sought to create a separate Primo VE view tailored for Sibley. Around the same time, Ex Libris announced the early adopter program for the NDE UI. Seeing the opportunity, the team decided to combine both efforts—enhancing Sibley’s experience while gaining early experience with the NDE.
Discovery Services Librarian
Discovery Services Librarian
Supported by broad buy-in from library leadership and the Sibley community, the Rochester team embarked on its NDE UI transition. Regular check-ins and feedback sessions ensured transparency and engagement across stakeholders, fostering trust throughout the process.
A key success factor was the UX testing led by a student intern in summer 2024. Feedback showed that many usability issues from Primo VE had been resolved by the NDE UI’s cleaner and more intuitive design—further validating their early adoption.
The collaboration with the Ex Libris team was crucial . The team’s responsiveness, flexibility, and proactive communication helped Rochester navigate the transition smoothly. Through Basecamp, Wierzbowski’s team also engaged with other early adopters, exchanging ideas and reporting issues that were often resolved within a month’s release cycle.
Discovery Services Librarian
Transitioning from AngularJS to Angular initially posed a challenge, particularly given Wierzbowski’s inexperience with the newer Angular framework. Yet, through dedication and online training, he quickly gained the skills to rebuild the library’s customizations and lay the groundwork for future enhancements.
This hands-on approach empowered the team to develop governance policies for customization, helping different libraries across the university better tailor their discovery environments.
Discovery Services Librarian
For Rochester, early adoption of the NDE UI delivered tangible benefits:
For Libraries
- Gained early hands-on experience with the new NDE UI.
- Strengthened collaboration between Sibley and other libraries.
- Established internal guidelines for sustainable customization and future rollouts.
For Students and Faculty
- A cleaner, more intuitive search experience, addressing major UX pain points.
- Enhanced visibility for music-specific resources through customizable facets and filters.
- A voice in shaping the discovery experience through ongoing feedback and testing.
Discovery Services Librarian
The University of Rochester plans to continue refining its NDE implementation through ongoing UX testing and community collaboration. The project serves as a model for institutions seeking to balance innovation with user-centered design.
Discovery Services Librarian
About Ex Libris
Ex Libris, from Clarivate, is a leading global provider of cloud-based SaaS solutions that enable institutions and their individual users to create, manage, and share knowledge. In close collaboration with its customers and the broader community, Ex Libris develops creative solutions that increase library productivity, maximize the impact of research activities, enhance teaching and learning, and drive student mobile engagement. Ex Libris serves over 7,500 customers in 90 countries. For more information, see our website and join us on LinkedIn, YouTube, Facebook, and Twitter.
