The Los Rios Community College District in California—serving over 22,000 full-time-equivalent students across four colleges and multiple satellite campuses—has transformed its library operations through Alma’s Library Open Workflows (LibOW).
Operating within a shared Alma institution, the district’s libraries collaborate on systems, technical services, and resource management. Previously, automation relied on fragile custom scripts built in PHP and Python. With LibOW, automation development has become faster, easier, and far more reliable—enabling new workflows that were once beyond reach.
Among the first implementations, automated bursar checks now prevent fee discrepancies and protect students from unnecessary charges, while automated item tracking keeps transit reports up to date, accelerating delivery of materials and reducing manual workloads. Together, these improvements enhance accuracy, efficiency, and service to students.
As an early development partner, the Los Rios Libraries worked closely with Ex Libris to help shape LibOW’s capabilities. Developers were highly responsive, incorporating partner feedback directly into the evolving platform.
“LibOW has dramatically increased my development speed and made it much easier to build and test workflows—without worrying about breaking fragile scripts.”
— Jeff Karlsen, Technical Services Librarian, Sacramento City College
He recommends LibOW to institutions of all sizes, particularly those eager to maximize their use of Alma APIs while minimizing reliance on scarce technical resources.
For the Los Rios Libraries, LibOW has proven to be a transformative tool that bridges the gap between technical ambition and limited resources.
Read the full case study: Los Rios Libraries – Empowering Automation and Efficiency with Alma’s Library Open Workflows
