2025 EBSCO User Group

In 2020, the University of Texas System announced the consolidation of UT Tyler with the UT Health Science Center Tyler into a single institution that included the merging of the campus identity system and moving away from a self-hosted EZ Proxy instance. Despite the unified vision to "Rise as One," we maintained two distinct libraries to serve the academic and health campuses of the newly combined UT Tyler. This decision presented challenges in user authentication and access management. In this session, we will discuss how we implemented and continue to manage OpenAthens to address these challenges, ensuring seamless and secure access to library resources to our diverse user populations.

Implementing new software as a service platforms take time and effort. This session will review best practices, tips, and general advice on how to work with our implementation team for the best outcome for your institution. We will share thoughts on how best to prepare for the project, general tools and workflows used, pitfalls to avoid, and other general ways in which to optimally stand up the product purchased. Products to be reviewed will include EBSCO Discovery Service, Full Text Finder, Custom Catalogs, Stacks, OpenAthens, and more.

This presentation explores how one academic library serving an entirely online university executed a deep overhaul of its online infrastructure while navigating an unexpected medical crisis.

The institution made three major changes on the same day by implementing the new EBSCO Discovery Service, transitioning to the OpenAthens authentication system, and launching a redesigned website. The discussion reviews the thought processes and decisions behind combining these migrations, including resource allocation, risk assessment, and timeline management explained, as well as communicating with key stakeholders, managing expectations, and testing so, so very many links.

The presentation also addresses crisis management when the project lead, the presenter, was diagnosed with Bell's Palsy two days before launch. Learn what happened, what to prepare for with your own migrations and projects, and how to make sure you can expect the unexpected. The impact of the changes after one year will also be discussed.

This presentation offers valuable insights for library professionals planning EBSCO Discovery Service and OpenAthens migrations, or similar system migrations and changes.

At the end of the pandemic, Thompson Rivers University Library discovered that some of the temporary processes we developed during the interim were not just beneficial, but also invaluable. For instance, we found that the EDS system modifications, initially used for touchless delivery, continued to add significant value for holds and after-hours pick-ups. The pandemic encouraged us to concentrate on and evaluate core library functions. Similarly, we used critical evaluation of our processes to inform our migration to Folio.
We will discuss:
How we are simplifying its circulation system by reducing the number of item types, loan rules, and patron types.
Why we will be selective in our use of new patron empowerment features in the EDS.
Why a system migration is an excellent opportunity to streamline library processes and to examine what a library can do.
Why examining fines and loan periods before the migration is essential during the migration. Addressing complex or difficult questions before the upgrade allows you to spend more time training staff and fine-tuning the configuration during the migration.

Overview: This session is focused on sharing the outcomes of the OpenAthens product UX review. This session will provide librarians with detailed insights into the review process, key findings, and the implications for future product development.

Session Highlights:

OpenAthens UX review findings: A comprehensive presentation of the findings from our recent UX review of the OpenAthens system, highlighting areas of success and opportunities for enhancement.

Discussion on next steps: An interactive discussion on the proposed next steps based on the review findings, encouraging feedback and suggestions from librarians.

Potential improvements: Exploration of potential improvements and how they can be implemented to better meet user needs and enhance overall user experience.