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  5. Alma Roadmap Highlights: 2026
  6. Metadata and Linked Open Data

Metadata and Linked Open Data

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  1. Metadata and Linked Open Data
    1. Overview
    2. Roadmap
    3. 2026 H1
      1. Configure Bibliographic Text Search Indexes for Any MARC Fields
      2. MARC21 Bibliographic Resource Types Enhancement
      3. Enhance Language Codes Support
      4. Improve Handling of Related Records
      5.  Linked Open Data Editor - General Availability
      6.  Person Entity Page - Supporting Additional Languages
      7.  Entity Pages - Supporting Additional Entities: Location and Organization
      8.  AI Metadata Assistant - Expand to Additional Subject Vocabularies - Early Access
    4. 2026 H2
      1.  Bulk Bibliographic Records Enrichment with Automated Copy-Cataloging and AI Title Matching - General Availability
      2.  AI Metadata Assistant - Expand to Additional Languages - Early Access
      3. Customizable Crosswalks Platform
      4.  Linked Open Data Editor - Additional Enhancements
      5.  Collaborative Network Workflows for Linked Open Data
    5. 2027 H1
      1.  AI Metadata Import - Early Access
      2.  XSL Normalization Rule Assistant - Early Access
      3. Linked Data Enrichment for UNIMARC
      4.  Linked Open Data - Support Core Functionality for RDA/RDF – Early Access  
      5.  Linked Open Data - Support Descriptive Item Level Metadata Creation Based on BIBFRAME Item - Early Access
      6. Authorities Staff Search – Early Access to Enhanced UX 

Return to Alma Roadmap Highlights Overview

Metadata Management.png

Metadata and Linked Open Data

Overview

Alma's metadata roadmap and strategy aim to enhance the creation and management of your library’s resources. This roadmap outlines our plans to enhance existing metadata practices and expand with new capabilities like linked open data and using AI for metadata creation. We aim to create more interconnected and discoverable information. Additionally, using AI technologies will help streamline metadata creation and maintenance. These initiatives will improve the metadata, making it more accessible and valuable to your library.

Useful Links

  • For information on our Linked Open Data theme, see Linked Open Data.

  • For documentation on BIBFRAME capabilities already available in Alma see BIBFRAME support.

  • For documentation on the new LOD editor in Alma see Navigating the New Linked Open Data Editor for BIBFRAME

  • For documentation on linked data capabilities for legacy formats see Linked Data Enrichment Configuration

  • For documentation on contributor pages see Contributors Section

Roadmap

2026 H1 2026 H2 2027 H1
  • Configure Bibliographic Text Search Indexes for Any MARC Fields
  • MARC21 Bibliographic Resource Types Enhancement
  • Enhance Language Codes Support
  • Improve Handling of Related Records
  • Linked Open Data Editor - General Availability
  • Person Entity Page - Supporting Additional Languages
  • Entity Pages - Supporting Additional Entities: Location and Organization
  • AI Metadata Assistant - Expand to Additional Subject Vocabularies - Early Access
  • Bulk Bibliographic Records Enrichment with Automated Copy-Cataloging and AI Title Matching - General Availability
  • AI Metadata Assistant - Expand to Additional Languages - Early Access
  • Customizable Crosswalks Platform
  • Linked Open Data Editor - Additional Enhancements
  • Collaborative Network Workflows for Linked Open Data
  • AI Metadata Import - Early Access
  • XSL Normalization Rule Assistant - Early Access
  • Linked Data Enrichment for UNIMARC
  • Linked Open Data - Support Core Functionality for RDA/RDF – Early Access
  • Linked Open Data - Support Descriptive Item Level Metadata Creation Based on BIBFRAME Item - Early Access
  • Authorities Staff Search – Early Access to Enhanced UX

2026 H1

Configure Bibliographic Text Search Indexes for Any MARC Fields

idea exchange Idea Exchange

What’s New Highlights Impact

Administrators will be able to create custom bibliographic search indexes in Staff Search for any MARC fields to address the institution’s needs.

For example, create a text-based search index based on metadata from MARC field 306.

Allow the option to create custom search indexes for any MARC fields.

Empower the library to better search and manage its metadata by allowing the creation of customized search indexes. These tailored indexes will enable more precise and efficient searches, giving the library greater control over how its data is organized and accessed, and allowing it to align the search functionality with its specific needs and priorities.

back to Metadata and Linked Open Data Roadmap

MARC21 Bibliographic Resource Types Enhancement

idea exchange Idea Exchange

What’s New Highlights Impact
Libraries will be able to classify continuing resources with enhanced granularity, distinguishing between Magazines, Blogs, Repositories, Newsletters, and Directories through automated classification to address specific collection needs.
  • Enhanced resource type classification with more granular categories.
  • Support for format and publication status tracking.
Improves resource organization, discovery, and collection management through more precise classification options.

back to Metadata and Linked Open Data Roadmap

Enhance Language Codes Support

idea exchange Idea Exchange

What’s New Highlights Impact
Introducing a new combined language code table that merges MARC21 codes with ISO 639-3, providing broader and more granular language coverage. 
  • ISO 639-3 standard adds thousands of language codes, including dialects and lesser-known languages.
  • Applies to 041 $a and language-based search and facets.
  • Maintains compatibility with MARC21 for existing workflows.
The enriched list offers expanded language support, including lesser-known languages and dialects, while maintaining compatibility with MARC21 for existing workflows. 

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Improve Handling of Related Records

idea exchange Idea Exchange

What’s New Highlights Impact

Introduces new logic for handling linked record relationships, making the “Contains” relation more accurate in Alma and Primo.

  • Accurate “Contains” logic for linked records

  • Holdings shown only for relevant relationships

  • Clear distinction between relation display and functional use in GetIt/ViewIt.

Libraries benefit from improved resource discovery and a better user experience. Related holdings are displayed only where appropriate, reducing confusion and ensuring location-based filtering works correctly.

back to Metadata and Linked Open Data Roadmap

Linked Open Data icon Linked Open Data Editor - General Availability

Linked Open Data theme

What’s New Highlights Impact
Librarians will be able to create BIBFRAME templates and records (work and instance) in a new Linked Open Data Editor, using a user-friendly and flexible unified form interface guided by the ontology.
 
  • A fully integrated, linked open data editor as part of Alma and Alma workflows and part of the repository searches. 
  • Creation of templates based on the ontology.
  • Metadata creation in a user-friendly form-based interface.
  • Supporting linked data integrations and lookup services.
Libraries can create BIBFRAME work and Instances as part of the metadata creation workflow inside Alma, using a user-friendly interface, incorporated seamlessly into Alma, and including guidance from the BIBFRAME ontology, and out-of-the-box templates that meet interoperability standards. 

back to Metadata and Linked Open Data Roadmap

Linked Open Data icon Person Entity Page - Supporting Additional Languages

Linked Open Data theme

What’s New Highlights Impact
Librarians will be able to view the info card and contributor page in multiple languages based on the interface language. Utilizing multilingual support for the person entity pages. Improved user experience for non-English speakers.

back to Metadata and Linked Open Data Roadmap

Linked Open Data icon Entity Pages - Supporting Additional Entities: Location and Organization

Linked Open Data theme

What’s New Highlights Impact
Librarians will be able to view additional entity pages for new entity type, such as location and organization.
  • Introducing new entities, such as Location and Organization.

  • Enhancing Alma Search through interconnected entity relationships.

  • Improved contextual information for search results.

  • Richer, more comprehensive search experience.

  • Increased ability to discover related resources.

  • Better understanding of resource connections and context for users.

back to Metadata and Linked Open Data Roadmap

AI documentation logo no background.png AI Metadata Assistant - Expand to Additional Subject Vocabularies - Early Access

What’s New Highlights Impact
It will be possible to use the AI Metadata Assistant to create records using additional subject authority vocabularies, according to the global community's quality evaluation.
  • Support for more Community Zone authority vocabularies - early access.
  • Work with our global community to responsibly widen the AI Metadata Assistant capabilities to support more subject authorities.
Reduce the time and effort a cataloger spends on creating or enriching bibliographic records.

back to Metadata and Linked Open Data Roadmap

2026 H2

AI documentation logo no background.png Bulk Bibliographic Records Enrichment with Automated Copy-Cataloging and AI Title Matching - General Availability

What’s New Highlights Impact
It will be possible to enrich a set of bibliographic records by copy-cataloging from the library's regular search profiles, using automated results filtering and AI title matching.
  • Manual job to enrich a set of records using copy-cataloging.
  • AI title matching for resources that can't be matched using identifiers.
  • Easily review and approve/reject copy-cataloging suggestions.
Reduce the time and effort a cataloger spends on  copy-cataloging to enrich bibliographic records.

back to Metadata and Linked Open Data Roadmap

AI documentation logo no background.png AI Metadata Assistant - Expand to Additional Languages - Early Access

What’s New Highlights Impact
It will be possible to use the AI Metadata Assistant to create records for resources in additional languages,  by applying OCR tools to improve handling of such resources.
Work with our global community to responsibly widen the AI Metadata Assistant capabilities to support cataloging resources in more languages.
Reduce the time and effort a cataloger spends on creating or enriching bibliographic records.

back to Metadata and Linked Open Data Roadmap

Customizable Crosswalks Platform

What’s New Highlights Impact
Introducing an open, editable crosswalk framework that exposes crosswalks for editing, enabling institutions to independently customize, test, and apply metadata format conversions directly via the UI.
  • Allow customers to customize crosswalks for institutional needs.
  • Validate changes with sample records before applying them.
  • Automatic revert to default crosswalks if validation fails.
Enables customers to define and adjust metadata crosswalk logic to meet local needs, with immediate, real‑time application to cataloged records.

back to Metadata and Linked Open Data Roadmap

Linked Open Data icon Linked Open Data Editor - Additional Enhancements

Linked Open Data theme

What’s New Highlights Impact
Expanding the functionality of the new LOD Editor with BIBFRAME providing additional enhancments to expand the usage and adaptability of BIBFRAME creation.
  • Validation of BIBFRAME shapes using the DCTAP tool developed by the BIG (BIBFRAME Interoperability Group)
  • Supporting Versions management for BIBFRAME works and instances
  • Supporting adding manual URIs and Labels in lookup fields
  • Enhancing navigation and actions available within the editor
Libraries can create BIBFRAME work and Instances as part of the metadata creation workflow inside Alma, expanding the usability and supporting core cataloging functionalities for BIBFRAME works and instances.

back to Metadata and Linked Open Data Roadmap

Linked Open Data icon Collaborative Network Workflows for Linked Open Data

clipboard_e7deccd8abf11be972ca0ada848827303.png

Linked Open Data theme

What’s New Highlights Impact
Collaborative Networks will be able to work with BIBFRAME records alongside MARC records.
  • Support creating BIBFRAME records (works and instances) using the new BIBFRAME Editor in a Collaborative Network, including workflows between member institutions and the Network.
  • Supporting Network Zone searches within the Work Search.
  • Supporting internal lookups to Network Zones when cataloging a linked BIBFRAME record at an Institution Zone level.
Expanding the support of BIBFRAME workflows,  allowing BIBFRAME and MARC records to exist side by side in a Collaborative Network's catalog.

back to Metadata and Linked Open Data Roadmap

2027 H1

AI documentation logo no background.png AI Metadata Import - Early Access

What’s New Highlights Impact
Libraries will be able to create brief records for a group of resources using their images.
  • The library will be able to create brief records for uncataloged resources
  • The library will be able to choose whether AI generated brief records will be created as suppressed, to be reviewed by catalogers before becoming visible to patrons in discovery
Libraries will be able to easily provide basic information on uncataloged collections, improving the discoverability of the library's collections.
back to Metadata and Linked Open Data Roadmap

AI documentation logo no background.png XSL Normalization Rule Assistant - Early Access

What’s New Highlights Impact
An assistant embedded in the Alma Metadata Editor that allows users to generate XSL normalization rules using natural language input, empowered by AI.
  • Users can describe the desired rule in plain English
  • The AI generates an editable XSL code automatically
  • The XSL rule can be tested using the MD Editor built-in testing feature
Makes XSL rule creation accessible to non-technical staff, saves time, reduces errors, and encourages broader participation in metadata configuration. Improves efficiency and modernizes cataloging workflows.

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Linked Data Enrichment for UNIMARC

What’s New Highlights Impact
Support for enriching URIs of linked authorities to UNIMARC records.
  • Support adding permanent URIs to the UNIMARC records.
  • Expansion of linked data enrichment into the UNIMARC cataloging workflow using authorities data.
  • Configurable process that can be adapted to each institution's requierments.
Catalogers enjoy a seamless workflow for automatically adding URIs to relevant subfields, creating a foundation for ongoing work based on the authorities' IDs.

back to Metadata and Linked Open Data Roadmap

Linked Open Data icon Linked Open Data - Support Core Functionality for RDA/RDF – Early Access  

What’s New Highlights Impact
Libraries can manage RDA/RDF records in a new metadata format within Alma.​
  • Provide the ability to search for RDA/RDF entities in the staff searches.
  • These records will be available for use in Acquisitions and Fulfillment workflows.
Using RDA/RDF entities in end-to-end workflows, bringing new linked data metadata formats and standards to the cataloger within Alma.

back to Metadata and Linked Open Data Roadmap

Linked Open Data icon Linked Open Data - Support Descriptive Item Level Metadata Creation Based on BIBFRAME Item - Early Access

What’s New Highlights Impact
Librarians will be able to create item-level descriptive information based on the BIBFRAME ontology for items.
  • Support adding descriptive item-level information to a record, including custodial information, binding specific descriptions and notes.
  • Mapping existing Alma item information into the BIBFRAME item structure
Catalogers will be able to create item-level descriptive information based on an ontology standard, providing an accurate and interoperable metadata structure.

back to Metadata and Linked Open Data Roadmap

Authorities Staff Search – Early Access to Enhanced UX 

Search and lists.png
Repository Search
Enhanced UX

What’s New Highlights Impact
The Authorities search will be updated and redesigned for better usability, performance, productivity, and overall user experience.
  • Ability to use multi-value selection facets.
  • Table and record views for search results.
  • Enhanced navigation.
The user will be able to quickly find authority records.

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