At Technology from Sage our purpose is to support libraries in advancing teaching, learning and research. We can’t achieve this mission without the work of the talented team at Technology from Sage, so we’ve launched a series of posts for you to find out more about the team.
In this Meet the Team post, we’re joined by Jessica Clemons, the North America Sales Director at Technology from Sage. Read on to find out more about Jessica.
I began my career as a science librarian and thought I’d always be in libraries. I feel that is still true while working and serving libraries from the vendor side. I loved learning about all the different areas of librarianship, helping students, and engaging with faculty.
I’m leading the North American sales team to grow awareness of Technology from Sage and help customers deliver best in class, student-centered solutions. I get to talk to many different librarians about their strategic priorities, how they are providing value to their organization, and work with them to accelerate their vision.
So many things! I think I have some of the best colleagues who are talented, professional, and a lot of fun. We are strengthening and growing our partnerships with other vendors and that kind of collaboration is much needed. Most importantly, I am fortunate to be able to connect with so many different academic librarians who are working so hard to deliver the best services to their patrons, wherever they may be.
It seems like every year there is always a new “threat” to the academic library. Our solutions help librarians deliver on their core mission of access and engagement in modern ways, all while elevating the impact that the library can have.
Librarians are our focus and we want to help their work to be more impactful, engaging, and connected across the teaching and learning ecosystem. I’ve been connecting with many engaged and forward-thinking librarians who have the ability to see where they need to be in order to adapt to changing student and faculty needs.
Our solutions help librarians deliver on their core mission of access and engagement in modern ways, all while elevating the impact that the library can have.
There are so many examples to choose from here! In sales, it is usually when you hear a “yes” from a customer who wants to use our solutions to solve the problems they have and help their patrons. But realistically, my best day is any day where I’ve been able to help my colleagues, help customers, and take the time to be grateful for the opportunities that I have.
A Notepad, a coaster my daughter made for me and tinted lip balm.
In Love by Amy Bloom. I love her writing in fiction because it is filled with strong females living lives that are complicated and honest. In Love is a work of non-fiction that painfully and beautifully describes the loss of her husband to Alzheimer’s. I can’t get it out of my head or my heart.
I try and tune into my inner Yogi with a daily affirmation app. I like the variety and it helps to positively adjust my mindset and approach the day ahead with an open heart and a sense of joy.
I love this question because I’m a planner! I’ll want to take care of my growing menagerie of pets and farm animals, go for a hike or bike ride, make a treat with my kids, and play some games as a family. And perhaps I’d end the day with a gorgeous cocktail.
Working to advance higher education is where I find the most reward and I hope that I’ll always be able to do that. But, if I had to pick something else, I think it would be fun to be a brewmaster and make delicious craft beers for everyone to enjoy.
5 insights about the Lean Library and Springshare integration April 20, 2023Back in March, we were thrilled to sponsor and attend ACRL Conference 2023 in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. At the booth, Jessica Clemons (Director of Sales, Technology from Sage) and Talia Richards (Vice President of Marketing, Springshare) hosted a session on Springshare’s partnership with Lean Library and how libraries can integrate your LibGuides and LibChat right inside the patron’s workflow, without them ever having to navigate to the library’s website. Watch the session recording by clicking the button below or read on for a summary of the 5 key insights.
How can the library assist in lowering these stress levels for students? One of the ways this can be improved is by increasing access to resources at the point of need. Most notably, by removing barriers and making it easier for students to find key resources as and when they need them.
Data from our 2021 Librarian Futures Report reveals that 48% patrons begin their search for resources outside of the library. Also, it was found that the librarian is an underused resource and used the same amount as Wikipedia. However, patrons do want support from the library in their workflow.
We have a brand-new report out now titled Librarian Futures Part II which contrasts librarian and student perspectives on the undergraduate workflow.
In March 2023, there were 905,000 LibGuides in the community site created by 258,000 librarians at 5,900 institutions. How do we ensure that these LibGuides are being surfaced by patrons to reduce their stress and anxiety? How do we ensure that librarians are getting a return on their investment with creating LibGuides? This is where Lean Library comes in…
When patrons start searching for resources on Google or Google Scholar, Lean Library will deploy the relevant LibGuide at the point of need. For example, if a patron is searching for resources on Google Scholar, a LibGuide can be deployed which explains how to use Google Scholar for research, without the patron having to leave their workflow. LibGuides can be deployed on any academic resource or website online, such as, ChatGPT, so that when a patron lands on the ChatGPT website, a LibGuide can be deployed which details the library’s guidelines on using ChatGPT effectively and safely.
What if a student is searching for resources off campus and they have a question for their librarian? The Lean Library integration with LibChat means that a student can get support from their librarian without leaving their workflow. Springshare have now launched Chatbox “flows” which can be present on any webpage, whether it’s Wikipedia or Google Scholar. Chatbox “flows” guide users to answers before they talk to a librarian, making it easier for them to find self-help first. Plus, you can provide FAQs to common questions.
Unveiling a new user-centered approach on the delivery of library services April 20, 2023Back in March we were delighted to present three sessions at ER&L Conference 2023 in Austin, Texas on how libraries can amplify their value on campus. In this blog, we share 5 key insights from our session, Unveiling a new user-centered approach on the delivery of library services: A case study from Bangor University Library.
The session explored Bangor University library’s vision and plan to increase student engagement with resource lists and embedding EzProxy into research workflows to support researcher impact. The talk was chaired by Jessica Clemons (Director of Sales, Technology from Sage), with speakers Anna Jones, MLIS (Senior Program Manager, Community Relations, OCLC) and Alan Thomas (Teaching and Learning Support Manager, Bangor University library).
You can watch the full session recording below or read on to get a summary of 5 key insights from how one library used digital services at multiple points of the patron workflow to increase library impact and engagement of library-subscribed resources.
Most students do not begin their search for resources on the library website. Our new report titled Librarian Futures report Part II: The Knowledge Gap between Librarians and Students found that 63% of patrons use Google to find resources compared to 35% using library websites. You can download the report here.
With the OCLC Worldshare Management Services (WMS) and Talis Aspire integration, students can more easily find resources that have been listed by their professors and faculty as they can be embedded in the discovery workflow. This also means that cataloguing workflows are integrated with the reading lists. It’s all supported by OCLC WorldCat data and makes it easier for library staff, too!
Wherever patrons are in the world, accessing the library anytime, anywhere, any place is one of Bangor University library’s key strategies. Patrons being able to easily access reading materials and resources that the library purchases or leases is vital.
Both staff and students go to Google or Google Scholar first rather than the library website or discovery, so Bangor University library must ensure their material is findable through this route. Bangor University library use Lean Library to take care of EZproxy and authentications and route patrons straight through to accessing library materials, even when they begin their search outside of the library on the open web.
Bangor University library have integrated Talis Aspire’s resource list management software with their Blackboard Virtual Learning Environment (VLE) so that students are aware of which resources they should be prioritising. Students expect to be told what they have access to, so the reading lists present vetted and suitable material. If a professor is teaching statistics in psychology, the resource would also be available to students of biochemistry, therefore it would cross departments. Usage figures for the resources would go up and the cost per student would go down.
Back in March we were delighted to present three sessions at ER&L Conference 2023 in Austin, Texas on how libraries can amplify their value on campus.
Our session, Future-proofing access: Going where your patrons are, asked the question: How can university libraries ensure patrons receive library support at the ‘point of need’ and secure equity of access?
The talk was chaired by Daniel Horvath (Product Director, Technology from Sage), Talia Richards (Vice President of Marketing, Springshare) and Matthew Hawkes (Academic Librarian, The University of East Anglia).
The library can help reduce students’ stress levels by improving reach and access to LibGuides’ content. Most notably, by removing barriers and making it easier for students to find the information they need, as and when they need it.
With the Lean Library and LibChat integration, your Chatbox “flows” can be present on any webpage, whether it’s Wikipedia or Google Scholar, ensuring that patrons can have the support they need from their library at the point of need. Chatbox “flows” guide users to answers before they talk to a librarian, making it easier for them to find self-help first. Plus, you can provide FAQs to common questions.
With the Lean Library browser extension, patrons are told that they have access to an article or resource via their institution. All they need to do do is click “Get Access” and they’ll be taken to the full text article. If the library doesn’t have the article in their discovery, patrons can still request the article via Inter-Library Loan (ILL). It’s a one-stop-shop for the user – they don’t have to do any further searching. Lean Library makes patrons’ lives easier by injecting itself in the user journey when researching.
Rather than expecting users to come to the library webpages, locate the guide, read all about the resource they want and then go off and start searching, a pop-up can be deployed within the resource e.g. a video guide, which talks users through how to use it. They can access this guide at any time through the Lean Library menu. This means support can be surfaced directly into patron workflows, whether the patron is located on or off campus. Microsoft Forms and surveys can also be deployed, not just onboarding guides, to nudge students towards the right places.
When patrons land on the external library webpage, they’ll receive a pop-up which links them to their digital library via a LibGuide. This enables patrons to hit the ground running and they can search library resources safe in the knowledge that they’re viewing everything. You can learn more about the Lean Library and Springshare integration here and how this partnership works to bring LibGuides and LibChat directly into patron works.
Technology from Sage Invests in Skilltype to Build Librarian Skills for the Future April 19, 2023
In March 2023, Technology from Sage announced that it had invested in Skilltype to build librarian skills for the future. Skilltype is a talent management platform codesigned with libraries to improve access to quality training resources in line with changing patron needs. Using a controlled vocabulary of information science competencies, interests, and trainings, Skilltype identifies and closes skill gaps across the library while simultaneously enabling librarians – regardless of their degree or job title – to manage their personal learning and career development.
Under the leadership of Tony Zanders, a committed advocate for librarians and their capacity to shape the campus and the community, Skilltype is now embedded in more than 150 libraries across five countries. The company recently announced a new round of seed financing to fuel its mission.
“We were interested in partnering with an organization that has a track record of thinking about new ways to manage the library as opposed to continuing to invest in legacy ways of doing things. Sage has a track record of investing in emerging technologies that will define the library of the future,” said Tony Zanders, Skilltype CEO. “This investment will enable us to expand our product offering to help libraries solve their recruitment challenges and fill vacancies using data – one of the top challenges facing libraries today. Ultimately, it will help us help libraries make more impact.”
With Technology from Sage’s investment, Martha Sedgwick, Vice President of Product Innovation at Sage, will join the Skilltype board. Sedgwick said:
“Our Technology from Sage division is investing in new solutions and emerging tech that amplify the power of the academic library and support librarians through a transformative decade for the library. The growth of open access, hybrid learning, and now emerging AI tools are bringing dramatic changes in the way patrons discover and engage with information. We believe the librarian’s role will be more important than ever before in helping universities and their patrons navigate these changes. This is why we are so excited by Tony’s aspirations for Skilltype. His team has built a very impressive solution that empowers librarians to continue to increase their value on campus. Our hope is that our support will increase Skilltype’s global impact.”
Zanders created Skilltype after observing challenges in how libraries developed skills to support today’s patrons. It started as a community of nine academic libraries researching how linked data could be used to better understand their organizations. Today, Skilltype’s controlled vocabulary leverages existing competency frameworks for the information professions, ultimately encouraging both individual and organizational growth:
“At Sage, we see librarians as playing a crucial role in supporting their Higher Education Institution’s goals of supporting research excellence and student success. We share those goals as core to our mission and work in partnership with libraries to help them deliver for their institutions.” explained Karen Phillips, Executive Vice President of Learning at Sage. “As an independent company, we take a long-term approach to investing in library success and are free to do so in ways that enhance equity and break from tradition to help expand the role of the librarian as patrons’ needs evolve.”
Technology from Sage shares Sage’s mission and believes that the right technology can remove barriers to knowledge. Lean Library, part of Technology from Sage, published their Librarian Futures report in 2021 exploring what the future holds for the librarian-patron relationship and focusing on how to prepare libraries for what’s coming next. Part II of this report will be published in April.
Meet our Managing Director, Matt Hayes April 14, 2023At Technology from Sage our purpose is to support libraries in advancing teaching, learning and research. We can’t achieve this mission without the work of the talented team at Technology from Sage, so we’ve launched a series of posts for you to find out more about the team.
In this Meet the Team post, we’re joined by Matt Hayes, Managing Director at Technology from Sage. Read on to find out more about Matt – including what excites him most about working at Technology from Sage, the success of Lean Library Futures at BETT 2022 and what separates Technology from Sage from other companies.
I first joined Technology from Sage in 2020 as Managing Director of Lean Library. I came from Clarivate where I had been Director of Publons, the peer review platform, helping to lead Publons through its post-acquisition growth period. I loved my time at Publons, working with some amazing people and scaling reviewer recognition globally. A personal highlight was standing up a rapid Covid-19 preprint screening platform at the beginning of the pandemic, where we were able to mobilise the Publons reviewer community to rapidly screen emerging Covid research. The Lean Library opportunity came later that year and at just the right time, as we had just finished a 2-year growth acceleration period and had completed integrating the team into the core Clarivate business. I really admired the vision of Lean Library’s original founders, to bring the library into user workflows, and was excited at the potential to build out its promise, differentiating it from a generation of access broker tools into a more comprehensive solution for libraries.
My role expanded to Managing Director of Technology from Sage in early 2022, taking on responsibility for the Talis and Sciwheel businesses in addition to Lean Library. In my role as MD, I am ultimately responsible and accountable for all aspects of our strategy, long-term planning and day-to-day operations. I am lucky enough to have an amazing leadership team to support me in this, with talented directors for each of our key functions – from Technology to Sales.
I think it’s the challenge of being a minnow in a sea of whales! Having worked for the larger players like Clarivate and Springer Nature before, I am hyper aware of the scale and resources that these companies can bring to bear in our space. So my focus is often on what we can do that they can’t or won’t. This is where our ownership by Sage is so impactful. Their independent structure, not beholden to shareholders or short-term market changes, enables us to take a long-term view as a business. So our product strategy is able to really look ahead to where libraries might go in 5, 10 years’ time, and how our products can support them along the way. This is really exciting for me, as I love the new ideas and challenges this approach brings about. It means that we’re constantly looking to innovate, and that we can take risks.
(Sage’s) independent structure, not beholden to shareholders or short-term market changes, enables us to take a long-term view as a business. So our product strategy is able to really look ahead to where libraries might go in 5, 10 years’ time, and how our products can support them along the way.
I’m going to go with one of our internal values: ‘One Team’. We put this in place late last year as we started to bring each of the three businesses (Talis, Lean Library and Sciwheel) that make up Technology from Sage closer together. It’s really about saying that although we are a bunch of brilliantly different people, all with different histories and experiences, we are a single team. A team that supports each other, that achieves great things and has fun while doing it. That’s the kind of environment I personally always want to work in, and one I consider it my responsibility to help create. Playing my part in cultivating a happy team, that works well together, that can learn and progress, is one of the most rewarding parts of my role.
I think winning a BETT Award for Lean Library Futures last year. It was the culmination of a lot of hard work during the pandemic, and everyone involved put so much passion into achieving something we felt was truly ground-breaking. So it was awesome to have that recognised at BETT.
A takeaway coffee from Gail’s, my fancy new ergonomic mouse (writing up my PhD thesis has recently given me carpal tunnel!), and a huge bottle of water.
Circe by Madeline Miller. It’s so incredibly beautiful – please read it!
My hero has always been Bobby Kennedy and I love his Ripples of Hope speech: ‘Whenever someone stands up for an ideal, or acts to improve the lot of others, or strikes out against injustice, they send forth a tiny ripple of hope – which crossing each other from a million different centres of energy and daring can build a current to sweep down the mightiest walls of oppression and resistance.’ I remember first hearing it in my mid-twenties and this, and many other RFK speeches, have quite literally directed my career and life. He inspired me to do my PhD in citizenship education and is always a reminder to focus on the impact my work has. In terms of the best advice I’ve ever received, I love aphorisms and a party trick is my obsession with memorising speeches and quotes, so there’s probably too many to select just one, but this popped into my head now: ‘Everything will be alright in the end, and if it’s not alright it’s not the end.’
A long walk on Hampstead Heath with my wife and daughters, followed by lunch at the pub.
I’ve considered the NGO sector before and once had a dream to join UNESCO, so maybe something there or in K-12 education. I think whatever I did though it would still be in this broad knowledge sector we’re in. I love the intellectual challenge of business, the personal impact I can have leading people, and the societal benefits of sector I’m a part of. ‘Be kind, be useful’, basically. 😊
Meet our Product Director, Daniel Horvath April 14, 2023At Technology from Sage our purpose is to support libraries in advancing teaching, learning and research. We can’t achieve this mission without the work of the talented team at Technology from Sage, so we’ve launched a series of posts for you to find out more about the team.
In this Meet the Team post, we’re joined by Daniel Horvath, Product Director at Technology from Sage.
I worked at Lean Library for 4 years before joining the Technology from Sage Leadership Team in 2022, which was an exciting time. My background has always been in product; I worked as a Quality Assurance assistant, did a bit of product training and consultancy – and a bit of coding myself!
I am Product Director at Technology from Sage. I lead the product teams across the businesses (Talis, Lean Library, and Sciwheel), and develop the long-term product strategy on the product suite level. Additionally, I work closely with other departments such as sales, and marketing, to align our efforts and support them in their work.
I am excited about the opportunities and possibilities we are seeing at Technology from Sage, and it’s great to be working with a team full of bright, talented and motivated people on these opportunities.
At Technology from Sage, we believe that librarians are fundamental to learning and research at their institution and that the right technology can remove barriers to knowledge. This is particularly true for the product department. The ultimate goal of our products is to make learning and research easier for our users (the library’s patrons). Therefore, we need knowledge and input from librarians when we build and develop our product suite. To achieve this, we conduct regular interviews, workshops and feedback discussions with our librarian partners (and their users!) to ensure our roadmaps are meeting their needs. On top of that, we work closely with a few libraries as development partners, who directly advise on specific products as we develop and grow.
I don’t think I’d be able to pick one particular day from the last 5 years. It has been an exciting and challenging journey, through which we have been continuously evolving, and as we’ve evolved, we face different challenges to solve. This has been keeping my work at Lean Library and Technology from SAGE ever exciting and enjoyable.
I try to keep my desk as clean as possible, so apart from my keyboard, mouse and speakers, most times there isn’t anything else on my desk (well, maybe a cup of coffee).
A quote I recently heard from Rick and Morty goes ‘Confidence is the food of the wise man but the liqueur of the fool‘. I found it to be a great and humbling quote.
You will almost certainly find me with my friends having fun by the beach or having dinner and boardgame nights.
Good question. I feel I would either work on a similar project and product, or do something totally different like video editing and videography that is my main hobby.
