Electronic, FOLIO and EDS Updates: Fall 2026

This article is from the fall 2026 issue of Hearsay, the semi-annual newsletter of the Wheat Law Library.

From the outside, libraries may seem somewhat static. They can appear as places that simply hold books and where you can go for help finding information. Yet as technology advances, so do libraries. They are ever-evolving ecosystems of information in which people collaborate with one another, and increasingly with machines, on research and knowledge creation. That has never been more apparent than today, as digital tools reshape how libraries serve their users and generative artificial intelligence becomes increasingly embedded in the information landscape.

Over the past year, Wheat Law Library has made significant changes to its services and website to adapt to the changing law school educational environment. Highlights include  anytime online study room booking, faster access to research resources, a new university-wide library system, and the launch of Harvey, a leading legal AI tool, for faculty and law students. Some of these changes were small but powerful; others were large, and their full effect is still unfolding.

Several of these small changes have already made a big difference:
• Study rooms can now be booked online anytime, from anywhere. Working with KU IT colleagues, including Tyler Kincaid, IT senior support technician for KU Law, we replaced the paper sign-up notebook at the circulation desk with a self-service system built on Microsoft Bookings.
• Our updated Legal Databases List is easier to browse on desktop or mobile devices, and usage tracking helps us see which resources patrons rely on most.
• With help from one of our vendors and Nishon Hawkins, ILL library manager at KU Libraries, patrons can now request interlibrary loans directly from our library search interface, making the process smoother and faster.
• A new research request system, built with Yang Yang, senior analyst in KU IT, lets us track each request from start to finish so we can respond to patrons’ research needs more effectively and efficiently.

Our largest changes came this summer when we transitioned to a new integrated library system and revamped the library website. The ILS migration was a major lift for libraries across all University of Kansas campuses, including the medical school. Together, KU Libraries, A.R. Dykes Library (KU Med) and Wheat Law Library implemented FOLIO, an open-source ILS hosted by EBSCO. As a result, EBSCO Discovery Service is now our main interface for discovering and accessing physical and digital collections. Wheat Law Library could not have made this transition without our colleagues at KU Libraries, who provided much of the technical expertise. Library staff across KU are now simultaneously learning and tailoring both new systems to best serve our needs and those of our patrons. We have also streamlined our website to make it more user-friendly. The most frequently used legal databases are now prominent on the homepage, and many of our services, including the interlibrary loan form, research request form, study room reservations and reference services, are just one click away. The website also highlights our collections, user policies and library hours. It showcases library news and updates as well as our developing AI services. These changes support our goal of connecting patrons to the resources they need faster.

Looking ahead, we are excited about more large-scale changes as we develop library services centered on generative artificial intelligence. This semester, through the Harvey Law School Program, we launched Harvey, a leading legal AI tool, to faculty and law students. This initiative helps prepare students for successfully utilizing AI tools in their legal careers and supports faculty in their research and teaching. We are also hosting an AI Workshop series on the basics of the AI tools available through Wheat Law Library, and we are beginning to explore how to partner with faculty to incorporate AI literacy into the curriculum. For more information, please visit our AI at Wheat Law Library page.

To keep up with the latest at Wheat Law Library, check out our new blog, Wheat Law Library News & Announcements.

Rebecca Orozco
Electronic Services & Emerging Technologies Librarian