For Agents
Manage Alma task-list workflows for academic libraries: list and act on printouts, requested resources, and resource-sharing lending requests through the Alma REST API.
Install Jentic One Beta
Jentic One is a self-hosted execution layer for AI agents. It lets your agent call the Ex Libris APIs, or any other public or private API you need. You set the rules, the agent never sees your credentials, and every call is logged.
Two steps, two machines. Install the instance in a safe environment, then register your agent from wherever it runs.
Step 1: Jentic One Host machine
# On the machine that will host your Jentic One instance:
curl -fsSL https://raw.githubusercontent.com/jentic/jentic-one/main/tools/install.sh | shStep 2: Agent machine
# On the machine where your agent runs (keep this separate from the instance):
curl -fsSL https://raw.githubusercontent.com/jentic/jentic-one/main/tools/install.sh | sh
jentic register # connects your agent to your Jentic One instanceJentic One is in public beta. The setup above keeps your agent separate from the instance, which is what you want before using real credentials: an agent running as the same OS user as Jentic One can read its stored keys directly. Just evaluating? A single local install is fine to start. See the secure deployment guide for the tiers.
What an agent can do with Ex Libris APIs.
Retrieve queued printouts waiting at a circulation desk for batch action
Act on a specific Alma printout by ID to mark it printed or reprint it
List requested resources awaiting fulfilment in a given library or location
GET STARTED
Use for: List all printouts waiting at the circulation desk in Alma, Retrieve the details of a specific Alma printout by ID, Act on a batch of requested resources to mark them as fulfilled, Find all lending requests currently in the resource-sharing inbox
Not supported: Does not handle bibliographic record creation, user management, acquisitions, or analytics — use for Alma task-list workflows (printouts, requested resources, lending requests) only.
Jentic publishes the only available OpenAPI specification for Ex Libris APIs, keeping it validated and agent-ready. Ex Libris (a ProQuest company) provides Alma, the cloud library services platform used by academic and research libraries worldwide. This subset of the Alma REST APIs covers task-list workflows: managing printouts, requested resources, and resource-sharing lending requests. Authentication is by API key passed as a query parameter under the /almaws/v1/task-lists/ path family.
Bulk-act on requested resources to fulfil, decline, or transit them
Pull lending requests in the resource-sharing inbox for review
Bulk-act on lending requests to ship, reject, or update their status
Patterns agents use Ex Libris APIs for, with concrete tasks.
★ Circulation Desk Printout Automation
Retrieve queued printouts from Alma and process them in batch from a desk client. The /almaws/v1/task-lists/printouts endpoints let staff list pending printouts and POST actions to mark them printed, reprinted, or cancelled. Useful for libraries that want to attach a label printer or kiosk to the Alma queue without operating the Alma staff UI.
Call GET /almaws/v1/task-lists/printouts to list pending printouts, then POST /almaws/v1/task-lists/printouts/{printout_id} with action=printed for each one returned.
Requested-Resources Fulfilment Workflow
Pull the requested-resources task list and bulk-act on items as they are pulled from the shelf. GET /almaws/v1/task-lists/requested-resources returns items awaiting fulfilment and the corresponding POST endpoint accepts bulk actions to update their state. This supports custom shelf-pulling workflows or dashboards that sit alongside Alma rather than replacing it.
Call GET /almaws/v1/task-lists/requested-resources for library_code=MAIN, then POST the same path with a list of item IDs and action=fulfilled.
Resource-Sharing Lending Inbox
Resource-sharing librarians can use /almaws/v1/task-lists/rs/lending-requests to retrieve the lending inbox and POST actions to ship, reject, or update requests. Combined with the requested-resources endpoint this lets a library run interlibrary loan triage from a custom dashboard or scheduled agent.
Call GET /almaws/v1/task-lists/rs/lending-requests filtered to status=Created, then POST the same path to ship the first ten requests.
AI Library-Operations Agent via Jentic
An AI assistant embedded in a library staff portal uses Jentic to call Alma task-list endpoints based on natural-language requests like "clear today's printouts" or "reject all expired lending requests." Jentic resolves the intent to the correct Alma operation and supplies the API key from the vault rather than the agent's context.
Through Jentic, search 'list alma requested resources', load the GET /almaws/v1/task-lists/requested-resources operation, and execute it with library_code=MAIN.
10 endpoints — jentic publishes the only available openapi specification for ex libris apis, keeping it validated and agent-ready.
METHOD
PATH
DESCRIPTION
/almaws/v1/task-lists/printouts
Retrieve queued printouts
/almaws/v1/task-lists/printouts
Bulk-act on printouts
/almaws/v1/task-lists/printouts/{printout_id}
Act on a specific printout
/almaws/v1/task-lists/requested-resources
List requested resources
/almaws/v1/task-lists/requested-resources
Act on requested resources
/almaws/v1/task-lists/rs/lending-requests
List lending requests
/almaws/v1/task-lists/rs/lending-requests
Act on lending requests
/almaws/v1/task-lists/printouts
Retrieve queued printouts
/almaws/v1/task-lists/printouts
Bulk-act on printouts
/almaws/v1/task-lists/printouts/{printout_id}
Act on a specific printout
/almaws/v1/task-lists/requested-resources
List requested resources
/almaws/v1/task-lists/requested-resources
Act on requested resources
Three things that make agents converge on Jentic-routed access.
Credential isolation
Ex Libris API keys are stored encrypted in the Jentic vault. Agents receive a scoped, short-lived credential at execution time and the raw apikey never enters the agent's prompt, memory, or logs.
Intent-based discovery
Agents search Jentic by intent (e.g., 'list alma printouts' or 'act on lending requests') and Jentic returns the matching Alma operation with its query and body schema, so the agent calls the right endpoint without browsing the Ex Libris Developer Network.
Time to first call
Direct Alma integration: 2-4 days for API key provisioning, region-specific base URL handling, and bulk action error parsing. Through Jentic: under 1 hour — search, load, execute.
Alternatives and complements available in the Jentic catalogue.
Specific to using Ex Libris APIs through Jentic.
Why is there no official OpenAPI spec for Ex Libris APIs?
Ex Libris does not publish an OpenAPI specification for its Alma REST APIs. Jentic generates and maintains this spec so that AI agents and developers can call Ex Libris APIs via structured tooling. It is validated against the live API and kept up to date. Get started at https://app.jentic.com/sign-up.
What authentication does the Ex Libris API use?
Authentication is by API key passed as a query parameter named apikey. Keys are issued from the Ex Libris Developer Network and scoped to specific Alma areas (Bibs, Users, Tasks, etc.). Through Jentic the apikey is held in the encrypted vault and injected at request time so it never appears in agent prompts or logs.
Which Alma areas are covered by this spec?
This spec covers the Tasks area only — printouts, requested resources, and resource-sharing lending requests under /almaws/v1/task-lists/. Other Alma APIs (Bibs, Users, Acquisitions, Configuration) are separate and not included in these 10 endpoints.
Can I bulk-act on requested resources?
Yes. POST /almaws/v1/task-lists/requested-resources accepts a body describing the action and the items to apply it to, returning a per-item result. Use it to fulfil or decline multiple requests in a single call rather than iterating.
How do I clear today's printout queue through Jentic?
Run pip install jentic, then search 'list alma printouts', load the GET /almaws/v1/task-lists/printouts operation, execute it, and for each returned printout call POST /almaws/v1/task-lists/printouts/{printout_id} with the appropriate action. Jentic supplies the apikey at execution time.
Which region's base URL should I use?
This spec targets api-eu.hosted.exlibrisgroup.com. Ex Libris also operates api-na.hosted.exlibrisgroup.com (North America), api-ap.hosted.exlibrisgroup.com (Asia-Pacific), and api-cn.hosted.exlibrisgroup.com. Use the host that matches the institution's Alma data centre.
/almaws/v1/task-lists/rs/lending-requests
List lending requests
/almaws/v1/task-lists/rs/lending-requests
Act on lending requests