The Future-Ready Library: Scaling Research Impact with Zendy AI

Most libraries have a finding problem. Collections keep growing, subscriptions keep renewing, and yet many users never reach the material their library pays for. In the Ithaka S+R US Faculty Survey 2021, only 14% of faculty said they most often start looking for scholarly material on their library’s website or catalog. We looked at what that means for discovery in AI Research Discovery: What the Data Tells Librarians.

A future-ready library closes that gap without tearing up what already works. That is the focus of our upcoming webinar, The Future-Ready Library: Scaling Research Impact with Zendy AI, a practical, live demonstration of Zendy AI Discovery.

Webinar details

• Date: Wednesday, November 11, 2026
• Time: 1:00 PM GST (UTC+4)
• Format: Live online session on Zoom, in English
• Speaker: Lisette van Kessel, Head of Brand Strategy & Growth at Zendy
• Cost: Free. Register here

What does “future-ready” mean for a library?

It means giving users a better way to ask questions and reach relevant research, while the library keeps control of its content, its brand, and its budget.

Traditional search asks users to know what to look for and how to phrase it. Results come back, but guidance and context are often missing, and filters can add complexity instead of clarity. AI discovery works differently: it reads the intent behind a question and helps the user refine it. If you want the background first, start with What Is AI Discovery? and AI Discovery vs Traditional Search.

What you’ll see in the session

• How the system understands intent rather than keywords to provide a guided, intelligent dialogue.
• Ways our AI acts as a research partner to provide an expert layer on your existing services.
• How to maintain full control of your content with no data handover or ingestion required.
• Methods for admins to configure AI agent behaviour to control tone, depth, and refinement.
• How to use a straightforward integration that ensures no disruption to existing flows.

Why it matters for research impact

When users find relevant content faster, they use more of it. Zendy AI Discovery can reduce the time it takes to find relevant content by up to 80%, and that embedding it in a library or platform drives 30% to 70% higher database usage. For libraries, that means a stronger return on the subscriptions they already have, and clearer evidence of the value they deliver to their institution.

Who should attend

The session is designed for librarians and information professionals, library directors, research office managers, and university leaders who want to bring AI into discovery in a controlled, low-risk way. Researchers and anyone curious about how AI is changing access to scholarly content are welcome too.

Save your seat

If your library is weighing how to adopt AI without disrupting what already works, this session will show you what it looks like in practice. Join us on Wednesday, November 11, 2026, at 1:00 PM GST.

Register for the free webinar

Can’t make it live? Learn more about Zendy AI Discovery for libraries or book a demo with our team.