Wait, FOLIO Can Do That? 10 Tips for Getting More from FOLIO

At WOLFcon 2026, libraries and FOLIO experts shared real examples of how they are extending, adapting and using FOLIO in ways that go beyond the expected. The session, “Wait, FOLIO Can Do That? Unexpected Capabilities in Practice,” highlighted everything from small productivity improvements to API-driven workflows and new interfaces.

Here are 10 practical ideas that may get you thinking differently about what FOLIO can do for your library.

What are some easy ways to make working in FOLIO more efficient?

You do not necessarily need development resources to improve everyday work in FOLIO. Small changes to display settings, repetitive data entry and common browser actions can help staff reduce friction and work more efficiently.

1. Make long stretches of screen time more comfortable

Library staff can spend significant portions of the day working within their library system. Small changes to the working environment can make that screen time more comfortable.

At WOLFcon, presenters demonstrated operating system and browser settings such as night light and dark mode alongside FOLIO, giving staff additional ways to customize their working environment.

2. Stop typing the same information repeatedly

Think about the information staff enter again and again: common phrases, notes, URLs, messages or other standardized text.

Text-expansion tools can turn short keyboard commands into predefined content. Examples shared at WOLFcon showed how this approach can reduce repetitive typing while helping improve speed and consistency.

For workflows that involve frequently entering the same information, even a small shortcut can add up over the course of a day.

3. Automate repetitive clicks and keystrokes

Not every repetitive task happens within FOLIO itself. Sometimes the extra work comes from the steps surrounding a workflow.

Presenters demonstrated automation tools that can streamline recurring keyboard, mouse, application and browser actions. Examples ranged from custom shortcuts to automatically opening and resizing applications for particular workflows.

The question is simple: What actions do your staff repeat every day that could be simplified?

Can libraries make important information easier to see in FOLIO?

Yes. Libraries can use browser-based customizations to make information already available in FOLIO more noticeable during a workflow.

4. Use visual cues to call attention to important information

In one WOLFcon demonstration, a browser script visually highlighted an item when it belonged to a retention collection.

The information itself was already available. The customization made it harder for staff to overlook it while completing their work.

That raises a useful question for any library: What information do your staff repeatedly have to hunt for?

Sometimes improving a workflow starts with making the right information easier to notice.

What can libraries automate with FOLIO APIs?

FOLIO APIs can support local applications, reporting, integrations and workflow automation. Libraries can use them to connect FOLIO with other systems or build solutions around specific local needs.

At Universidad Distrital Francisco José de Caldas, the library team shared four projects developed to improve library services using FOLIO: a signage printing system, a loan reporting portal, clearance certificate automation and user management automation.

5. Modernize a legacy label-printing process

The university had a label-printing process with several limitations, including a maximum print run, dependence on a single computer and recurring configuration issues.

Its team developed a new solution in Python that could be used across systems and devices. The resulting workflow supports editable templates, barcode or list-format labels, automated processing through an API and PDF generation.

The lesson goes beyond label printing: a long-standing local process doesn't have to stay disconnected from your library system.

6. Automate routine reporting

Reporting is another area where APIs can help reduce manual work.

Universidad Distrital developed a web application to generate automated reports and integrate FOLIO information with other APIs, websites, custom developments and institutional systems.

The approach supports automated queries and reporting across areas such as users, transactions and academic programs.

For libraries that rely on manual reporting processes, spreadsheets or repeated data extraction, APIs can create opportunities to rethink how that information is gathered and delivered.

Can FOLIO connect with other campus systems?

Yes. FOLIO can be incorporated into workflows that extend beyond the library, allowing library information to interact with other institutional processes.

Examples shared at WOLFcon showed how APIs can help connect library workflows with campus systems rather than requiring staff to manage those activities separately.

7. Connect library workflows with campus processes

At Universidad Distrital, the process for generating an academic-administrative clearance certificate was manual and depended on staff availability. Library, academic and payment systems were not connected.

The university developed a web application that updates information in FOLIO through an API and supports automatic user blocking and real-time generation of clearance documentation.

Benefits reported by the university included 24/7 availability, reduced human error and more reliable information.

The example illustrates a broader opportunity for libraries: workflows that cross departmental boundaries may not need to remain separate, manual processes.

8. Keep user information moving automatically

Updating user information can also become a significant manual task, particularly when information lives across multiple institutional systems.

Another Universidad Distrital project created a FOLIO-based web service to support continuous user updates and automatic integration with institutional systems. The university reported benefits including real-time updates, improved data integrity and reduced human error. For library staff, that can mean spending less time maintaining information manually and more time focusing on work that requires their expertise.

Should libraries revisit workflows after moving to FOLIO?

Yes. A workflow that made sense during implementation may be worth reviewing later as FOLIO evolves, new capabilities become available, and a library becomes more familiar with the platform.

9. Reconsider the workarounds you kept during migration

When Cornell University Library went live with FOLIO in 2021 after migrating from Voyager, it intentionally kept many existing practices in place to reduce the impact of the transition.

One example involved assigning accession-type call numbers to audiovisual materials using a locally developed system. The separate system required its own login, made errors difficult to resolve, and required ongoing maintenance from library IT.

But FOLIO did not stop evolving after Cornell went live.

By 2026, the Number Generator had been expanded, and the Sunflower release included its use for call numbers. That created an opportunity for Cornell to reconsider a workflow that previously required a separate local solution.

It is a useful reminder that implementation does not have to be the last time a library evaluates its workflows.

What workaround did your library keep during implementation that might no longer be necessary today?

Can FOLIO support experimentation with new library interfaces?

Yes. FOLIO APIs can provide a foundation for prototyping and exploring new interfaces and workflows around specific library needs.

10. Test an idea before assuming it cannot be done

At WOLFcon, EBSCO’s Andrew Nagy demonstrated a FOLIO self-check kiosk concept using FOLIO APIs and Claude Code.

The project began with a human-created kiosk prototype and used FOLIO APIs to develop a deployable native tablet application.

The larger idea is not limited to self-check.

Access to APIs and an extensible platform gives teams more room to prototype new interfaces, test ideas and explore workflows around their specific needs.

Instead of beginning with “Can our system do exactly this today?”, libraries can also ask: “Can we build or connect what we need around it?”

How can libraries get more value from FOLIO?

Getting more value from FOLIO starts with identifying the workflows that create friction for staff and considering whether they still need to work the way they do today.

The examples shared at WOLFcon ranged from small productivity improvements to sophisticated integrations, but they all started with a real workflow problem.

Maybe staff is repeatedly entering the same information.

Maybe a task requires jumping between several systems.

Maybe reporting still depends on spreadsheets or manual work.

Maybe important information is difficult to spot.

Maybe your library has a workaround that has become “the way we do it.”

Or maybe your team has an idea and is not sure whether FOLIO can support it.

The next improvement does not always come from adding another system. Sometimes it starts by looking at an existing workflow and asking a better question: Could FOLIO do that?

What makes FOLIO different from a traditional library system?

Libraries still need the core functionality they depend on every day. But they also need a system that can keep pace as workflows, technologies and institutional priorities change.

The examples shared at WOLFcon show what that flexibility can look like in practice: connecting systems through APIs, automating manual processes, adapting workflows to local needs and revisiting workarounds as new capabilities become available.

That means modernization does not have to be about changing everything for the sake of change. It can be about keeping what works while creating more room to improve what does not.

And with EBSCO FOLIO, libraries do not have to navigate that change alone. Experienced implementation, hosting and support teams help libraries plan the move to FOLIO, work through migration and configuration decisions and continue evolving their use of the platform over time.