Real-Time Ordering
Alma provides for real-time ordering by enabling vendors to integrate their ordering system with Alma's repository and ordering features. Real-time order data is sent automatically to Alma from the vendor's system using Alma's APIs.
Real-time ordering speeds up the availability of resources, increases the efficiency of integrating records, reduces the drawbacks of manually overlaying or merging records, and enhances data enrichment in Alma.
If you would like a vendor to enable this feature, or if you are a vendor who would like to enable this feature, contact VendorIntegration@exlibrisgroup.com.
The simple setup procedure includes the following steps:
- Create a metadata template, or ensure that a default metadata template is configured.
- Recommended: Create a New Order API Integration Profile, selecting your record matching preferences.
- Provide the vendor any necessary Alma information for setup, including libraries, funds, and locations.
For a list of participating vendors and more detailed information about real-time ordering (including workflows and instructions for integrating vendors with Alma), please see the following in the Ex Libris Developer’s Network:
- Real-time overview: https://developers.exlibrisgroup.com/blog/Real-time-Acquisitions
- PO line API, how the bib record is determined: https://developers.exlibrisgroup.com/blog/Create-PO-line-API-how-the-bibliographic-record-is-determined
- Create PO line API: https://developers.exlibrisgroup.com/alma/apis/acq/POST/gwPcGly021rXkIgBNjmJH6pSL6v0plPz/d5b14609-b590-470e-baba-9944682f8c7e
When the New Order API runs, Alma uses the vendor identifier number or the ISBN/ISSN to search and match the incoming order to an existing portfolio in an electronic collection. This functionality is currently available for OASIS and GOBI.
If a match is found, the PO line is associated with the portfolio. The access model description, as defined in the Access Model table, is then added to the Public Access Model field, within the Acquisition tab of the portfolio editor, for display in Primo.
If a match is not found in your institution, the Community Zone is searched within the relevant Community Zone collection, using the access provider's collection code, which is transferred into Alma as part of the order information. Once a match is found in the Community Zone, the portfolio is activated in the institution linked to the Community Zone. The access model is stored in the Access Model field of the PO line for electronic orders, and within the portfolio's Public Access Model field, for display in Primo.
The portfolio's Public Access Model description will only be presented in the discovery system if the Enable Display of Access Model checkbox is selected on the Other Settings page under Fulfillment > Discovery Interface Display Logic (see Configuring Other Settings).
- In case a PO line of type 'License Upgrade' was added to the portfolio as an additional PO line, the Public Access Model field on the portfolio displays the access model associated with the license-upgrade order.
- Portfolios which are activated from the Community Zone as a result of orders coming into Alma from OASIS/GOBI via API will enter Alma as not available and require the institution to make the portfolio available (once it is made available on the vendor side) in order for it to appear in the discovery system.
OASIS Vendor List
The list of vendors currently supported for orders originating from OASIS is:
| Provider name | Collection name | Collection ID |
|---|---|---|
| Bloomsbury Collection | Bloomsbury Collections All Titles | 614950000000000416 |
| Cairn Ebooks | CAIRN eBooks General | 613170000000000198 |
| Cambridge University | Cambridge Core all books | 613820000000000020 |
| EBSCO | EBSCOhost Ebooks | 61111000211069000 |
| Elsevier | Elsevier ScienceDirect Books Complete | 613840000000000009 |
| Karger | Karger eBooks Collection | 613810000000000333 |
| ProQuest Ebook Central | EBook Central Perpetual and DDATitles | 614330000000000002 |
| Rittenhouse R2 | R2 Digital Library PDA Discoverable Titles | 614900000000001202 |
| SAGE | SAGE Complete | 61111092947545000 |
| Taylor & Francis | Taylor & Francis eBooks Complete | 611000000000000660 |
| World Scientific Publishing | World Scientific eBooks | 612490000000000003 |
| Brill Online | Brill Online Books | 613170000000000148 |
| De Gruyter | De Gruyter eBooks Complete | 611000000000002268 |
| IGI Global Online | IGI Global InfoSci-Books | 611000000000002255 |
| JSTOR | JSTOR Books | 613170000000000272 |
| Oxford Scholarly Editions Online | Oxford Scholarly Editions Online | 613840000000000106 |
| Project MUSE | Project MUSE - EBA All Single Title Collection | 615410000000000517 |
| Wiley Online Library (eBooks) | Wiley Online Library Online Books | 611000000000000499 |
GOBI Vendor List
The list of vendors currently supported for orders originating from GOBI is:
| Provider name | Collection name | Collection ID |
|---|---|---|
| Al Manhal | Al Manhal eBook Collection | 614910000000001498 |
| Bloomsbury | Bloomsbury Collections All Titles | 614950000000000416 |
| Brill Online | Brill Online Books | 613170000000000148 |
| CAIRN | CAIRN eBooks General | 613170000000000198 |
| Cambridge University Press | Cambridge Core All Books | 613820000000000020 |
| De Gruyter | de Gruyter eBooks Complete | 611000000000002268 |
| Digitalia Hispanica Digitalia |
Digitalia Hispanica | 613840000000000287 |
| EBSCOhost | EBSCOhost Ebooks | 61111000211069000 |
| Edward Elgar Books | Edward Elgar Books | 613170000000000299 |
| Elsevier ScienceDirect | Elsevier ScienceDirect Books Complete | 613840000000000009 |
| IGI Global Online | IGI Global InfoSci-Books | 611000000000002255 |
| JSTOR | JSTOR Books | 613170000000000272 |
| Karger | Karger eBooks Collection | 613810000000000333 |
| Project MUSE | Project MUSE - EBA All Single Title Collection | 615410000000000517 |
| Oxford Bibliographies Online Oxford University Press |
Oxford Bibliographies | 613170000000000296 |
| Oxford Clinical Psychology Online Oxford University Press |
Oxford Clinical Psychology | 613790000000001102 |
| Oxford Handbooks Online | Oxford Handbooks Online Complete | 611000000000002626 |
| Oxford Medicine Online | Oxford Medicine Online | 613410000000000010 |
| Oxford Scholarly Editions Online | Oxford Scholarly Editions Online | 613840000000000106 |
| Oxford Reference Online | Oxford Reference Library | 613170000000000188 |
| ProQuest Ebook Central | EBook Central Perpetual and DDATitles | 614330000000000002 |
| Rittenhouse R2 Digital Library Rittenhouse Book Distributors, Inc. |
R2 Digital Library PDA Discoverable Titles | 614900000000001202 |
| SAGE Online Content | SAGE Complete | 61111092947545000 |
| SpringerLink | SpringerLink Books Complete | 611000000000001381 |
| Taylor & Francis eBooks | Taylor & Francis eBooks Complete | 611000000000000660 |
| University Press Scholarship | University Press Scholarship Online Complete | 613450000000000059 |
| Wiley Online Library (eBooks) | Wiley Online Library Online Books | 611000000000000499 |
| World Scientific | World Scientific eBooks | 612490000000000003 |
Real Time Order for ATO/STL purchase models
About Access to Own:
Access to Own (ATO) model is a unique usage-based acquisition model for eBooks where all spend contributes towards ownership, thus allowing customers to control budget while potentially providing access to a wider pool of titles.
This model is relevant for libraries that:
- Want to use usage-based (evidence-based or DDA) purchasing.
- Desire front list and backlist quality content in their library collections.
- Prefer to spend collection funds on ownership rather than access.
This model is available via ProQuest’s Ebook Central platform.
About Short-Term Loan:
- Short-Term Loan (STL) allows Extended Access coverage.
- Librarians can enable Extended Access so that when books owned with the 1-user or 3-user access model are already fully in use, or a book owned with the NL (Non-linear Lending) access model has no more days-of-use available for the year, a patron's sufficient use of the book will initiate an STL, auto-upgrade, or auto-purchase of the book for the patron.
- STL (Short-Term Loan) on a DDA-discoverable book.
- DDA-discoverable books are un-owned books that your librarians have made visible to patrons. When a patron uses a DDA-discoverable book sufficiently it triggers an STL or auto-purchase of the book.
STL/ATO and Alma:
Alma will receive the order via API and associate it with the relevant resource, when additional order will be sent to Alma via API as part of the STL/ATO, the new order will be associated with the existing resource as Main order, while the 1st (initial) order will be moved to be an "Additional order". Both the Main and the Additional orders will have the resource associated to it. The main PO Line is the primary and active PO Line which all of its relevant attributes are passed to the portfolio (Access model).
Example: The use case below describes the chain of events that occur when STL/ATO orders are sent to Alma.
Use case:
- Library has a DDA program with ProQuest – As part of the DDA program title 'AI-Powered IoT for COVID-19' was made available via the "Upload Electronic Holdings from ProQuest Ebook Central for Subscriptions/Owned/DDA" (see image 1 and 2).
- ProQuest identified an access to the relevant title ('AI-Powered IoT for COVID-19') which triggered an STL real time order (see image 3).
- ProQuest identified additional (2nd) access to the relevant title ('AI-Powered IoT for COVID-19') which triggered additional STL real time order (see image 4).
- Both PO Lines which are were created as part of the STL process are associated with the resource ((see image 5 and 6).
Image 1: Portfolio 'AI-Powered IoT for COVID-19' is part of a DDA program
Image 2: Portfolio 'AI-Powered IoT for COVID-19' 'Acquisitions' tab holds no orders
Image 3: An STL real time order was sent to Alma for this portfolio and was associated to it as 'Main' order
Image 4: Additional (2nd) STL real time order was sent to Alma for this portfolio, this 2nd order was associated to the portfolio as 'Main' order and the previous order (initial order) is now associated with the portfolio as 'Additional PO Line'
Image 5: Original (1st) PO Line is associated with the portfolio (as additional PO Line)
Image 6: 2nd PO Line is associated with the portfolio as well