Collaborative Networks

Overview

Alma supports consortia by providing a platform for working together and sharing resources while allowing members to independently and separately manage their own library needs.

Roadmap

2024 H2	2025 H1	2025 H2
Central Configuration Dashboard for All Distributable Code and Mapping Tables & Rules Authority Control Task List - Manage Network Zone Linked BIB Records Network Zone Manage Electronic Resources - Library/Campus Level	Central Configuration Dashboard - Integration Profiles & Term of Use and Policies Real-Time Update of Linked Accounts Blocks Across a Network Central Configuration Dashboard - Discovery Interface Display logic, Fulfillment Jobs & License Terms	Central Configuration Dashboard - Library Management & Institution Notifications Support Services by Central Office User Groups in a Fulfillment Network Add Network Zone Titles to Alma Collections Add Network Zone Titles to Course Reserve

2024 H2

Central Configuration Dashboard for All Distributable Code and Mapping Tables & Rules

What’s New	Highlights	Impact
Today, the central office operator needs to log in to the individual Institution Zone members' environment to configure some of the policies that are determined at a central level. The consortia central office will have more centralized operational policies.	The central office will be able to configure more policies in the Network Zone and apply them to selected members. All distributable code and mapping tables + rules will be manageable in a one-stop-shop.	The central office will be able to work more efficiently, reducing time spent applying central policies.

What’s New

Highlights

Impact

Today, the central office operator needs to log in to the individual Institution Zone members' environment to configure some of the policies that are determined at a central level.

The consortia central office will have more centralized operational policies.

The central office will be able to configure more policies in the Network Zone and apply them to selected members.
All distributable code and mapping tables + rules will be manageable in a one-stop-shop.

The central office will be able to work more efficiently, reducing time spent applying central policies.

When logging in to the Network Zone, the central office administrator can update configurations, see at one glance the configurations of its members in real-time, and distribute the configurations to its members in a selective way or to all of them, choosing which distribution mode (Imposed/Proposed/Hybrid) to apply.

Consortia Central Configuration Management Dashboard

Consortia Central Configuration Management Dashboard - Sliding Panel

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Authority Control Task List - Manage Network Zone Linked BIB records

What’s New	Highlights	Impact
Network members will be able to take part in managing the Network Zone Authority Control workflow from within the member's Institution Zone Authority Control Task List.	Network members will be able to view the Network Zone Authority Control Task List from within the Institution Zone. Network members will be able to perform actions on Authority Control List entries.	Network members can collaborate and jointly manage authority control activity. It will enhance the work of catalogers when working as a group and enable easier and more productive processing and corrections of their shared bibliographic data.

New filter in the Authority Control Task List:

New filter in the Authority Control Task List

New Actions in the Authority Control Task List:

New Actions in the Authority Control Task List

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Network Zone Managed Electronic Resources - Library/Campus Level

What’s New	Highlights	Impact
Today, the central office operator can manage electronic resources in the Network Zone and make these resources available for the entire network OR for member(s) Institution Zone (s). With this feature, the central office operator can make electronic resources available for specific groups of libraries/campuses within the member (IZ) institution.	Configure Network Zone Available For groups based on member (IZ) institutions library/campus. Activate Network Zone electronic resources based on member (IZ) institutions library/campus. Enable Link Resolver access to electronic resources managed in the Network Zone for Institution Zone library/campus.	The central office will be able to work more efficiently by centrally managing electronic resources on behalf of libraries/campuses hosted in member Institution Zones.

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2025 H1

Central Configuration Dashboard for Integration Profiles & Term of Use and Policies

What’s New	Highlights	Impact
Today, the central office operator needs to log in to the individual Institution Zone members' environment to configure some of the policies that are determined at a central level. The consortia central office will have more centralized operational policies.	The central office will be able to configure more policies in the Network Zone and apply them to selected members. All Integration profiles, Terms of Use, and Policies in a one-stop shop.	The central office will be able to work more efficiently, reducing time spent applying central policies.

What’s New

Highlights

Impact

Today, the central office operator needs to log in to the individual Institution Zone members' environment to configure some of the policies that are determined at a central level.

The consortia central office will have more centralized operational policies.

The central office will be able to configure more policies in the Network Zone and apply them to selected members.
All Integration profiles, Terms of Use, and Policies in a one-stop shop.

The central office will be able to work more efficiently, reducing time spent applying central policies.

Back to Consortia Roadmap

Real-Time Update of Linked Accounts

What’s New	Highlights	Impact
Linked account updates will happen in real time.	The refresh of linked accounts across institutions will take place in real time when the record is updated in the source institution.	Libraries will be able to make use of more up-to-date user account information across the network.

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Blocks Across a Network

What’s New	Highlights	Impact
Fulfillment Network members will be able to share local blocks with the entire network.	Blocks will be copied not only from the source institution but also from the target institutions.	Libraries will be able to better consolidate their fulfillment services across the network.

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Central Configuration Dashboard for Discovery Interface Display Logic, Fulfillment Jobs & License Terms

What’s New	Highlights	Impact
Today, the central office operator needs to log in to the individual Institution Zone members' environment to configure some of the policies that are determined at a central level. The consortia central office will have more centralized operational policies.	The central office will be able to configure more policies in the Network Zone and apply them to selected members. Discovery interface display logic, Share online services orders, General Electronic Services + Fulfillment jobs + Management of License terms in a one-stop shop.	The central office will be able to work more efficiently, reducing time spent applying central policies.

What’s New

Highlights

Impact

Today, the central office operator needs to log in to the individual Institution Zone members' environment to configure some of the policies that are determined at a central level.

The consortia central office will have more centralized operational policies.

The central office will be able to configure more policies in the Network Zone and apply them to selected members.
Discovery interface display logic, Share online services orders, General Electronic Services + Fulfillment jobs + Management of License terms in a one-stop shop.

The central office will be able to work more efficiently, reducing time spent applying central policies.

Back to Consortia Roadmap

2025 H2

Central Configuration Dashboard for Library Management & Institution Notifications

What’s New	Highlights	Impact
Today, the central office operator needs to log in to the individual Institution Zone members' environment to configure some of the policies that are determined at a central level. The consortia central office will have more centralized operational policies.	The central office will be able to configure more policies in the Network Zone and apply them to selected members. Library management + Institution notifications will be manageable in a one-stop-shop.	The central office will be able to work more efficiently, reducing time spent applying central policies.

What’s New

Highlights

Impact

Today, the central office operator needs to log in to the individual Institution Zone members' environment to configure some of the policies that are determined at a central level.

The consortia central office will have more centralized operational policies.

The central office will be able to configure more policies in the Network Zone and apply them to selected members.
Library management + Institution notifications will be manageable in a one-stop-shop.

The central office will be able to work more efficiently, reducing time spent applying central policies.

Back to Consortia Roadmap

Support Services by Central Office

What’s New	Highlights	Impact
Empower the Consortia Central Office by providing support services to its members using maintenance tools and problem-troubleshooting utilities.	The central office will be able to perform a defined set of maintenance and troubleshooting tasks that were typically performed by Ex Libris support.	The central office will be empowered by services that can be provided to its members. This new feature will enable the Central Office to handle and support its Network members in a timely manner.

What’s New

Highlights

Impact

Empower the Consortia Central Office by providing support services to its members using maintenance tools and problem-troubleshooting utilities.

The central office will be able to perform a defined set of maintenance and troubleshooting tasks that were typically performed by Ex Libris support.

The central office will be empowered by services that can be provided to its members.

This new feature will enable the Central Office to handle and support its Network members in a timely manner.

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User Groups in a Fulfillment Network

What’s New	Highlights	Impact
Institutions will be able to create different locally linked accounts dependent on the patron’s user group in the source institution.	Linked account rules will be configurable per the user group value in the source institution. This will enable assigning different user groups in the target institution based on the patron's user group in the source institution.	Network libraries will gain enhanced configurability in setting network-level fulfillment policies for different user types.

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Add Network Zone Titles to Alma Collections

What’s New	Highlights	Impact
Today, members of a network, at their Institution Zone level, can search both Institution Zone titles and Network Zone titles while creating their Alma Collections, but are unable to add Network Zone titles to a collection, they can only add the Institution Zone titles. They have only partial access to their titles today in the collections. This new feature will give them full access to the titles in their collections by adding the possibility to add Network Zone titles to their local collections.	Member institutions will be able to add both Institution Zone titles and Network Zone titles to their Alma Collections.	Members will now have access to all their titles (locally and centrally managed) in their collections.

What’s New

Highlights

Impact

Today, members of a network, at their Institution Zone level, can search both Institution Zone titles and Network Zone titles while creating their Alma Collections, but are unable to add Network Zone titles to a collection, they can only add the Institution Zone titles.

They have only partial access to their titles today in the collections. This new feature will give them full access to the titles in their collections by adding the possibility to add Network Zone titles to their local collections.

Member institutions will be able to add both Institution Zone titles and Network Zone titles to their Alma Collections.

Members will now have access to all their titles (locally and centrally managed) in their collections.

Back to Consortia Roadmap

Add Network Zone Titles to Course Reserve

What’s New	Highlights	Impact
Today, members of a network, at their Institution Zone level, can add a citation to a course reading list through a repository search limited to the local titles. They are unable to add Network Zone titles to their course reading lists. The Course Reserve reading list will offer the possibility to add Network Zone titles.	Member institutions will be able to add both Institution Zone titles and Network Zone titles to their reading list in Alma Course Reserve.	Members will now have access to all their titles (locally and centrally managed) in their Course Reserve reading list.

Back to Consortia Roadmap